Steven Atkinson – Challenging Geriatric Behaviors
- Faculty: Steven Atkinson
- Duration: 6 Hours 27 Minutes
- Format: Audio and Video
- Copyright: Jun 24, 2019
- Dementia
- Aggression
- Anxiety and depression
- Refusal of food and fluids
- Inappropriate sexual advances
- Normal aging changes of the mind
- Depression, dementia, and delirium
- Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
- Diagnose, differentiate, and develop a plan of care
- Stages
- Assessment
- Getting a diagnosis
- Behavioral issues of early diagnosis
- Management and interventions
- Pharmacological treatments
- Driving safety
- Legal issues
- Assess driving abilities
- How to take the keys away
- Reasons why cognitively impaired individuals wander
- Is wandering a bad thing?
- Issues to consider
- Manage a wanderer’s behavior
- Identify the cause of aggression
- Loss of impulse control
- Regression of the mind/child-like mind
- Manage the problem
- Normal sexual drive or inappropriate behavior
- Cognitively impaired individuals
- Medication management
- Ethical considerations
- Reasons why geriatric patients slow or stop eating
- Nutritional needs in a geriatric patient
- Improve nutritional status
- Malnutrition and dehydration
- Alternatives to eating
- Sundowning and behavioral problems in the evening
- Why does sundowning occur?
- Environmental interventions to decrease aggressive behaviors
- Medication management when it becomes problematic
- Physical, psychological, and emotional stress
- Identify caregiver burnout and ways to help
- Assist the caregiver
- Ways to identify potential falls and prevent injury
- Causes for orthostatic hypotension
- Ways to avoid using restraints
- How to manage sundowners
- Strategies to improve hygiene
- Reassurance and redirection
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Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, and PAs in geriatric, acute, or long-term care
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Social Workers and Case Managers coordinating behavioral support plans
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Therapists and Counselors specializing in aging or memory care
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Physicians, Medical Directors, and Dementia Care Leaders
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Direct Care Staff and Allied Health Professionals in home care, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities
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Real-life scenarios, not just theory: Grounded in frontline clinical experience
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Holistic and human-centered: Respects both the patient’s dignity and the caregiver’s bandwidth
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Pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic guidance: Balanced, practical, and deeply informed
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Designed for busy professionals: Watch on your schedule, apply insights immediately
Description
This is the best recording on challenging geriatric behaviors that you will ever attend – GUARANTEED!
Watch Steven Atkinson, PA-C, MS, nationally-known expert, author and speaker on geriatrics for a high-energy, dynamic recording filled with interesting case studies, insightful discussions and interactive learning. You will leave this recording with practical techniques that you can apply the next day! Dealing with cognitively-impaired geriatric patients can be challenging even for the experienced healthcare professional.
You will learn strategies to manage behaviors such as:
If older adults are routinely under your care, minimize your risk of escalating the problems associated with troublesome, often irrational behavior by attending this program. Gain valuable insights into the causes of challenging geriatric behaviors and learn innovative and practical intervention strategies to improve the care you provide.
Handouts
| Manual – Challenging Geriatric Behaviors (10.4 MB) | 35 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| Instructions for ASHA Credit – SELF STUDY ONLY – 06/24/19 (38.5 KB) | Available after Purchase |
Outline
Normal Aging, Dementia, Depression or Delirium
Alzheimer’s Disease
Driving with Dementia
Wandering
Physical Aggression
Inappropriate Sexual Behaviors
Refusing to Eat/Forgetting to Eat
Sleepless Nights
Caregiver Stress
Other Issues
Case Studies: Learning from Experience and Mistakes
Faculty
Steven Atkinson, PA-C, MS Related seminars and products: 18
Steven Atkinson, PA-C, MS, is a Board-Certified Physician Assistant specializing in Geriatric Internal Medicine. He practices medicine in the greater Minneapolis area. In addition to his private practice, he has been on the faculty at the University of Utah since 1994 and has been involved in medicine for over 30 years.
Steven is the co-founder of Twin Cities Physicians, which serves older adults in nearly all levels of their care. He has presented nationally for over 15 years, primarily speaking about geriatric-related syndromes.
Steven is the author of Geriatric Pharmacology: The Principles of Practice & Clinical Recommendations, Second Edition (PESI, 2016) and also sits on several boards whose purpose is to elevate the level of care in medicine for the patients they serve. Steven has been described as a “dynamic” educator and one of the most engaging presenters around. Don’t miss him!
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Steven Atkinson is the founder and co-owner of Twin Cities Physicians; and owner of Mindful Geriatrics, LLC. He is an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Utah. Mr. Atkinson receives royalties as an author for PESI Publishing and Media. He receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc.
Non-financial: Steven Atkinson has no relevant non-financial relationship to disclose.
Steven Atkinson – Challenging Geriatric Behaviors
Confidently Manage Complex Behaviors in Older Adults with Compassion, Skill, and Clinical Clarity
Navigating the behavioral challenges of geriatric patients can often feel like entering unpredictable terrain—especially when traditional interventions fall short. In Challenging Geriatric Behaviors, Steven Atkinson, PA-C, MS, delivers a comprehensive, clinically grounded training that equips healthcare providers with the tools to decode, defuse, and humanely manage difficult behavioral presentations in aging populations.
With decades of real-world experience in acute care, long-term care, and dementia-focused environments, Atkinson offers not just theory, but practical, bedside-ready strategies that preserve dignity, reduce caregiver stress, and improve outcomes across settings.
What You’ll Learn in Challenging Geriatric Behaviors
This program goes far beyond textbook definitions and instead offers an empathetic, evidence-based approach to understanding and managing the complexities of aging minds and bodies. Core insights include:
🧠 Understanding the Origins of Behavioral Shifts
Delve into the neurological, pharmacologic, environmental, and emotional drivers behind agitation, aggression, wandering, withdrawal, and resistance.
🛑 De-escalation and Crisis Prevention Techniques
Master verbal and non-verbal interventions that calm heightened situations without pharmacologic overreach.
💊 Medication Management with Caution & Precision
Learn when to prescribe, what to avoid, and how to safely navigate polypharmacy in elderly patients prone to adverse reactions.
🧩 Differential Diagnosis Made Clear
Distinguish between behavioral symptoms linked to dementia, delirium, depression, and psychiatric illness—so you can treat the right problem with the right approach.
🗣️ Improved Communication With Cognitively Impaired Patients
Use compassionate language strategies that promote cooperation, reduce friction, and honor patient autonomy.
🧭 Caregiver and Family Guidance
Gain tools for supporting families and interdisciplinary teams in navigating behavioral challenges without burnout or guilt.
Who Should Take This Course?
This training is essential for healthcare professionals working with older adults, especially those managing complex or cognitively compromised patients. It’s designed for:
If you’re responsible for the behavioral wellbeing of older adults, this course provides you with both insight and action.
About Steven Atkinson
Steven Atkinson, PA-C, MS, is a nationally recognized geriatric clinician and educator known for his engaging, practical approach to complex elder care. With extensive experience across acute, sub-acute, and memory care settings, he brings a deep respect for the aging process—while offering clinical tools that bridge compassion with competency.
Steven’s trainings are highly regarded for their clarity, humor, and immediate applicability, making this course an indispensable resource for anyone working with challenging behaviors in the elderly.
Why This Course Stands Apart
Turn Frustration Into Understanding—And Chaos Into Compassionate Care
Challenging Geriatric Behaviors empowers you to show up with clarity, confidence, and clinical mastery—no matter how complex the patient. Because behind every behavior is a story waiting to be heard and a need waiting to be met.
→ Enroll now and transform the way you approach behavioral care in aging populations.
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