Cognition and the Aging Brain: What Every Rehab Clinician
Should Know (Recorded Webinar)
Presented by Lauren Schwabish
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This course is a recording of a previously hosted live webinar event. Polling and question submission features are not available for this recording. Format and structure may differ from those of standard Medbridge courses.
According to the World Health Organization, between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world's population over 60 years old will nearly double, from 12% to 22%. This course is designed for a wide range of professions to support better understanding of the cognitive domains of aging and to better serve this community. Understanding cognition is essential for effective rehabilitation across disciplines. This webinar explores the brain structures and processes related to cognitive domains that impact thinking, attention, memory, and executive function—all skills necessary for a successful treatment experience. We will highlight evidence to describe normal aging changes versus what signals concern and explore protective factors for the aging adult. Designed for PTs, OTs, SLPs, and RNs, this session features practical and accessible ways to identify cognitive strengths and challenges in your clients, adapt interventions, and provide clear and effective health education. We’ll cover concise documentation language to help you incorporate your observations related to cognition and refine your clinical decision-making and recommendations.
Learning Outcomes
- Recognize key parts of the brain responsible for cognition
- Describe at least five cognitive domains
- Differentiate how cognitive features in normal aging vs. abnormal signs of decline can impact participation in daily activities and routines
- Describe factors that may affect cognition in the rehabilitation setting (including sleep, medication effects, depression, and sensory changes)
- Identify at least two analogies that are effective in teaching patients and families about cognition
- Clarify how to write goals and plans that support cognitive needs in clinically appropriate terminology
Meet your instructor
Lauren Schwabish
Lauren Schwabish is the owner of Neuro Speech Services, a private practice based in Northern Virginia specializing in person-centered assessment and treatment of cognitive-communicative disorders related to stroke, brain injury, mild cognitive impairment, ADHD, and other neurologic and neurodegenerative conditions. Lauren…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Cognition 101
This chapter provides a basic overview of neuroanatomy, focusing on structures and networks that are related to cognition. We will define the domains of cognition. We will review recent neuroimaging research on aging-related brain volume in healthy adults and define other normal age-related changes.
2. What’s “Normal” in Cognitive Aging?
This chapter provides a review of the range of abilities consistent with normal aging. We will differentiate fluid and crystallized intelligence. We will explore potential environmental factors in the rehabilitation setting that may influence cognition and should be considered to avoid misinterpretation of cognitive presentation. We will provide a brief overview of signs of concern and referral for further workup. We will cover research regarding the benefits of, and how rehab can support, lifelong learning.
3. Building Your Education Analogy Toolkit
No matter our discipline focus, everyone encounters cognition and cognitive impairment at some point. This chapter provides several examples of analogies and plain language descriptions to support metacognitive education for patients and families, noting the research related to analogies as tools for effective health communication. We will cover salient terminology to include when describing cognitive presentations in clinical documentation.
4. Question and Answer Session
This chapter is a viewer-submitted question and answer session facilitated by Lauren Schwabish.