An advanced course presents key strategies for treating geriatric patients with pain, orthopedic dysfunctions, balance deficits, and general debility. North American Seminars’ “Geriatric Pain and Mobility” course aims to enhance clinicians’ knowledge of the aging process, the physiological impact of chronic pain on the aging body, as well as the role the nervous system and graded exercise play in reducing pain, improving mobility, and physical performance.

The course’s lecture is blended with hands-on lab session intended to take the clinician through a graded treatment progression addressing the affects of chronic pain, improving mobility, building a stable core, and progressing to dynamic functional mobility programs for the aging client. The Healthclick website notes that the course will also review improving functional outcomes in all specific G-coding categories, offering examples of documentation and coding of skilled services. The course is applicable for physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists, and athletic trainers.

Course objectives include achieving the ability to describe the normal aging process, common functional challenges that impact the aging client, and physiological changes that can be slowed or preventing using therapeutic approaches. Additional objectives including assessing functional limitations using normative data comparisons and to choose treatment options that can best address the aging individual’s needs, and explaining the neuro-physiological effects of long-term pain. This includes its impact on function over time and how neurological principles can be applied to help reverse these processes.

For a full list of course objectives, the course brochure, and to register, click here

Course dates run from August 16 to 17, November 9 to 10, and November 15 to 16.

[Source: Healthclick]