2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

339727
Dementia Education in Illinois: A State-Wide Community / Academic Approach


Wednesday, November 4, 2015 : 12:50 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.

Darby Morhardt, PhD, LCSW, Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
There is much variability in the way dementia symptoms are expressed and much goes unrecognized and undiagnosed. Although aging is the leading risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, it is estimated that at least 200,000 people under age 65 have what is commonly known as young-onset dementia. Based on epidemiological prevalence data the number of individuals with dementia in Illinois served by the aging, disability and public health networks, volunteer advocacy groups, and Alzheimer’s disease assistance centers is significant. A state-wide network formed to enhance collaboration among these groups was tasked with assisting in the development of education and training for front line community workers identifying, assessing and serving the needs of persons with dementia and their families.  A community / academic collaborative approach was used to develop practical and user friendly training materials to enhance the skills of the state-wide workforce.  Preliminary results will detail the current impact on service delivery and future directions.

Learning Areas:

Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Discuss relationship of differential diagnosis to quality dementia education, treatment and care. Describe a state-wide collaboration tasked with developing training materials for front-line workers in the aging and disability networks. Explain impact of education and training to date.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the Director of Education for a National Institute on Aging Alzheimer’s Disease Center for the past 15 years, transferring information on dementia disorders to health and social service professionals as well as the general community through a variety of modalities. I have over 30 years of clinical experience working with persons with dementia and their families, in addition to developing and evaluating quality of life programs, groups and other therapies.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 5135.0: Alzheimer's Disease Services