Cognitive Rehab Certificate Series

Cognitive-communication disorders are defined as problems with communication that have an underlying cause in a cognitive deficit rather than a language or speech deficit. Acquired cognitive-communication deficits may occur after a stroke, tumor, traumatic brain injury, progressive degenerative brain disorder, or other neurological damage. Cognitive- communication disorders vary in severity. Someone with a mild deficit may simply have difficulty concentrating in a more distracting environment or may have difficulty with more complex tasks such as medication management. A person with the most severe cognitive-communication disorder may have difficulty communicating their most basic wants and needs.

A cognitive-communication disorder results from impaired functioning of one or more cognitive processes. Cognitive processes include attention, orientation, memory, judgment, thought organization, problem-solving, reasoning, language processing, executive functioning, and metacognition. These cognitive processes are not isolated abilities; they are constantly working together as a person performs activities of daily living (ADLs), solves problems, sequences important tasks, and communicates complex information. A problem with one or more cognitive functions can cause difficulty performing activities of daily living safely and efficiently as well as communicating effectively. A person with a cognitive- communication disorder may have difficulty paying attention to a conversation, staying on topic, recalling important information, responding accurately, understanding complex language, or following directions. This course will increaseyour ability to effectively screen for different deficits associated with cognitive communication disorder. This course will also assist therapists in determining appropriate treatment techniques that promote ADL, safety, and quality of life.

• Improve your knowledge of cognitive-communication disorders and differentiate from deficits in the areas of expressive and receptive language
• Gain awareness of how a cognitive- communication disorder affects several aspects of rehab, safety, and independent living
• Determine appropriate screening, assessment, and treatment techniques

In March of 2020, COVID-19 was named a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). A plethora of studies are examining the effects of COVID-19. Many studies areevaluating cognitive deficits. Impaired cognition in patients, no matter the diagnosis, leads to ADL dysfunction. Alemanno,et al, (2021), found 80% of subjects studied in an outpatient setting status post the pandemic had cognitive impairment. Pre-COVID-19, cognitive rehabilitation was a niche in therapy with a small selection of therapists working full-time in the area. As more and more of the population becomes exposed to COVID, many more patients will demonstrate cognitivedeficits in all rehabilitation settings. All therapists are now charged with not only treating the primary diagnosis for their patients, but also cognition. This course will review the basics of cognitive rehabilitation for occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and speech-language pathologists. Easy to incorporate and evidence-based evaluations and treatments will be reviewed. Additionally, case studies will be addressed. Participants will leave thiscourse with immediate tools for use in the next day's sessions.

• Incorporate cognitive assessment and treatmentinto your scope of practice
• Evidence-based measures and activities across all settings
• Integrate learning with case examples for OT, OTA, and SLP sessions

According to the National Institute of Health, frailty in older adults is the leading cause of disability, hospitalization,and mortality. Conditions most often associated with frailty include cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, Alzheimer's and infectious disease. Additionally, numerous studies now suggest that sarcopenia (age related loss of muscle mass) is identified as a leading cause of frailty.In fact, sarcopenia is increasingly observed as a disease among pathologists. For rehabilitation therapists, frailty often presents challenges as these patients tend to rehab slowly, have limited participation, and meager outcomes. This can lead to reimbursement problems and hospital readmissions. However, resistive exercise, participation in activities of dailyliving, and cognitive stimulation is the best treatment regimen for frailty. Therefore, rehabilitation therapists are charged with problem-solving ways to motivate and advocate for this vulnerable patient population.

This timely course will equip you with the tools needed for effective assessment, goal writing, and treatment of low-level patients to ensure that their delicate needs are met. Learn quick and easy standardized tests and measures to ascertain an objective analysis of function. Build your library of treatment protocols to motivate your patients, maximizetherapy participation, and improve outcomes. Return to work confident in your skills to treat frail or cognitively impaired patients with the satisfaction of making a difference.

• Immediately improve your assessment and treatment strategies for patients with chronic, debilitating conditions or cognitive deficits
• 25 of the most appropriate tests and measures for assessment and re-assessment
• Feel confident about responding to therapy referrals forfrequent fallers

According to the National Institute of Health, frailty in older adults is the leading cause of disability, hospitalization,and mortality. Conditions most often associated with frailty include cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, infectious diseases and Alzheimer's. Additionally, numerous studies now suggest that sarcopenia (age related loss of muscle mass) is identified as a leading cause of frailty.In fact, sarcopenia is increasingly observed as a disease among pathologists. Treating patients with frailty often presents documentation challenges as these patients tend to rehab slowly, have limited participation, and meager outcomes. Documenting anything other than "significant progress" can be a daunting task for fear of coverage/reimbursement problems and denials. However, resistive exercise, participation in activities of daily living, and cognitive stimulation is the best treatment regimen for frailty. Recently, a report from the Office of Inspector Generalrevealed that sixty-one percent of Medicare claims for outpatient therapy did not comply with Medicare medicalnecessity coding or documentation requirements. Therefore, rehabilitation therapists are charged with problem-solving ways to document these necessary services for thisvulnerable patient population.

This timely course will equip you with the tools needed for effectively documenting assessment, goals, and treatment encounters of low-level patients to ensure that skilledcoverage criteria is met. Learn how to incorporate data fromquick and easy standardized tests and measures to document objective analysis of function and justification for continued services. Build your library of documentationprotocols and return to work confident in your skills to document treatment of frail or cognitively impaired patientswith the confidence that your claims will be paid.

• Immediately improve documentation of assessment and treatment for patients with chronic, debilitating conditions or cognitive deficits
• 25 appropriate tests and measures for documenting assessment and re-assessment
• Simple strategies for documenting skilled treatment, establishing medical necessity, and justifying ongoing services without writing a novel
• Gain confidence in documenting medical necessity for repeat referrals

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury that can occur from a bump or blow to the head, or when an object goes through the skull and enters the brain. Because the brain controls all that you do, a TBI can cause many problems thatcan affect several aspects of day-to-day life. Much will depend on the severity of the injury and what part of the brain was injured. Regardless of the type and severity of the TBI,damage to the brain occurs immediately at the time of injury. Later, a person who has suffered a TBI may develop seizures or brain swelling.

A TBI may cause one or more of the following problems. These problems can affect how a person functions in school, at work, and during everyday activities. The following will be addressed in regard to causes, symptoms, assessment, and treatment:

• Physical problems - fainting, seizures, headaches, dizziness and vomiting, problems with balance, and muscle weakness.
• Sensory problems - sensitivity to light, sound, and touch; hearing loss or ringing in the ears; changes in vision or double vision.
• Behavior changes - being more emotional or feeling anxious or angry; feeling depressed or experiencing mood swings.
• Problems with thinking skills - difficultypaying attention, recalling information, and learning new information; difficulty planning, setting goals, and problem- solving.
• Speech and language problems - problems being understood because of weak speech muscles (dysarthria) or problems controlling speech muscles (apraxia); problems understanding what others say or what you read; problems finding the words to say.
• Social communication issues - difficulty following conversational rules, like taking turns and not interrupting; difficulty understanding nonverbal cues, like when someone rolls their eyes.
• Swallowing problems - trouble chewing or coughing and choking when eating or drinking.

• Describe the causes and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury and how these can affect aspects of diagnosis and treatment within your specific discipline
• Apply knowledge of diagnostic and therapeutic options when designing functional treatment plans for patients with a traumatic brain injury

Dementia is a broad term for a decline in mental ability that is significant enough to interfere with a person's daily life. Over 5 million Americans are living with dementia; someone in the United States develops Alzheimer's disease every 65seconds. This number is expected to double by 2030, and triple by 2050. Since there is no cure for dementia, this disease results in a progressive decline of cognitive and functional skills. Many individuals with dementia also experience behavioral changes, decreased safety awareness, difficulty eating/swallowing, and decreased independence completing activities of daily living (ADLs). This course is designed for therapists and healthcare professionals so that they may improve outcomes, safety, andquality of life for individuals and their caregivers living with dementia.

This course will teach functional and evidence-basedtechniques, interventions, and education/training strategies. Participants will learn about assessments and screening tools which may be used at all stages of progressive cognitive decline, and how to use those tools to develop individualized treatment plans. Emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary treatment, documentation challenges, improving patient safety, and caregiver education.

• Improve your knowledge of the physical and cognitive implications of dementia in order to more effectively implement evidence-based treatment approaches
• Use evidence-based treatment approaches to increase participation in daily routines and therapy activities to improvepatient safety and prevent functional decline
• Acquire knowledge of the effects of dementia on families and caregivers, and discover practical ways to provide training and education to family and caregivers

As therapists, we are often asked to proviilled cognitive interventions for clients with a range of diagnoses. Addressing these deficits are critical as they impact multiple areas of function, to include communication, safety strategies, activities of daily living and the overall ability toachieve optimal functional independence.

This course was developed to assist rehab professionals with evidence-based interventions to achieve the desired outcomes for a range of cognitive deficits. These strength- based approaches are designed to be practical to include both rehabilitative and compensatory strategies when teaching clients in the areas of different levels of memory,executive function, attention, verbal recall, judgement, andproblem solving.

• Strategies for implicit vs. explicit memory & learning concepts
• Dual task training for improved cognitive and motoroutcomes
• Effective cognitive treatment techniques for clients with a variety of disease processes and comorbidities
• Implement goal writing and objective documentation strategies