Lesson 1Cognitive screening tools: MMSE, MoCA, Mini-Cog — administration and interpretationOffers hands-on advice on brain screening using MMSE, MoCA, and Mini-Cog, covering prep, standard use, scoring, cultural and schooling factors, and chatting results with patients and families.
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 probesLooks at drawing out future care values and life aims using goal questions and spiritual or cultural checks, noting down choices, and weaving them into care plans and joint decision 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 mappingShows how to check social ties and loneliness with the short UCLA Loneliness Scale and network maps, looking at support strength, isolation dangers, 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 observationCovers checking movement and fall risks with Timed Up and Go, 30-second sit-to-stand, and watching walk and balance, plus safety steps, scores, and tying results to fall prevention.
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 hazardsSets out home safety checks focusing on stairs, lights, mats, bathroom risks, and aids, and how to pick changes that cut falls and keep independence.
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 using MNA-SF and easy food recall, spotting warnings like unplanned weight loss, swallowing issues, and hunger shifts, plus referrals and follow-ups.
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-7Deals with mood and worry checks for elders using GDS-5/15, PHQ-2/9, GAD-7, covering when to use, tips, reading scores, suicide checks, and sharing kindly and clearly.
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 assessmentIntroduces key ideas of person-focused elder checks, stressing respect, self-rule, joint choices, cultural respect, and trauma-aware talk, while adding 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 pain checks for elders using number scales, PAINAD, and full histories, tackling talk hurdles, ongoing vs sudden pain, and notes for safe, custom pain 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 structured, person-focused history in elder care, covering health issues, meds, pain, sleep, food, daily tasks, with talk that honours self-rule, culture, and thinking 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
