Comprehensive Care for the Older Adult: Mild Dementia

12-Month Subscription

Unlimited access to:

Thousands of CE Courses
Patient Education
Home Exercise Program
And more

Subscribe Now

First Chapter Free Buy Course

Video Runtime: 42 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 26 Minutes

Mild dementia is typified as the progressive loss of instrumental and basic activities of daily living and growing cognitive deficits. This course will discuss key information and best practices for home health care professionals in meeting the needs of patients with mild and early-stage dementia. Diagnostic tools, behavioral challenges, and best practices for managing functional changes will be discussed. Additionally, patient and family education methods, as well as long-term planning strategies, will be presented.

Meet your instructor

Carol O. Long

Dr. Long is a known expert in geriatric palliative and community-based health care, nationally and internationally. She has been a registered nurse for over 40 years holding various staff, management, education, and consultant positions. She has authored numerous articles, book chapters, abstracts, and monographs related to…

Read full bio

Chapters & learning objectives

1. Diagnosis of Mild and Early-Stage Dementia

The mild or early stage of dementia is marked by a patient’s beginning losses of memory, language, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and changing mood. This chapter will cover the early warning signs and diagnostic evaluation tools for testing of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Signs of what to look for during the onset of early-stage dementia and ways to promote person-centered care to enhance the patient’s quality of life will also be discussed.

2. Mild and Early-Stage Dementia: Behavioral Challenges

This chapter will review common behavioral challenges often associated with mild and early-stage dementia and the impact these challenges may have on the patient’s quality of life. Strategies, tools, and approaches to address stressors and minimize behavioral symptoms will also be discussed.

3. Managing Functional Changes

Patients at home who have mild or early-stage dementia face increasing challenges related to functional ability, communication, and daily stressors. This chapter will review ways to support and educate the patient and family about safety.

4. Planning for the Future

It is never too early to start long-term planning for persons with dementia. In this chapter, strategies for long-term planning will be reviewed, as well as person-centered lifestyle management and self-care techniques to ensure success and enhance the patient’s quality of life.

More courses in this series