Resource Center

Elder abuse and self-neglect occur among older adults regardless of gender, race or ethnicity, living arrangements, health status or socioeconomic status. Participate in this module to learn how to detect warning signs, utilize screening and assessment tools, and optimize your role in an interdisciplinary team responding to elder abuse and self-neglect.

Palliative care is an approach to aggressively treat symptoms and improve quality of life for patients facing life-limiting illness. Participate in this module to learn the role of the interdisciplinary palliative care team in relieving symptoms, pain and the stress of a serious illness. Learners will recognize clinical situations where palliative care may improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family.

Hospitalization and readmission rates (“revolving door syndrome”) are extremely high among older adults. Approximately, 20% of Medicare patients are readmitted to hospitals within 30 days of being discharged, and 56% readmitted within one year of discharge. Hospitalizations among older adults disproportionately result in poor outcomes. Participate in this module to learn about five common complications experienced by hospitalized older adults—functional decline, delirium, falls, pressure injuries and adverse medication effects.

An estimated 21% of U.S. households are impacted by caregiving responsibilities for older adults. Participate in this module to learn to identify risk factors associated with caregiver burden, how to utilize assessment instruments for identifying burden, and how best to employ resources to assist caregivers to develop coping skills to reduce burden. This module will enable you to support caregivers to become more confident and proficient in their caregiving capabilities, and reduce their strain and avoid burnout.

While most people prefer to live their final years in the familiar setting of their homes with their families and in their communities, most of the state and federal funding has been directed to caring for people in institutions. Participate in this module to learn the types of home and community based services available through federal and state programs. This module will enable you to assist older adults and their families in accessing those programs locally.

Nearly 40% of older adults report difficulty falling asleep and 30% experience nighttime awakening. Participate in this module to better understand age-related sleep changes and common types of sleep disorders in older adults. Learners will learn to assess sleep problems, utilize diagnostic testing and manage common sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, sleep movement disorders, circadian rhythm sleep disorders and REM sleep behavior disorders.

People are living longer and it is imperative that healthcare providers understand the aging process. Participate in this module to learn about the current theories about the physiologic process of aging, understand the effects of aging on major organ systems and differentiate normal aging from pathology.

Pain affects more Americans than diabetes, cancer and heart disease combined. Participate in this module to better understand the concept of pain, learn to utilize appropriate screening tools and management strategies based on age, health conditions and risks. This module will enable you to become familiar with both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches to pain management.

Poorly planned or executed transitions of care may result in patients’ readmission to hospitals, poor clinical outcomes and inappropriate use of services. It is imperative that practitioners understand and utilize a multidisciplinary transition of care model to ensure continuity of health care as patients transfer between different locations or different levels of care.

With the youngest of the U.S. baby boomers hitting 65 by 2029, the number of people with visual impairment or blindness is expected to double to more than 8 million by 2050, hearing impairments among those 75 years and older will be over 50% and the number of persons with dementia will triple to a projected 13.8 million. Participate in this module to learn about common visual and hearing impairments and cognitive decline among older adults.