Clinical Action for Dementia, TBI, Concussion, Stroke and Other Cognitive Declines: Assessment and Treatment Techniques for Cognitive Rehabilitation and Neuroplasticity

CPD

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Speaker

Sherrie All, PhD Related seminars and products

Chicago Center for Cognitive Wellness

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Sherrie All, PhD, is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist who has specialized in treating people with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, TBI, MS, and other neurological disorders for over a decade. Dr. All is the founder and director of the Chicago Center for Cognitive Wellness, a private neuropsychology practice specializing in cognitive rehabilitation and brain health. The evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation interventions she uses have helped hundreds of adults experiencing cognitive declines improve their thinking skills, expand their functional independence, and enhance their brain health. Dr. All has worked as a consultant to the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging, helping to develop and evaluate a holistic brain fitness program, and her work with individuals on ways to lower their personal risk for dementia has earned the attention of media outlets including The New Yorker and Crain’s Chicago Business. Dr. All earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, is a member of the American Psychological Association and author of The Neuroscience of Memory: Seven Skills to Optimize Your Brain Power, Improve Memory and Stay Sharp at Any Age.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Sherrie All is the owner of Chicago Center for Cognitive Wellness. She receives royalties as a published author. Sherrie All receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-Financial: Sherrie All is a member of the American Psychological Association. the Illinois Psychological Association, and the International Neuropsychological Society.

Objectives

1. Evaluate the usefulness of cognitive screeners such as the MOCA and SLUMS versus when to refer out to a qualified neuropsychologist.
2. Design treatment interventions based on evidence supporting compensatory vs. restorative strategies.
3. Evaluate the effect of client anxiety and false beliefs to inform the clinician’s choice of treatment interventions and clinical outcomes.
4. Employ motivational interviewing techniques and appropriate selection of rehabilitation interventions to improve client engagement.
5. Apply interventions to enhance attention, memory, visuospatial, language and executive skill functioning to improve client level of functioning.
6. Implement treatment interventions to improve holistic brain health.

Outline

• Brain plasticity and the latest research
• Associated brain regions and functions
• Compensatory vs. restorative strategies
• Cognitive stimulation, cognitive training and cognitive rehabilitation

• What the MOCA and SLUMS are telling you and not telling you
• When to refer for a full neuropsychological assessment
• Make the most of assessment results including neuropsychology reports
• Static (TBI / stroke) vs. progressive decline (Alzheimer’s disease): Set and maintain realistic treatment goals
• Taking care to not “over-pathologize” concussions: Know the difference between concussion, TBI, CTE and dementia
• The use of mood and personality measures

• Motivational interviewing to cultivate engagement and brain health interventions
• Treat anxiety and false beliefs to improve cognition
• Adjustment to illness and grief: Counseling the brain impaired patient

THE COGNITIVE DECLINE TOOLBOX: REAL WORLD TREATMENT STRATEGIES FOR EACH COGNITIVE DOMAIN

ATTENTION & WORKING MEMORY

• The neural bases of attention impairment
• Help clients understand working memory capacity as a means of improving metacognition
• Improve attention and reduce errors by following the DIRECT model and using PEAS & LEAP
• “Focused drilling” to expand working memory capacity and generalizing to other outcomes
• Mindfulness training to help clients shape attention and improve focus

MEMORY: PROSPECTIVE, ENCODING & RECALL

• The neural bases of memory impairment
• Frontiers in Alzheimer’s disease management
• Tailor memory training interventions to level of severity & motivation
• Effective use of calendars and other external memory aids for effective daily functioning
• Elaborative encoding techniques using visualization, linking and chunking
• Memory aids in traditional psychotherapy treatments
• Strategies for effective recall of learned information

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION

• The neural bases of executive function impairment
• Stroke and cerebrovascular disease
• Improve planning for greater goal attainment with the use of a reverse timeline worksheet
• Expand flexible thinking with 6-step problem solving
• The neural basis of stress management and emotion regulation

VISUOSPATIAL & LANGUAGE

• The neural bases of visual and language impairment
• Useful Field of View Training (UFOV) for driving independence
• The “language wallet” for independence among people with aphasia
• Supported conversation and script training for aphasia

HOLISTIC BRAIN HEALTH INTERVENTIONS

• Shape the brain’s destiny: Cognitive reserve to build resistance and resilience to cognitive decline
• The impact of socialization on brain health and recovery
• Psychotherapy’s impact on brain health
• Effective cognitive stimulation: The truth about brain games & crosswords
• Teach clients how their brain works through metacognition intervention

RESEARCH, LIMITATIONS AND RISKS

Target Audience

• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Counselors Neuropsychologists
• Occupational Therapists
• Physical Therapists
• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Nurses
• Nursing Home Administrators
• Assisted Living Facility Administrators
• Long Term/Acute Care Professionals
• Case Managers Marriage & Family Therapists

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