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Mental Health Needs of Persons Residing in Skilled Nursing Facilities Teaching Module

This PowerPoint teaching module addresses skills in geriatric mental health, covering psychiatric conditions and behavioral management. It covers the following topics: Principles, common causes, interventions, federal regulations regarding usage of psychotropic medication in skilled nursing facilities, effective recognition and documentation of symptoms, conditions that may contribute to behavioral symptoms, interactions with others, complications of treatments, adverse drug reactions, unnecessary drugs, anti-psychotic drugs, and ways of monitoring behaviors.

Advanced Competencies Addressed In This Module:

  • An understanding of the effects and interactions of multiple chronic conditions, medication, nutrition, and sudden or on-going causes of changes in cognitive states and functional capacity
  • Ability to conduct a comprehensive geriatric assessment of psychosocial factors that affect older persons’ physical and mental well-being
  • Designing and implementing service plans to help older people and their families manage/improve functioning with cognitive loss or mental health problems (e.g., depression, dementia, and delirium), health issues, and/or physical functioning
  • Adhere to laws and public policies related to older adults (e.g., psychotropic medication use in nursing homes).
  • Assure appropriate access, utilization, continuity, coordination, and monitoring of the continuum of public resources for older persons including community-based care, residential care, nursing home, and health/mental health services