The Geropsychiatric Nursing Collaborative: Addressing Behavioral Needs of Persons with Dementia

Friday, November 4, 2022

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Location: 208 CC

CE: 1.5

Chair(s)

Lauren Massimo, NP,PhD

Assistant Professor
School of Nursing
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Co-Chair(s)

Lauren Hunt, PhD, RN, FNP

Assistant Professor
Department of Physiological Nursing
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States

Discussant(s)

Kathleen Buckwalter, PhD, RN, FAAN

Professor Emerita
College of Nursing
University of Iowa
Iowa City , Iowa, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

Brianna Morgan, PhD (c), MSN, CRNP

Predoctoral Fellow
School of Nursing
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Adele Crouch, PhD RN

Postdoctoral Fellow
School of Nursing
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
RF

Richard Fortinsky, PhD, FGSA

Professor and Health Net, Inc. Endowed Chair in Geriatrics and Gerontology
Medicine
University of Connecticut Center on Aging
Farmington, Connecticut, United States

Over the last decade, the Geropsychiatric Nursing Collaborative (GPNC) has sought to improve care of older adults with mental health needs such as those with dementia. Geropsychiatric nurses are well-poised to deliver person-centered care to address the psychosocial needs of persons with dementia, which may include behavioral expressions. In this interdisciplinary symposium, we will highlight approaches members of the GPNC are taking to address mood and behavior in persons with dementia. The first session will describe how persons with mild-cognitive impairment draw upon their inner strength after they receive a diagnosis. The second session will discuss how common behavioral expressions such as anxiety, depression and apathy contribute to difficulty with everyday functional activities in persons with Alzheimer’s disease. The third session will describe an interprofessional communication tool to improve communication of behavioral expression in the nursing home setting. The last session will share findings from a nurse practitioner-led team care management model to address cognitive vulnerability in older adults with dementia, depression, and/or delirium. Together, these presentations describe how geropsychiatric nurses are investigating mood and behavioral symptoms in persons with dementia and addressing their mental health needs with innovative person-centered interventions.

Learning Objectives:

After attending this session participants will be able to describe a geropsychiatric nursing approach to: 1) managing mood and behavioral expressions in older adults with dementia and cognitive impairment; 2) improving interdisciplinary provider-patient communication; and 3) helping older adults with dementia and cognitive impairment find meaning after diagnosis.
After attending this session participants will be able to apply several different person-centered interventions to address mental health needs, including mood changes and behavioral expressions, in older adults with dementia and cognitive impairment.

Presentations:

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Experiences of Inner Strength at the Time of Mild Cognitive Impairment Diagnosis
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Brianna Morgan, PhD (c), MSN, CRNP – University of Pennsylvania
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Apathy and Anxiety Are Related to Poor Function in Persons With Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Adele Crouch, PhD RN – University of Pennsylvania
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Dementia Care in Nurse Practitioner-Led Care Management for Cognitively Vulnerable Older Adults
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Richard H. Fortinsky, PhD, FGSA – University of Connecticut Center on Aging