Mental Health in Older Adults: Reframing Aging

2024 Course Overview

Information for the 2025 course is not yet available.

Faced with managing the mental health needs of a growing aging population, it's more important than ever that health professionals stay current on how to recognize and treat mental health disorders in older adults. In addition, there is now a greater focus on creating a positive aging narrative around maintaining mental health and wellness into later years–reframing aging for both patients and care providers. 

This course will review recent research findings on effective treatments and new innovations in the care of older adults with mental health disorders and major neurocognitive disorders. We'll also explore treatment challenges and perspectives for our aging population, touching on grief, healthcare disparities, factors for longevity, and ageism. Attendees will improve their confidence and ability to treat patients from mid-life to older age as well as provide patients with a framework for successful aging. 

Who Should Attend

• Nurses
• Nurse Practitioners
• Physician Assistants
• Psychologists
• Primary Care Physicians
• Specialty Physicians
• Social Workers
• Counselors

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify strategies to reframe the clinical approach to treating mental health in older adults.
• Review several innovative models of care for older adults that have shown promising outcomes.
• Outline the latest recommendations for management of dementia and the palliative care stage.
• Summarize effective techniques to guide patients through loneliness, grief and melancholia.
• List protective factors for promoting and maintaining mental health as individuals age.
• Recognize and take concrete steps to address healthcare inequalities and ageism in their clinical practice.

For a list of session-specific learning objectives, please email cme@challiance.org