Audience: New owners, operators, and staff of Maryland Assisted Living Facilities
Approvals/Accreditation: - Maryland– This course was developed specifically to meet the COMAR requirement for cognitive impairment and mental illness training for new staff, per COMAR 10.07.14.19. Please note that you must also complete additional training in behavioral health to meet the new 2025 COMAR regulations. The Behavioral Health one hour course is also available at our website.
Introduction: Caring for a person with a cognitive impairment or mental illness can be truly rewarding. However, each day can also present different challenges. Learning about cognitive impairment & mental illness can help you understand and better cope with these challenges.
The purpose of this program is to provide you with the knowledge, skills, and tools you need to better care for residents with cognitive impairment and mental illnesses.
Objectives: At the end of this course, you will be able to: - Describe normal aging and conditions causing cognitive impairment and mental illness (CI/MI);
- List risk factors for CI/MI;
- Describe health conditions that affect CI/MI;
- Describe the importance of early intervention for CI/MI;
- Describe how and when to report changes related to CI/MI;
- Describe effective communication techniques for someone with CI/MI;
- Describe effective behavioral interventions for someone with CI/MI;
- Describe how to make activities meaningful for someone with CI/MI;
- Describe how to effectively interact with family members and develop a partnership for goal-directed care;
- Describe end of life care, including pain management, providing support and dignity, and supporting the family; and
- Describe how to manage caregiver stress.
Course Topics: In this program, you will learn about: - Dementia and Mental Illness Basics (2 hours)
- TBI, Stroke, and DD (1 hour)
- Making Activities Meaningful (1 hour)
- Staff and Family Interaction (30 minutes)
- End of Life Care (30 minutes)
Course Authors: This course was written by Susan S. Harrington, MS, PE and Claire C. Cole, RN, C. The curriculum for Part 1 was reviewed by Dr. James P. Richardson, Chief of Geriatric Medicine, St.Agnes Hospital.
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