Lesson 1Cognitive screening tools: MMSE, MoCA, Mini-Cog — administration and interpretationGives hands-on advice for checking thinking skills with MMSE, MoCA, and Mini-Cog, covering prep, standard ways to do it, scoring, culture and schooling factors, and talking results with patients and families kindly.
Preparing the environment for testingStandardized MMSE administration and scoringMoCA domains and cutoff interpretationMini-Cog clock drawing and recall stepsCommunicating cognitive results sensitivelyLesson 2Advance care values and life goals elicitation: goal-based questions, spiritual and cultural preference probesShows how to draw out future care wishes and life aims using goal questions and spiritual or cultural checks, noting down choices, and fitting them into care plans and joint talks.
Introducing values and goals conversationsExploring hopes, fears, and trade-offsSpiritual and cultural preference probesDocumenting preferences and proxiesRevisiting goals as health status changesLesson 3Social network and loneliness assessment tools: UCLA Loneliness Scale (short), social network mappingHelps check social ties and loneliness with short UCLA Loneliness Scale and mapping networks, looking at support strength, alone risks, and ways to build strong bonds.
Exploring living situation and supportsAdministering the short UCLA scaleCreating a visual social network mapIdentifying isolation and caregiver strainPlanning social and community interventionsLesson 4Functional mobility and falls screening: Timed Up and Go, 30-second sit-to-stand, gait and balance observationLooks at daily movement and fall checks using Timed Up and Go, 30-second sit-to-stand, and watching walk and balance, with safety steps, scores, and linking to stop-fall plans.
Key fall risk factors in older adultsAdministering the Timed Up and Go test30-second sit-to-stand protocol and normsObserving gait, posture, and balanceTranslating findings into fall preventionLesson 5Home safety and environmental assessment checklist: stairs, lighting, rugs, bathroom hazardsMaps out home safety checks focusing on stairs, lights, mats, bathroom dangers, and help tools, showing how to pick changes that cut falls and keep freedom.
Preparing for a home safety walkthroughAssessing stairs, railings, and entrancesEvaluating lighting, cords, and loose rugsIdentifying bathroom and toileting hazardsRecommending aids and home modificationsLesson 6Nutrition and weight loss screening: MNA-SF, simple dietary recall, identifying red flagsTeaches food and weight drop checks with MNA-SF and easy food memory, spotting warnings like unplanned weight loss, swallowing trouble, hunger shifts, and setting referrals.
Risk factors for malnutrition in agingAdministering and scoring the MNA-SFConducting a brief dietary recall interviewIdentifying red flags and urgent concernsCoordinating dietitian and medical referralsLesson 7Mood and anxiety screening in older adults: GDS-5/15, PHQ-2/9, GAD-7Covers feeling and worry checks in elders using GDS-5/15, PHQ-2/9, GAD-7, with when-to-use, do-it tips, reading scores, self-harm checks, and sharing kindly.
Recognizing mood and anxiety red flagsAdministering GDS-5 and GDS-15Using PHQ-2 and PHQ-9 stepwiseScreening with GAD-7 for anxietyResponding to positive or high-risk screensLesson 8Principles of person-centered gerontological assessmentStarts key ideas of person-focused elder checks, stressing honour, self-choice, joint choices, culture respect, trauma-aware talk, fitting family views without sidelining the elder.
Building rapport and psychological safetySupporting autonomy and shared decisionsCultural and spiritual humility in assessmentTrauma-informed questioning and pacingBalancing family input with patient voiceLesson 9Pain assessment in older adults: numeric scales, PAINAD, multi-dimensional pain historyExplains hurt checks in elders with number scales, PAINAD, full history, tackling talk blocks, long vs sudden pain, noting for safe personal hurt plans.
Choosing and explaining numeric rating scalesUsing PAINAD in advanced dementiaCharacter, onset, location, duration, intensityImpact of pain on sleep, mood, and functionDocumenting pain findings for the care teamLesson 10Structured history elements: medical, medications, pain, sleep, nutrition, ADLs/IADLsLooks at ordered, person-focused history in elder care, covering health issues, meds, hurt, rest, food, daily tasks, with talk that honours choice, culture, mind limits.
Organizing the initial geriatric interviewEliciting past medical and surgical historySystematic medication and supplement reviewAssessing sleep quality and common disturbancesExploring ADLs and IADLs with concrete examples
