Lesson 1Cognitive screening tools: MMSE, MoCA, Mini-Cog — administration and interpretationOffers hands-on advice for cognitive checks 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 advance care wishes and life aims via goal questions and spiritual or cultural chats, noting preferences, 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 mapping, looking at support strength, isolation dangers, and ways to build real 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 mobility and fall checks using Timed Up and Go, 30-second sit-to-stand, and watching gait and balance, with safety tips, scoring, 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 hazardsDetails home safety checks focusing on stairs, lights, mats, bathroom risks, and aids, prioritising changes to 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 nutrition and weight checks with MNA-SF and easy food recall, spotting warnings like unplanned weight drop, swallowing issues, and hunger shifts, plus 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-7Reviews mood and worry checks for elders using GDS-5/15, PHQ-2/9, GAD-7, with when-to-use tips, scoring, suicide checks, and clear, kind result talks.
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 assessmentSets out key ideas for person-focused elder assessments, stressing respect, self-rule, joint choices, cultural respect, and kind talk, including 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 barriers, ongoing vs sudden pain, and notes for safe, custom pain care.
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/IADLsCovers structured, person-led history in elder care on 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
