Navigating Long Term Care: What You Need to Know

*Room A224 is in the Agriculture and Energy Building. Use West Campus Drive entrance.

This series will help you identify the challenges faced when caring for individuals who are no longer able to carry out daily activities on their own. 

Course Descriptions

Chronic Disease Management

Gain an understanding of the declining body, including changes in structure and function, as well as several common chronic diseases and diagnoses requiring long term care management.

We will cover caring for patients experiencing:

• Alzheimer’s
• Parkinson’s
• Diabetes
• Urinary tract infections
• Pneumonia & other respiratory diseases

Skin & Wound Management

This session will cover the challenges of caring for altered skin integrity, potentially due to incontinence, lack of movement (paralysis), injury, strokes and a diagnosis of diabetes, all of which increase the chance(s) of infection, pressure ulcers, impaired mobility, and decreased functioning.  In addition to the prevention of skin breakdown, interventions and treatments of such injuries will be explored. 

End-of-Life Care & Decisions

This session will discuss what to expect and how to care for someone who is near the end of life. 

Discussion will be regarding the end-of-life decisions to made by families and loved ones.  The decisions to be made regarding continued care by primary care physicians, outpatient treatments, prescribed and over the counter medications, interventions for comfort and management of symptoms of terminal illnesses appropriate at the end-of-life.  In addition to the differences between Palliative Care and Hospice Care and the number of supports provided with each level.

All sessions are taught by Dustin Erdman.