PT & OT Connection: Continuing Education for Therapists

Evidence-Based Rehabilitation in Dementia Care

As our aging population continues to grow in the United States, management of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is becoming a public health crisis with burden to the patient, family, and healthcare system rising each decade. Deficits associated with these challenging pathologies can make it difficult to engage these patients in necessary rehabilitation activities for improved function. Patients with dementia can certainly benefit from rehabilitation as much as adults without dementia. With the proper knowledge and training, rehabilitation clinicians can provide dementia-specific, person-centered care, which can maximize rehabilitation outcomes by maintaining or even improving physical performance and function and thereby reduce healthcare costs. This podcast will provide you practical techniques that are applicable across all care settings to improve communication and enhance participation with patients having Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
To view accreditation information and access completion requirements to receive a certificate for completing this course, please Click here
The content of this Summit podcast is provided only for educational and training purposes for licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists. This content should not be used as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.
 

Helping Patients Stay on Their Feet: Comprehensive Falls Management in Geriatric Rehabilitation

Falls among older adults are becoming a public health crisis and significant burden on the healthcare system.  More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling. Falls cost the healthcare system about $31 billion dollars annually. In fact, falls are not a normal part of aging and can be prevented with the proper assessment and management.  Rehabilitation professionals are primed to lead this initiative as part of an interdisciplinary team. This podcast will deepen your understanding of the interplay between risk factors associated with falls. Additionally, listeners will learn the most evidence-based examination and evaluative tools available to be able to develop the best individualized plan of care along with skilled justification for treatment.  Finally, the podcast will outline the current best practices and interventions available to healthcare professionals in managing falls and aid in the prevention of future falls.
To view accreditation information and access completion requirements to receive a certificate for completing this course, please Click here The content of this Summit podcast is provided only for educational and training purposes for licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists. This content should not be used as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.

The Fabulous Five of ADL Training in Older Adults: Practical Strategies to Demonstrate Value and Improve Outcomes

According to the National Institute of Health, more than one-third (35.2%) of adults in the U.S., aged 65 and over report some level of dysfunction with ADL. Some of the resulting outcomes include poor sleep, malnutrition, social isolation, depression, pain, UTIs and falls. Since nearly one-third of all seniors live alone, that means that roughly 14 million seniors have no direct access to caregiver support. But living alone does not have to mean living lonely. Rehabilitation therapists have the unique charge of addressing ADL deficits with impactful, measurable interventions to decrease the need for institutionalized care.
This timely podcast will help therapy professionals to learn evidence-based evaluation and treatment interventions to address this public health crisis. Attendees will learn five standardized ADL assessments and four methods for ADL retraining that demonstrate skill. The multi-disciplinary approach will provide valuable content for all therapists, without duplicating services, regardless of discipline. Most importantly, attendees will leave with a new-found confidence that they can empower older adults to age with dignity and autonomy.
To view accreditation information and access completion requirements to receive a certificate for completing this course, please Click here The content of this Summit podcast is provided only for educational and training purposes for licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists. This content should not be used as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.

Prevention, Acute Management, and Rehabilitation for Hip Fractures

Hip fractures in older adults are most often a result of low energy trauma.  Osteoporosis, impaired balance, poor vision, and hazardous living environments all contribute to injury.  Hip fracture unfortunately contributes to increased risk of mortality within one year, often for systemic or other illness.  Fracture can be preventable in some cases; in others appropriate initial and post operative management can not only restore mobility but prolong life.  Rehabilitation therapists play a key role in all phases from prevention to long term rehabilitation.  This podcast will review modifiable risk factors, describe ideal care plan management based on most recent practice guidelines, and challenge therapists to view their roles in extending lives.
To view accreditation information and access completion requirements to receive a certificate for completing this course, please Click here The content of this Summit podcast is provided only for educational and training purposes for licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists. This content should not be used as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.

Treatment Interventions for Homebound Patients

For a patient to be eligible to receive covered home health services, they must be deemed “confined to the home” or homebound.  The time has come to demystify the two conditions, or criterion, which formulate the groundwork of the homebound status.  Magic words such as “taxing effort” do not, in and of themselves, deem one homebound. Only by exploring the physiological implications of the patient’s health status can a classification of homebound be accurately determined. This podcast will examine the meaning behind criterion one and two of the homebound eligibility requirement and provide strategies to integrate elements of the patient physical assessment into a tailored and accurate homebound justification statement while guiding therapists through the development of evidence-based home health interventions to promote functional performance and safety in daily activities and mobility.
To view accreditation information and access completion requirements to receive a certificate for completing this course, please Click here The content of this Summit podcast is provided only for educational and training purposes for licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists. This content should not be used as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.

Navigating Parkinson’s Disease Obstacles

Clinicians are now charged with providing quick gains in an episode of care with complex patients, such as those with Parkinson’s disease. Funding cuts continue to require clinicians to provide shorter episodes of care, despite neurological disease progression. This one-hour podcast will provide physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists, and occupational therapy assistants with targeted evidence-based interventions for the Parkinson’s patient. These targeted interventions will allow for translation of skills to balance and ADLs while also demonstrating measurable gains. Practical and successful tips will also be provided to address typical complications in an episode of care with the Parkinson’s patient. Clinicians will leave the course with new interventions and strategies for use in their next session with the Parkinson’s patient.
To view accreditation information and access completion requirements to receive a certificate for completing this course, please Click here The content of this Summit podcast is provided only for educational and training purposes for licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists. This content should not be used as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.

OASIS-E: A Targeted Look at the Cognitive and Mental Health Assessments

Accurate OASIS coding is essential for all home health clinicians due to the direct impact quality indicators will have on an agency’s star rating. With the CMS plan to move to a universal outcome measure for all post-acute settings, OASIS will become an important tool beyond home health. Payment through PDGM and PDPM are driven, at least in part, by improvement as measured through OASIS. This course will provide easy to use methods that will improve a clinician’s ability to provide correct coding to all OASIS-C and D (cognitive and mental health) items.
This podcast will provide sample questions throughout the course to ensure the participant’s understanding. The podcast format will enable participants to listen and review the material at their own leisure, while providing an in-depth look at very specific sections of the OASIS. Clinicians conducting OASIS assessments will immediately see improved understanding of accurate OASIS coding, as will those participating in collaborative assessments now allowed by CMS.
To view accreditation information and access completion requirements to receive a certificate for completing this course, please Click here The content of this Summit podcast is provided only for educational and training purposes for licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists. This content should not be used as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.

Geriatric Strength Training in Rehabilitation

This podcast will cover the current evidence on the benefits of strength training in the geriatric population.  It will discuss the differences between pre -frail, frail, and sarcopenia in relation to exercise prescription in rehab.  It will also examine how this evidence applies to rehabilitation professionals and how it can be successfully implemented in the rehab setting. 
To view accreditation information and access completion requirements to receive a certificate for completing this course, please Click here The content of this Summit podcast is provided only for educational and training purposes for licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists. This content should not be used as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.

Advances in Early Treatment Strategies for Total Knee and Total Hip Replacement

Recent advances in joint replacement surgeries have allowed patients to return home earlier and earlier.  This course will concentrate specifically on same day joint rehabilitation visits in the home or outpatient setting.  General guidelines with emphasis on medication management, post operative nutrition, and general incision care and staple removal will be covered.  The podcast will also cover various joint arthroplasty techniques and updated precautions.
To view accreditation information and access completion requirements to receive a certificate for completing this course, please Click here
The content of this Summit podcast is provided only for educational and training purposes for licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists. This content should not be used as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.
 

Post-Pandemic Dementia Care: Lessons Learned, Best-Practice Approaches, and the Role of the Caregiver

Each dementia patient healthcare practitioners treat requires a unique and personal approach requiring a profound understanding of occupational and personal history to maximize aspects of long-term and procedural memory. The challenges of isolation and routine disruptions resulted in a catastrophic adjustment to care services and caregiver burden during the COVID pandemic. Moreover, there is emerging evidence identifying the accelerations risks of COVID on neurodegeneration of dementia patients (Merla et al, 2023). Therefore, new approaches to treatment have been developed. This course optimizes post-pandemic evidence and best approaches to care in a post-pandemic environment.
This podcast will analyze new data in post-pandemic dementia care to better provide services to dementia patients. Listeners will develop current, evidence-based skills for evaluation and treatment techniques for dementia patients. When practitioners return to their clinical setting, they will be able to immediately apply best-practice approaches to patient care as well as caregiver training to improve functional outcomes and patient performance skills in activities of choice.
To view accreditation information and access completion requirements to receive a certificate for completing this course, please Click here
The content of this Summit podcast is provided only for educational and training purposes for licensed physical therapists and occupational therapists. This content should not be used as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others.