Mental Health and Aging Training Initiative(MHATI)
The Mental Health and Aging Training Initiative is set to:
- Deliver free education and training to enhance geriatric workforce development
- Improve communication & service coordination between mental/behavioral health and long term care providers
- Offer insight into the complex needs of older adults with behavioral health issues
- Provide the tools and techniques for person-centered interventions via vignettes, case reviews and interactive polls.
ABOUT THIS TRAINING INITIATIVE
This initiative has produced a library of 18 webinars within a six-part series initiated by the Geriatric Mental Health Partnership (GMHP), an informal, voluntary group of diverse stakeholders which focuses on geriatric mental/ behavioral health care in the Commonwealth. The GMHP’s goal has been to improve communication and service coordination between the mental/behavioral health and long term care systems to facilitate timely care for older adults in the most appropriate setting. Lack of adequate training regarding the complex needs of an aging population with behavioral health issues has been identified as an ongoing barrier to successfully providing community-based care for these individuals.
Eighteen previous webinars have attracted a continuously growing audience, which attests to the unmet need for this type of training. The webinars in the six-part series registered over 6960 individuals with 4,639 actual attendees (67% attendance rate).
As the aging population continues to grow, and use of State Hospitals as the site of extended behavioral health care continues to diminish, it is essential that community-based staff and providers be prepared for the rapid growth of older adults with behavioral health and dementia-related issues. This is a key issue for workforce development as the Commonwealth prepares for the future. Effective training enables staff to more quickly identify and address behavioral health-related issues before the older adult’s condition declines further or situations escalate to possibly becoming dangerous to other frail elders (or caregivers) nearby. It also helps staff distinguish between behavioral issues which can be safely addressed at the facility (or at home) versus those which constitute a true psychiatric emergency and might require inpatient treatment.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) initiative “to Improve Behavioral Health and Reduce the Use of Antipsychotic Medications in Nursing Home Residents” has made training even more urgent. Due to concern about potential harmful effects of certain psychoactive medications on older adults, particularly those with dementia, CMS has recommended staff training focusing on person-centered interventions to address problematic behaviors rather than relying on the use of medications. This training can ultimately have beneficial effects on the residents’ quality of life and functioning, in addition to enhancing the knowledge, skills, and retention of staff.
The topics addressed in the previous series of webinars included:
- Advance Care Planning for Dementia and Serious Mental Illness
- Assessing Risk and Managing Behaviors in Persons with Dementia
- Behavioral Disturbances of Dementia: Interventions to Reduce the Use of Psychotropic Medications
- Best Practices for Medication Management of Dementia-Related Behaviors
- Best Practices in Geriatric Psychiatry and Long Term Care
- Beyond Natural Disasters: Managing Critical Events in Congregate Settings
- Community Partnerships: Ethical and Communication Issues for LTC Facility/Hospital Transitions and Effective Care Coordination
- Developing a Culturally Competent Workforce for a Culturally Diverse Population
- Medications: Friend or Foe? – The Role of Medications in Both Causing and Curing Behavior and Cognitive Problems
- MicroLearning: Little Messages with a Big Impact
- Motivational Interviewing and SBIRT to Address Substance Misuse
- Opioid Use in Older Adults: The Double-Edged Sword
- Personality Disorders and Aging
- Pre-admission Screening of Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: Considerations for Emergency Services Staff
- Psychiatric Emergencies: A Practical Guide for LTC Facility Staff
- Sexuality in LTC: Ethical Issues of Consenting Adults vs. Persons with Dementia
- Substance Use and Alcohol Interactions in Older Adults
- Team Preparation and Team Building for Behavioral Health Professionals Working with Older Adults
- The Temporary Detention Order (TDO) Process: What Staff Need to Know
- The Temporary Detention Order (TDO) Process – Part 2
- The Use of Technology to Engage Persons with Dementia
These topics were selected based on consistent feedback and suggestions proposed by attendees during the past 4 years.
INTENDED AUDIENCE
This training program is intended for staff and students from many levels, disciplines, and settings (both facility and community-based), including staff involved in providing long term care (e.g., nursing staff and administrators), as well as behavioral health staff who work with older adults. Additionally, staff from Adult Protective Services, home health, adult day healthcare, respite care, area agencies on aging, Emergency Department staff of acute care hospitals, hospital discharge planners, and others serving older adults could benefit from the training.
WEBINAR ACCESS
These live events are open to all and free for all. Attendees are required to have a computer with access to high speed internet (to view the slide presentation) and computer speakers OR access to a telephone. Additional information is provided through the registration form.
WEBINAR MATERIALS
The webinars are recorded and slides, alongside other resources, are posted on their respective pages.
CERTIFICATES OF ATTENDANCE
Certificates of attendance are issued upon completion of an exit survey corresponding to the webinar.*
*Upon completion of the webinar, attendees have one week to submit the exit survey and receive a certificate.
SERIES VII
Opioid Use in Older Adults: The Double-Edged Sword
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
1:30-2:45 pm US EST
This webinar will review special considerations for the use of opioids for pain management in older adults as well as the challenge of opioid misuse in this population. Learners will be able to describe physiological changes in older adults as they impact choice of opioid therapy, select appropriate opioid therapy for older adults, and describe opioid misuse and management of opioid use disorder in older adults.
Time will be given for questions and discussion after the webinar.
Speakers:
- Laura Morgan, PharmD, MEd, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Education, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy
- Ericka L. Crouse, PharmD, Associate Professor, Deptartment of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science, Virginia Commonwealth School of Pharmacy
Moderator:
- Jennifer L. Inker, PhD, MBA, LALFA, Gerontologist; Instructor; Joint Program Director, Assisted Living Administration Specialty Area, Virginia Commonwealth University, College of Health Professions, Department of Gerontology
Registration:
Registration is free and open to all.
REVIEW RECORDING, TRANSCRIPT AND SLIDES
MicroLearning: Little Messages with a Big Impact
Thursday, February 21, 2019
1:30-2:45 pm EDT
Adopting a person-directed culture in health care means a commitment to ongoing learning. We need to challenge traditional learning so that education itself is person-directed. Through 5-8 minute videos that are memorable and practical, microlearning offers a new culture of education that meets people where THEY are in their busy lives of caring. Presenters will share how Virginia nursing homes have been breaking new ground using microlearning, its impact, and lessons learned. Participants will experience microlearning through a variety of relevant, interactive learning resources they can apply right away and will discover in the process, new pathways for person-directed education.
Speakers:
- Mary Martha Stewart, MA, Director of Culture Change & ClearPath, Riverside Health System
- Christine J. Jensen, PhD, Director of Health Services Research, Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health
Moderator:
- Jennifer L. Inker, PhD, MBA, LALFA, Gerontologist; Instructor; Joint Program Director, Assisted Living Administration Specialty Area, Virginia Commonwealth University, College of Health Professions, Department of Gerontology
Registration:
Registration is free and open to all.
REVIEW RECORDING, TRANSCRIPT AND SLIDES
Developing a Culturally Competent Workforce for a Culturally Diverse Population
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
1:30-2:45 pm EDT
This webinar will initiate the discussion of changing the organizational culture for providers and identify opportunities to provide culturally competent care and supports. The session will address many State and Federal regulations, including but not limited to, Title VI, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) provider requirements, U.S. Department of Justice: Civil Rights Division, the Americans with Disabilities Act and as applicable the Joint Commission Requirements.
Questions and discussion will follow as time permits.
Speakers:
- Susan A. Elmore, MBA, Special Projects Coordinator, Division of Developmental Services, Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
- Karla Almendarez-Ramos, Manager of City of Richmond’s Office of Multicultural Affairs
Moderator:
- Jennifer L. Inker, PhD, MBA, LALFA, Gerontologist; Instructor; Joint Program Director, Assisted Living Administration Specialty Area, Virginia Commonwealth University, College of Health Professions, Department of Gerontology
Registration:
Registration is free and open to all.
REVIEW RECORDING, TRANSCRIPT AND SLIDES
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SERIES VI
Beyond Natural Disasters: Managing Critical Events in Congregate Settings
Monday, March 20, 2017
1:30-2:45 pm US EST
Presenters will focus on managing events that put residents and staff at risk. Security situations can turn into critical situations ranging from domestic abuse to use of weapons and shootings. In addition to identifying safety issues impacting the facility, the webinar will examine the right to wander v. risk for elopement by exploring the right of residents to move freely throughout the community while ensuring that their safety as cognitive and functional levels change. A focus will be on Interventions to reduce resident and organizational risks for adverse outcomes, including environmental design, resident/family engagement, and interdisciplinary team collaboration.
Time will be given for questions and discussion after the webinar.
Speakers:
- Linda Glasson, CHPA-L, Past President, International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety
- Mary P. Chiles, RN, RAC-CT 3.0, Chiles Healthcare Consulting, LLC
Moderator:
- Jennifer L. Inker, MBA, LALFA, Gerontologist; Instructor; Joint Program Director, Assisted Living Administration Specialty Area, Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Gerontology
Registration:
Registration was free and open to all.
REVIEW RECORDING AND SLIDES
Best Practices for Medication Management of Dementia-Related Behaviors
Friday, April 21, 2017
1:30-2:45 pm EDT
This webinar will give an overview of current best practices for medication management of dementia-related behaviors. Presenters will provide an update on current research on safety and efficacy as well as utilizing case studies to discuss using medications for challenging behaviors in persons with dementia .
Speakers:
- Lyons Hardy, CNS, NP, Instructor, VCU School of Nursing, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Geriatric and Continuum Services, VCU Health
- Adam Rosenblatt, MD, Professor, Co-director, Huntington Disease Program, VCU School of Medicine
Moderator:
- Jennifer L. Inker, MBA, LALFA, Gerontologist; Instructor; Joint Program Director, Assisted Living Administration Specialty Area, Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Gerontology
Registration:
Registration was free and open to all.
The Use of Technology to Engage Persons with Dementia
Thursday, May 11, 2017
1:30-2:45 pm EDT
This webinar will discuss current research related to the use of technology in care of persons with dementia with examples of the specific modalities available. Attendees will gain a general understanding of available technology and how it can improve quality of life for residents, how to integrate technologies in the care of people living with dementia and an overview of the impact & outcomes of the technology.
Questions and discussion will follow as time permits.
Speakers:
- Lora Epperly, MSN, RN, CDP, CADDCT, Director of Business Development and Care Innovations CCR, Inc.
- Scott Sautter, PhD, Board Certified Neuropsychologist, Hampton Roads Neuropsychology
- Charles de Vilmorin, CEO, Linked Senior
Moderator:
- Jennifer L. Inker, MBA, LALFA, Gerontologist; Instructor; Joint Program Director, Assisted Living Administration Specialty Area, Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Gerontology
Registration:
Registration is free and open to all.
TESTIMONIALS
“Excellent – The topic had relevance and the information was helpful in gaining a better understanding of the geriatric population and the ways in which care workers can increase their effectiveness with this group by becoming more sensitive to the potential impact of personality disorders.”
“I enjoyed the presentation. I thought the use of polls and the case vignettes were interesting and helpful. The speaker was excellent.”
“Excellent – very informative for those of us who do not prescribe medications/are not nurses! The speaker was obviously extremely knowledgeable. I will be looking over these slides frequently.”
“I want to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Although I prefer face-to face trainings when possible, I am absolutely VERY GRATEFUL to receive such high-quality instruction at no cost to our agency. Excellent material, well-presented and moderated. The time went by very quickly and I learned information that will enable me to perform my job better.”
SERIES I–VI: Cumulative Registrants
SERIES I–VI: Cumulative Attendees
%
WEBINAR RATING: EXCELLENT AND VERY GOOD
PARTICIPATION
- INDIVIDUAL ATTENDEES 70%
- GROUP ATTENDEES 30%