Core Modules

Communication (Core) 4.0 Continuing Education Credits

Communication, whether it's written, by phone or e-mail, with a resident or a community partner, when navigating the health care system, or in the courtroom, builds relationships and enhances advocacy success. This module will help participants identify verbal and non-verbal active listening skills, and outline the barriers and enhancements that make a good communicator.

Diverse Lives, Diverse Needs (Core) 2.5 Continuing Education Credits

The cultural diversity module will allow participants to gain knowledge to better meet the needs of a diverse population by comparing and contrasting the cultural orientations of a variety of cultures; identifying the principles of culturally competent advocacy; stressing the importance of health literacy; and assisting in understanding the implications of one's own cultural background (religion, ethnicity, race, etc.) on the coordination of services.

Documentation (Core) 1.75 Continuing Education Credits

Appropriate documentation of HUD mandated reporting, resident interactions, referral actions, management policies, emergency medical wishes and actions, and move-in and move-out activity are essential to responsive service coordination. Strategies and guidelines are provided in this module.

Federal Programs (Core) 3.0 Continuing Education Credits

This module will enhance the participant's understanding of web-based means to access information on key federal programs to assist older persons and others with special needs. Particular emphasis will be on linkages of community-based services and health care for low and moderate-income older adults and persons with disabilities residing in public and federally assisted housing. In addition to strategies for navigating the federal program system to locate information and implement referrals within the appropriate network, participants will gain an understanding of the federal funding process through Congress and the Administration, including HUD and HHS.

Professional Conduct and Ethics (Core) 1.75 Continuing Education Credits

The Professional Conduct and Ethics Module addresses ethical standards such as establishing professional boundaries and conduct, commitment to resident/client, self-determination, privacy and confidentiality, informed consent, respect, commitment to employer, the importance of complete communication (considering disabilities, ethnicity, and religion), and considers the dimension and scope of family caregiver involvement.

Role of the Service Coordinator (Core) 1.5 Continuing Education Credits

This module provides in-depth training regarding the service coordinator/manager relationship, service coordinator/resident relationship, case management, enabling vs. empowering, decision-making, professional conduct, strategies for leading and educating, resident advocacy, and more.

Substance Abuse: Realities and Hope (Core) 2.5 Continuing Education Credits

Participants in this module will be given an overview of how chemical dependency impacts people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, with the main focus on the impact of chemical dependency upon older adults. Participants will also gain insight into the impact of the disease upon the person's ability to successfully carry out activities of daily living; engage in satisfying interpersonal relationships; health and sense of well being; and the reluctance to seek and/or accept treatment. We will also look at traditional models of intervention and treatment and their utility with older adults, as well as have an opportunity to learn about "evidence based" models of intervention and treatment that have proven successful.

Supervision & Program Outcomes: (Quality Assurance) (Core) 2.0 Continuing Education Credits

This module will define the duties of the quality assurance supervisor to insure the effective implementation of service coordination, and will cover topics such as evaluation, establishing measurable outcomes, logic model, total quality management, documentation, management meetings/issues, file reviews, resident interviews, monitor HUD regulatory changes, and more.

Elective Modules

Aging, Memory and Alzheimer's Disease (Elective) 2.0 Continuing Education Credits

This module will recognize that dementia in the young or older population presents communication, referral and advocacy challenges. As a service coordinator and advocate for your residents, you will have an opportunity to understand the difference between normal memory decline and the diseases related to cognitive function; learn how to recognize and respond to changing behaviors and address resident safety issues; and understand caregiver issues, including appropriate support group and health care resources.

Elder Mistreatment: Defining, Understanding and Responding (Elective) 2.0 Continuing Education Credits

The Elder Mistreatment Module is designed to orient Service Coordinators to elder mistreatment, which by definition includes abuse, neglect and exploitation. The Module will provide direction on how to identify, assess and report elder mistreatment situations. It also provides guidelines on where and how to access services for the benefit of identified elder abuse cases. A discussion on theories of causation for elder mistreatment, definition, and a brief historical background is also included to help understand the context in which elder mistreatment occurs

Embracing Life's Transitions: Decisions, Choices & Connections (Elective) 1.75 Continuing Education Credits

Life is a series of transitions. Children move away from home, finances change, marriages bring new relationships, divorces alter relationships and living arrangements, and on and on. With age, achieving independent living and possible relocation to smaller quarters, or to be closer to family, additional challenges and opportunities occur. The demographic trends, the advantages and disadvantages of moving, the psychological and emotional attachment to possessions, how to downsize one's life, and the complex decisions and emotions of a move to long-term care will be examined. We will pay particular attention to friendship formation and relationship development upon moving to a new environment, as well as understanding how relocation can impact health and well-being from a holistic perspective.

End of Life Care: Perspectives, Decision-Making, and Resources (Elective) 2.0 Continuing Education Credits

The realities of death are complex and often difficult, either for ourselves, family, friends, or residents. Yet, working in the community continually challenges us to understand and be skillful in communicating about end of life issues and needs. This module will examine this topic from a broad perspective, including past, current and future delivery systems for end of life care; insights about our own beliefs and experiences that may act as barriers to working effectively with others who need end of life care; recognizing and discussing the need for end of life care with residents and families; and connecting those in need with end of life resources.

Health Literacy (Elective) 2.0 Continuing Education Credits

Attaining and maintaining optimal health is a challenge that everyone faces. Advances in knowledge in many fields - medicine, nutrition, activity and exercise, pharmacology, biology and the other life sciences, and even communication sciences - are being made at unprecedented rates. In order to navigate this complex network of information and make good choices, what has come to be called health literacy, is a "must". In this module you will explore the meaning of health literacy and it's ramifications for individuals, families, and communities. You will identify the barriers that people confront in attaining a functional level of health literacy and consider the implications of our increasingly culturally diverse society on aspects of attaining and maintaining health literacy. You will identify the entities in society that can contribute to facilitating health literacy - including Service Coordinators.

Legal Issues (Elective)

Topics such as risk management, liabilities (providing direct service, assessment), evictions, living wills, fair housing, Americans with Disabilities Act, advance directives, resident rights and responsibities, HIPPA, and other legal issues will be provided in this module.

Life Management for the Service Coordinator (Elective) 1.5 Continuing Education Credits

As we accommodate an ever-changing environment at home and work, this module will provide approaches to managing stress; finding balance between work and home; addressing burnout; and recognizing the importance of the physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual balance that leads to meaningful relationships and a manageable lifestyle.

Life's Losses: Bereavement, Grief and Coping (Elective) 2.5 Continuing Education Credits

This module discusses bereavement, myths about grieving, cultural variations, and basic skills.  It also briefly reviews complicated grief reactions, such as chronic mourning.  Emphasis is placed on how the context and circumstances of bereavement, such as the location of death, extent of caregiving, and whether a death was sudden or prolonged, impact people’s grief reactions.

Local Network of Support (Elective)

Connecting with the local network of support is instrumental in effective coordination of services, and this module will provide training in relationship building, the role of the advocate, the concepts of interdisciplinary teams and resident-centered relationships, referral protocols, confidentiality, client rights/privileges, and more.

Low Literacy: It's Time To Take It Seriously! (Elective) 2.0 Continuing Education Credits

This module provides an overview of literacy. Included in the discussion is the meaning of low literacy, the results of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), populations at risk for low literacy, the impact of limited literacy on a person's life activities, the reading levels of informational materials written for the public, and the mismatch between the reading ability of most Americans and the difficulty of these materials.

Medication Use And The Older Population (Elective) 1.0 Continuing Education Credits

Participants in this module gain a better understanding of the prevalance of use and mis-use of medications by the older population, gain insight into the medical terms of "care vs. cure", learn to recognize the potential for medication interactions and side effect in the older population, learn strategies for safe medication use, and more.

Mental Health Issues: Symptom Recognition, Intervention and Referral (Elective) 1.5 Continuing Education Credits

Service Coordinators are likely to encounter residents who display symptoms of, or who are being treated for, a wide range of mental illnesses, which may include depression, anxiety, MRDD, hostility and aggression, and other mental health issues. This module will emphasize strategies designed for recognizing symptoms, intervening in crises, and making appropriate referrals for treatment.

Navigating Medicare (Elective) 2.0 Continuing Education Credits

Understanding all the ins and outs of Medicare can be an overwhelming and daunting task. You will learn a brief history of Medicare and its early beginnings. The goal of the Navigating Medicare Module is to give you a basic understanding of Medicare and the essential components of the program. You should also gain insight into helpful resources, and learn ways to get current and accurate information.

Physical Disabilities (Elective)

What constitutes a disability? When do chronic physical conditions become a disability? This module will offer opportunities to explore common physical disabilities. Participants will learn how to recognize disabilities, create awareness and understanding within the living environment, address safety and security issues, respond to family and professional caregiver needs, as well as gain guidance regarding appropriate referrals, accommodations, and involvement with social programs for the disabled community.

Program Funding (Elective)

The Program Funding Module will address important oversight protocols for daily operations budgeting; strategies for attracting funding for special projects and programmatic initiatives; provide an understanding of federal, state and local funding streams and various subsidy programs; and review accountability responsibilities of the service coordinator.

Social Change (Elective)

Learn how service coordinators can anticipate and embrace the implications of social change, such as when grandparents are raising grandchildren, when gay/lesbian families are living in traditional family settings, when persons with disabilities strive to maintain autonomy, when sexuality issues are addressed in the senior population, AIDS, among other topics.

What is Healthy Aging? (Elective) 3.0 Continuing Education Credits

Advancing age doesn't have to be about death, disease, and disability. Increasingly, the focus of gerontology and those who work with older adults has moved away from the "problems of aging and the old" to "facilitating optimal health and well-being well into advanced age". There are a lot of erroneous assumptions or myths "out there" about old age and older people. In this module we explore some of those myths and suggest strategies that older adults, and their families and friends can employ to optimize health and the highest level of function possible.

You Can't Tell By Looking!: Communicating With Persons With Low Literacy Skills (Elective) 1.75 Continuing Education Credits

Ever wonder how you would know if someone you work with, or maybe a family member, has a literacy problem? You can't tell by looking! This module will provide insight into the indicators. Tools for testing reading ability will be described, as well as observations and issues surrounding testing and literacy levels.