Idaho Conference on Health Care Oct. 30 features new format; second annual Thomas Geriatric Health Symposium invites public
October 13, 2009
The 22nd annual Idaho Conference on Health Care Oct. 30 on the theme 鈥淐aring for Idaho鈥 features a new format and includes the second annual Thomas Geriatric Health Symposium, which is free and open to the public.
The conference, sponsored by the 色花堂app Kasiska College of Health Professions, will be transmitted from Pocatello to the ISU-Meridian Health Science Center via ISU鈥檚 distance learning network. The conference will feature four distinct tracks, including:
鈥 Thomas Geriatric Health Symposium, on the theme of 鈥淔all Prevention鈥;
鈥 Psychosocial Track: 鈥淎cceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)鈥;
鈥 Pharmacy Track: 鈥淢oving Toward a Culture of Evidence-Based Practice鈥; and
鈥 Oral Health Track: 鈥淧ersonal Financial Strategies for Health Professionals.鈥
鈥淭he conference has been redesigned to focus on providing professional development credits for health care professionals through four distinctly separate tracks, but the no-cost Geriatric Health Symposium will also offer plenty for the general public,鈥 said Victoria Ba帽ales, director of ISU Conference Services.
Up-to-date conference information, including registration forms and complete speaker/presentation information, can be found at www.isu.edu/kchp/hlthconf. Continuing education credits for professionals in various health care-related fields will be available. See the website for details. Pre-registration by Oct. 23 is required to attend. For more information contact Victoria Ba帽ales at (208) 282-1049 or at banavict@isu.edu.
Additional information for each of the conference鈥檚 four tracks is as follows:
鈥 The second annual Thomas Geriatric Health Symposium will focus on the topic of 鈥淏alance and Fall Prevention in the Elderly.鈥滱lthough geared toward students and professionals in the rehabilitation sciences, the symposium, running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Pond Student Union Salmon River Suite, will offer plenty to the general public. Presentations include 鈥淏alance and Fall Assessment and Treatment Strategies,鈥 鈥淓xercise Prescription in the Elderly to Assist in Fall Prevention,鈥 鈥淧athology Related to Balance鈥 and 鈥淗ome Intervention for Older Adults with Impaired Balance.鈥
鈥淭hanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, this interdisciplinary geriatric health symposium will be held annually and admission is free of charge to participants,鈥 Ba帽ales said. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 topic should be of interest to a broad range of participants.鈥
Continuing medical education credits and nursing CEUs are available for physicians and nurses attending the Geriatric Health Symposium. In addition, the symposium will serve nursing home administrators towards their licensing requirements through the Idaho Board of Examiners; a certificate of completion will be provided.
鈥 The Psychosocial Track features an 鈥淎cceptance & Commitment Therapy鈥 workshop from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. facilitated by Michael P. Twohig, an assistant professor of psychology at Utah State University.
Twohig鈥檚 research spans a variety of areas including the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder and OC-spectrum disorders, substance use, mechanisms of action, and multicultural issues. He has published over 50 scholarly works including two books.
ACT is a new type of cognitive behavior therapy that focuses on helping clients step out of their struggles with their thoughts and feelings instead of winning the battle against them, according to Twohig. This allows clients to move forward in meaningful directions in life without necessarily needing a decrease in internal symptoms. The benefits of this type of approach are clear for the many disorders where the internal experiences are difficult to control or regulate such as chronic pain, psychosis and addictions.
ACT has also been found useful for more common disorders such as anxiety and depression. Multiple effectiveness studies suggest that training in ACT can help professionals in their work with a variety of clients. This training is appropriate for psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors, nurses, and many other professionals and C.E. credits/CEUs pre-approved by the IPA, NASW, and NBCC will be available upon request.
鈥 The Pharmacy Track, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:20 p.m., focuses on the theme of 鈥淢oving Toward a Culture of Evidence-Based Practice鈥 and will include five presentations: 鈥淓vidence-based alternative medicine,鈥 鈥淚daho Pharmacy Law Updates,鈥 鈥淒iet Fads and Drug Interactions,鈥 鈥淢edical Isotopes,鈥 and 鈥淣KDA: No Known Drug Allergies?鈥 CEUs approved by the Idaho Board of Pharmacy as well as nursing CEUs will be available and are included in the registration fee.
鈥 The Oral Health Track will present a seminar on the topic of 鈥淧ersonal Financial Strategies for Health Professionals.鈥 This track will be held from 9 a.m. to noon in the Bistline Thrust Theatre in the L.E. and Thelma E. Stephens Performing Arts Center and will be followed by lunch.
The seminar focuses on presenting a 鈥渇resh eyes鈥 approach to the topic of financial planning and is applicable to each and every health professional. Presentations include topics such as 鈥淔inancial Forces and Strategies,鈥 鈥淥ptimizing the Efficiency and Profitability of Your Practice鈥, 鈥淗ealth Insurance and Retirement Opportunities,鈥 and 鈥淧ersonal Wealth Management Strategies.鈥
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