Release date: November 16, 2011 Termination date: November 16, 2013 Available credit: 1.5 The estimated time to complete this activity is 1.5 hours.
Dementia and associated disorders have increased prevalence with age. Dementia is often associated with other treatable disorders such as depression and delirium. Both are often misdiagnosed and inappropriately managed, thus contributing to the complexity of care, unnecessary service utilization and poor quality of life.
Clinicians have reported not being prepared to diagnoses and manage those conditions. Diagnosis and management of depression in dementia evaluation for acute change in behavior and determining decision-making capacity are critical in the management of elderly with chronic illness. Knowledge of signs and symptoms, familiarity with the available methods and tools to assess these conditions will allow clinicians to play an important role in providing education, psychosocial support, and referrals for the identified problems, among others, for patients and caregivers. It will also allow clinicians to manage their other chronic illness more effectively. The series of cases presented here will provide an opportunity to manage several virtual older patients and receive feedback and guidance as to the appropriate course of action.
This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of physicians; nurses; social workers; and other healthcare professionals.
This activity has received no commercial support.
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AB 1820: This bill requires sufficient course work in the field of geriatrics for medical students and physicians to ensure that every general internist and family physician has the requisite knowledge and skills to competently treat California’s older population by the year 2010.
General internists and family physicians who have 25% or more of their patients 65 years of age or older are required to complete at least 20% (five hours per year) of their mandatory Category I CME in the field of geriatrics. All other physicians are encouraged to take courses in geriatrics including geriatric pharmacology.
As a provider accredited by the Institute for Medical Quality/California Medical Association, and in accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Standards for Commercial Support: Standards to Ensure Independence in CME Activities, it is the policy of SCAN Health Plan to ensure balance, independence, objectivity and scientific rigor in all of its continuing medical education (CME) activities. SCAN Health Plan requires everyone who is in a position to control the content of a CME activity to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest. This information is utilized to 1) determine if a conflict exists, 2) resolve the conflict by initiating a content validation process, and 3) advise learners of this information. Any individual who refuses to (or chooses not to) disclose relevant financial relationships will be disqualified from participating as an instructor, planner or manager and cannot have control of or responsibility for the development, management, presentation or evaluation of a CME activity certified by SCAN Health Plan. Disclosures received by SCAN Health Plan from individuals in a position to control CME content are made transparent to learners prior to participating in the activity. SCAN Health Plan discloses the following information to learners: 1) the name of the individual, 2) the name of the commercial interest(s), and 3) the nature of the relationship the individual has with the commercial interest. SCAN Health Plan also discloses to learners the name(s) of commercial interests supporting each CME activity.
The following planners had no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.
The following planners have disclosed a relevant financial relationship
The following faculty had no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.