Reducing Risks for Older Adults
What You’ll Learn
- List the 4Ms of the Age-Friendly Health Systems framework
- Identify older adults at risk for poor surgical outcomes
- Explain the diagnosis of delirium and discuss its impact on the older adult patient
- Recognize the impact of high anticholinergic drug burden
Did you know it is estimated that delirium goes undiagnosed in more than 50% of cases? This course provides context and best practices for systematically identifying older adults who are at risk for poor outcomes, including falls, delirium, and caregiving challenges when they are admitted to the hospital or surgery center. Learners will gain familiarity with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Age-Friendly Health Systems framework, and will use the program’s 4Ms (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, Mobility) to practice harm reduction and age-friendly care. Special emphasis is placed on steps to assess for and reduce risks of delirium, and ways to prevent patient harms by addressing polypharmacy and reducing anticholinergic drug burden for the older adult.
What You’ll Earn
Only CAPC members who are logged in can earn the following free Continuing Education Credits:
- Case Management: 1.00 CE
- Medicine: 1.50 CME, 1.50 ABIM MOC (Medical Knowledge Only)
- Nursing: 1.50 CNE
- Social Work: 1.00 CE (NASW)
- Social Work: 1.00 CE (NYSED)
This course is only available to CAPC members. Learn More
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Take the post-test
Complete course evaluation
Download your certificate
Tools & Resources
The Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s formal recognition program for hospital and health systems improving the 4Ms of care for older adults: what matters, medication, mentation, and mobility.
A one-page document that translates the 4Ms of Age-Friendly Health Systems into action.
Training and clinical tools for managing pain in patients living with serious illness, with a focus on safe opioid prescribing and risk assessment for opioid substance use disorder.
This document details medications potentially to avoid or consider with caution because they often present an unfavorable balance of benefits and harms for older people.
Use this calculator to evaluate medications for their likelihood to cause confusion, dizziness, and falls in older adults.
The Confusion Assessment Method is tool that identifies delirium identification including diagnosis, severity, and behavioral subtype.
A care manager specific list of risk reduction tips for the care of older adults.
Course Faculty
Constance Dahlin, MSN, ANP-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, FAAN. Consultant, Center to Advance Palliative Care.
Jaime Goldberg, MSW, LCSW, ACHP-SW. PhD student, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work.
Susan Heisey, LCSW-MSW, ASW-G. Hospital Elder Life Program Manager, Inova Fairfax Hospital.
Laura Joans, RN, APRN. Nurse Practitioner, Blue Grass Care Navigators.
Peer Reviewers
Karl Bezak, MD. Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, University of Pittsburgh (UPMC)*
Gabrielle Langmann, MD. Clinical Instructor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Master’s of Science in Medical Education Candidate, University of Pittsburgh *
Linda Pang, MD. Fellow Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Nora Brennan, RN. Cardiology. University of Pennsylvania Hospital System.
Kristin Chouinard, RN, CHPN. Gerontology. North Shore Elder Services, Partners Healthcare.
* indicates ABIM Peer Reviewer
Contact information: For technical questions about course activity, contact the Education department at 347-802-7310. For questions about continuing education credits, contact 201-957-0077.
Provided by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.