Opening Plenary Presentation

P01 - The Memory Care Unit of the Future

Doug Pace, Director - Alzheimer's and Dementia Care, Alzheimer's Association

In 2016, dementia will cost the United States upwards of $236 billion, and with the growing demographics of our elder population this number promises only to increase.  This reality has placed an emphasis for both skilled nursing and assisted living organizations to improve the quality of their memory care units, resulting in a groundswell of change within the treatment community.

Concepts like retrofitting older facilities to support memory care, art therapy, color therapy, engagement through technology, person-centric therapeutic models, and a variety of other trends have now become mainstream practices.  But, how do these concepts come together to create the next-generation memory care unit?

Join renowned national dementia care expert and policy advocate Doug Pace, as he shares the vision for what memory care units will look like in the coming years.  Pace will share his unique perspective on what organizations can do position their staff, facilities, and organizations for the future of memory care.

Learning Objectives:

• Review and outline the latest developments in research and practice in Alzheimer’s and dementia care
• Discuss the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s disease and the suggested milestones around the goals of enhanced care quality
• Examine current initiatives around Memory Care units and the regulatory. environment including new guidance expected from CMS on the HCBS Final Rule
• Discuss why data, quality improvement and person-centered care initiatives are the key to success in current and future delivery systems that provide care and support to persons with Alzheimer’s disease
• Examine promising practices in preparing caregivers to provide compassionate care to individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease

Track: Administrative and Executive
E01 - Key Components of Memory Care Best Practice, and Why They Matter

Track: Clinical and DON

E02 - Dementia Pharmacotherapy: The Pros, Cons, and Risks Behind Today's Medications

Ian Neel, Physician - Division of Geriatrics, University of California San Diego

The CMS guidelines are clear regarding the future of pharmacotherapy and dementia: psychotropic medications must be minimized--but what does this look like in practice?

Common medications like Aricept, Exelon, Namenda, and Namzaric are currently in place for treatments, with new agents being released to the marketplace regularly.  Understanding both the positive and negative factors associated with these medications, along with the influencing factors of engaging non-pharmalogical interventions are critical to advancing quality of life for residents.

In this engaging session, Dr. Ian Neel of the University of California San Diego lists the latest FDA approved medications on marketplace for treatment of Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias.  Join Dr. Neel for a deep dive into the specifics behind the management of these medications, how prescribing now can impact future clinical interventions, and for an in-depth risk/benefit analysis between medications and non-pharmacologic therapies.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the known pathogenesis behind Alzheimer's disease
• Identify the FDA approved pharmaceuticals available for management of Alzheimer's disease
• Understand the pitfalls associated with prescribing these agents, and discuss the recommended monitoring for patients on the agents
• Discuss the limitations of the available agents for management of Alzheimer's disease
• Demonstrate knowledge of future directions for dementia pharmacotherapy
• Engage in a meaningful risk/benefit discussion with patients and family members regarding the efficacy of currently available dementia medications and non-pharmacologic treatment options for dementia.

• Demonstrate the impact of arthritis and neuropathy on persons with dementia and how they impact quality of life
• Examine the challenges hearing loss creates for residents who experience memory impairment
• Illustrate visual impairment's influence on seeing color contrasts and how general darkening of eyesight can create barriers for certain activities
• Explore and discuss behavioral patterns common in those with dementia, such as hoarding, and what processes in the brain create these behaviors

Afternoon Plenary Presentation

P02 - 50 Shades of Consent: The Case Studies of Memory Care and Understanding Decision Making Capacity

The world of memory care and memory loss is rarely outlined clearly in black and white, but is instead a constant gray area when it comes to consent and decision making.  When a resident is experiencing escalating cognitive impairment and loss of function, there is a clear and definitive difference between competency and decision making capacity (DMC)--and in the eyes of the law this can truly make all of the difference in care.

In this session, join national long-term care legal expert Alan Horowitz, who has represented both the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and a host of care providers, as he explores the case studies that have set a precedent for modern memory care programs.  In this fast-paced plenary session, we explore the top assessments for determining DMC, the nuances of dementias that impact DMC, the top case studies that have defined these issues, and what organizations need to know in order to avoid future legal proceedings.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the potential legal risks associated with cognitively impaired residents who are sexually active
• Outline effective strategies geared at protecting residents’ rights while ensuring resident safety
• Review lessons learned from recent civil and criminal cases involving sexuality and dementia
• Illustrate the importance of developing and implementing appropriate policies and procedures
• Examine the use of “informed consent” and other alternatives in the context of sexuality and dementia
• Recognize the importance of performing ongoing assessments as decision-making capacity (DMC) waxes and wanes in care

• Illustrate that neither the social model nor medical model alone is sufficient for optimal quality of dementia care.
• Identify the elements of the social and medical models that are essential to include for excellent dementia care.
• Demonstrate how to operationalize the blended model for increased efficiency and ROI.

Morning Plenary Presentation

P03 - How to Effectively Deploy a Non-Pharmacological Memory Care Program:  Bridging the Gap of Neuroscience and Supportive Living

Joshua J. Freitas, M.Ed,  CADDCT, CAEd. , Corporate Director of Memory Care and Resident Engagement, LCB Senior Living, LLC

This session will address how non-pharmacological interventions as well as quality associate training may be a more effective strategy for treating those with memory loss.  Attendees will explore how behavioral color therapy may create a more supportive living environment and how to deploy communication approaches that have long-term effects and sustain cognitive functioning.  As part of this session, attendees will develop a better understanding of dementia, a better ability to connect with someone with memory loss through contemplative care practices and how to engage a person with memory loss in a good quality of life.

Learning Objectives:

• Distinguish how the philosophy of color can increase resident engagement, appetite, attention, and in some cases even cognitive function.
• Explain how resident engagement changes the body on a macular level and how research suggests that it may slow down (and in some cases reverse) our aging process and symptoms of dementia. 
• Recognize how our environment changes our brains through a term referred to as "neuroplasticity".
• Develop a basic understanding of Epistemology (the way we view the world) and how it affects the brain of someone with dementia.
• Develop a better understanding of Epigenetics and how it controls the course of dementia as well as how resident engagement changes our DNA.
• Examine the latest programs suggested by LCB Senior Living, LLC, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and how they improve the quality of life and sustain resident skills and abilities through a Habilitative environment.