Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging Presents:

Functional Communication Assessment for Healthcare Professionals   

When an older adult has difficulties in the ability to communicate effectively, there is an impact not only on that person’s safety and connection with others but their overall quality of life. 

When you know how to evaluate a person’s comprehension skills, you can modify your presentation of verbal and written information accordingly. When you know how to assess a person’s expressive skills, verbally and in a written format, it is possible to maximize their communication potential based on their strengths.
This information will add to the ability of health care professionals to maximize their interactions when there are communication deficits through all the continuums of care. In addition, the suggestions provided can be included in caregiver support groups and in staff education programs. 

Learning Objectives:                                                                           

Participants will be able to:

• Explain the importance of meeting a person at their current level of communicative functioning.  

• Demonstrate how to assess a person’s level of receptive language skills: listening and reading. 

• Explain how to assess a person’s level of expressive skills: verbal expression and writing. 

• List strategies to enhance interactions and activities utilizing person’s strengths.

 

Time: 8:30am – 12pm (Log in to ZOOM beginning at 8:20am)

Speaker: 

Kathryn Kilpatrick M.A. is a Geriatric Life Enhancement Consultant, Memory Fitness/Brain Health Specialist, Motivational Speaker and Author and a former Speech-Language Pathologist. She received her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology  from the University of Massachusetts. She has 5 decades of experience as a speech-language pathologist (1969 – 2019), working in a variety of settings primarily in Ohio, including hospitals and rehabilitation centers with 35 years in the area of home health care. She is a national motivational speaker and author of more than 30 products to enhance communication and connection for all those wanting to enhance their quality of life, particularly when there are communication, memory and cognitive challenges. Currently Kathryn is focusing on her geriatric life enhancement consulting practice and educational programs on related topics. She also continues to offer brain health/memory fitness and Lifelong Learning programs while expanding her Brain Game resources. Her websites, Communication Connection and Memory Fitness Matters have an abundance of resources including her eldercare and memory fitness blogs, interviews and podcasts, and sample pages of all her products. 

CEU Information: 

• Program is approved for 3.0 continuing education units for LSWs, LISWs, SWA, Nurses (via reciprocity with the SW board).
• The Ohio Board of Nursing will accept sessions approved for Social Workers for Continuing Nurse Education.
• To comply with the State of Ohio Counselor and Social Worker Board: Late Arrivals will NOT be admitted.

Views and written materials presented during the presentations are those of the individual presenter and do not necessarily represent the official views and/or opinions of the Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging.

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