UPCOMING WORKSHOPS!

           "Uncovering the Mysteries of Alzheimer's Disease:  
                             Plain Talk and Practical Tools"

Set up a workshop for 2008!

See the outline and agenda below!

 

"Judging Amy:   An Interactive Workshop on Evaluating
Decision-Making Fitness in the Cognitively Impaired Older Adult"

Friday, July 25, 2008
Ohio Psychological Association
Quest Business Centers
8405 Pulsar Place
Columbus, OH 43240
(614) 540-5540

See the outline and agenda below!

                 
What Others Are Saying About Dr. Kraus' Workshops and Talks

     "Excellent workshop!  Dr. Kraus was genuine, interesting, and knowledgeable!"

     "Very easy to listen to and follow."

     "I have attended several workshops on Alzheimer's and aging in the past 15 years.  This has been the best.  The depth and presentation of information was excellent."

     "I enjoyed the humor and little exercises to keep us alert."

      "Very personable, enthusiastic, organized, great slides, positive learning techniques."

     "Very informative, especially relating to new developments."

     "Appreciated the addition of fun demonstrations and games interspersed with the materials.  I have attended three other geriatric workshops.  Dr. Kraus's is the best!"

      "Case examples were very helpful.  Very responsive to questions. Dynamic style made it easy to stay engaged."

     "A wonderful down to earth presenter with a lot of knowledge."

     "Dr. Kraus took a difficult subject and kept it interesting. He brought it down to a lay person's understanding."

     "Very, very good!  I recommend this training for new workers as well as veteran workers with the aged.  I'd like to see this workshop available to families and caregivers in our community."

     "I thoroughly enjoyed this -- it applied to both my professional life as a medical social worker and to my personal life because my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's."

     "Absolutely outstanding!!!  Very helpful -- Thank you!"


Alzheimer's Workshop Objectives

* Learn about the 5 essential characteristics of Alzheimer's

* Discover the latest diagnostic and screening methods

* Find out about the newest medicines in the fight against Alzheimer's

* Learn how to better identify and treat depression, anxiety, and other    psychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's

* Learn how to apply 4 fundamental strategies in talking to someone with   Alzheimer's

* Discover how to better address the 10 most common behavioral   problems in Alzheimer's


Alzheimer's Workshop Agenda

8:30 a.m.     Registration

9:00 a.m.     Identifying Alzheimer's
                        *  The Natural Aging Process
                        *  Risk Factors and Your Odds of Getting Alzheimer's
                        *  Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Symptoms                                      *  Anatomical , Microscopic, and Genetic Evidence                                  *  Distinguishing Between Delirium and Alzheimer's

                    Evaluating Mental Functioning in Alzheimer's
     
                  *  How to Take a Good History
                        *  Standardized Physician's Workup for Alzheimer's                                 *  The Mini-Mental State and Full Mental Status Exams
                        *  Psychological tests for Alzheimer's                                                            *  The hierarchy of Functional Abilities in Alzheimer's                                  *  Guidelines for Conducting a Competency Evaluation

10:15 a.m.   Break

10:30 a.m.   Disturbances in Mood and Perception in Alzheimer's
                        *  A Profile of the Depressed Elderly
                        *  Scales to Measure Depression and Alzheimer's                                       *  Suicide in the Elderly       
                        *  Is It Dementia or Pseudodementia?
                        *  Psychotic Symptoms in Alzheimer's  

12:00 p.m.   Lunch       

1:00 p.m.     Medical Treatment Approaches in Alzheimer's                             *  Acetylcholine and Cholinesterase Inhibitors                                                  *  Alternative Medicines
                        *  The Role of Cholesterol in Alzheimer's
                        *  The Newest Medicines
                        *  Medicines Addressing Other Mental Health Symptoms

                    Environmental Treatment Approaches in Alzheimer's
                        *  Environmental Stressors in Alzheimer's                                                   *  12 rules for Optimizing the Environment                                                      *  Strategies for 10 Common Behavioral Problems

2:15 p.m.     Break

2:30 p.m.     Talking to People with Alzheimer's  
                        *  The Relationship is Everything
                        *  The Unconscious in the Elderly
                        *  Listening in Metaphor
                        *  Reinforcement and Avoidance in the Depressed                                Alzheimer's Patient
                        *  Family Dynamics and Alzheimer's
                        *  Caregiver Burden and Stress
                        *  Dealing with Agitation in Alzheimer's

                    Preventive Activities For Ourselves And Others

4:00 p.m.     Evaluations and Adjournment

 

Judging Amy Workshop Objectives

     This interactive workshop was developed and expanded from a 3-hour presentation given at the 2007 OPA Convention.   It will utilize didactic instruction, as well as mock assessments, case studies, and small and large group discussion.

     One of the most stressful events of family life is confronting the question of a parent's or sibling's or spouse's ability to make sound decisions.   By accepting a referral to assess decision-making abilities, you can provide essential answers to the person being assessed as well as to those who are close to them.   This interactive workshop has been designed   to assist all psychologists who are doing or wish to expand their practice by doing "competency evaluations."   Regardless of your specialty - whether it's geropsychology, neuropsychology, forensic psychology, clinical psychology, or if you are a general practice clinician who wishes to learn more about this valuable and rapidly growing area of practice - this workshop can provide you added tools to ply your trade in a more competent and enlightened way.   Conducting capacity evaluations assists the court in its task and almost always calms the family by filling the abyss of uncertainty with valuable information.   Surprisingly, very little is generally known in the legal, medical, psychiatric, and psychological communities about assessing, evaluating, and making judgments regarding the capacities of cognitively impaired older adults.   This workshop is designed to provide benchmark guidelines and protocols in assessing the cognitive, emotional, and functional capacities of this growing segment of our population.

* Workshop participants will learn the variety of conditions leading to
  decisional incapacity.

* Participants will learn standardized approaches in determining decision-
  making abilities.

* Workshop participants will learn about the utility of test instruments
  commonly used in assessing cognitive, emotional, and functional
  impairments in the older adult.

* Participants will learn how to better translate their findings into a form that
  the judicial system needs and appreciates.


Judging Amy Workshop Outline

* The Judge's Perspective
        * Historical Perspectives
        * Pitfalls in Assessing Decision-Making Capacity
        * Today's Standards of Practice
        * The Six Pillars of Assessment
        * The Judicial Analysis of Evidence
        * Problems with Clinician-Based Testimony
        * Limited Guardianships and Other Alternatives

* The Psychologist's Perspective
        * The Myth of the "Capac-o-meter"
        * Professional Competence
        * Steps in the Capacity Evaluation
        * Ability Domains in Capacity Assessment
        * Diagnosis
        * Questions for the Clinical Interview
        * The Standard Medical Workup for Delirium and Dementia
        * Cognitive, Behavioral, Emotional Symptoms in Dementia
        * Differential Diagnosis of Depression, Delirium, and Dementia
        * Standardized Tests Used in Capacity Assessments
        * Issues in Test Selection
        * The Importance of Functional Assessments

* The Client's Perspective
        * When is an Evaluation Really Needed?
        * Possible Interventions Prior to an Evaluation
        * The Process of Engagement
        * Mirroring Responses
        * Deflecting Aggression
        * Weighing Probable Gains and Risks

* Applying the Principles
        * "Frank" - A Case Analysis
        * Drawing Effective Conclusions
        * Effective Documentation

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Photos Copyright Tom Tuttle