This 1 hour and 28 minute webinar focuses on supporting patients living with behaviours in dementia in regional areas.
Primary Health Tasmania hosted a free hybrid education event for GPs, nurses and medical practitioners in Tasmania, featuring Geriatrician Dr Katie French.
Through case studies, Dr French shared practical approaches to supporting behaviours associated with dementia in both the community and residential aged care settings. Participants gained insight into available regional resources and services, from diagnosis pathways through to ongoing clinical support following diagnosis.
The case studies explored when and how to prescribe and when not to prescribe, including antipsychotics and cognitive enhancing medications. In addition, attendees received practical guidance on assessing capacity, supporting decision-making, and navigating restrictive practice considerations in dementia care.
This event was RACGP and ACRRM approved for 1.5 hours of Educational Activities
Learning outcomes:
- Recognise uncommon presentations and behavioral symptoms associated with dementia.
- Apply evidence-based prescribing and deprescribing principles for people living with dementia.
- Determine when clinical investigations are appropriate to support diagnosis and management of dementia-related presentations.
- Apply best-practice approaches to capacity assessment, supported decision-making, and the consideration of restrictive practices within a regional care setting.
Speaker information:
Dr Katie French – Locum Geriatrician
Katie French graduated from the University of Wollongong in 2010 and completed specialist training within the Wollongong and South Coast regional area. She has been a staff specialist geriatrician in the Shoalhaven region since 2019 in addition to co-founding the South Coast Specialist Health Care Clinic where she provides high quality and accessible specialist aged care services to the South Coast using a comprehensive approach to ageing with a focus on memory, maintaining function and maximising wellbeing in the elderly. Katie also works closely with the University of Wollongong as a clinical academic and has a strong background in research. She has passion for medical education, specifically ensuring that aged care has a presence on the curriculum into the future. Katie's area of special interest is brain pathology secondary to repetitive head injury in sport, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and related dementia with a focus is on identification of potential symptoms of CTE syndrome in at risk individuals and endeavour to provide support, symptom management and research opportunities for retired elite and amateur sports people.