Dr. Charles Atkins, chief medical officer at Community Mental Health Affiliates, LLC.
Dr. Charles Atkins, chief medical officer at Community Mental Health Affiliates, LLC, will be the keynote speaker at the daylong workshop, “Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias (Neurocognitive Disorders): Assessment, Treatment & Support for Patients and Their Caregivers,” which will take place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, in the Center for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences on the North Haven Campus of Quinnipiac University, 370 Basset Road.
“More than five million Americans currently live with Alzheimer’s disease, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States,” Atkins said. “With estimates that one out of three Americans will die with some form of dementia, it’s vital that clinicians have a working knowledge of how to identify neurocognitive disorders and help clients and their caregivers navigate what can be a protracted and difficult course.”
This day-long workshop, sponsored by The Connecticut Women’s Consortium and the Master of Social Work program at Quinnipiac, will provide updates on all aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of dementia. Specific attention will be placed on helping care-givers access available resources and support. High-risk and high-stress situations will be explored through didactics and the use of case studies. At the end of this workshop, attendees will have a working knowledge of the leading causes of neurocognitive disorders, the types of workups that are recommended and treatment approaches, including the use of behavioral interventions, medications and complementary techniques.
Attendees will work through case studies that speak to the highly individualized nature of effective treatment and the importance of supporting caregivers throughout the process. In addition, attendees will leave with a working knowledge of available resources and how to access them.
Atkins is a board-certified psychiatrist, national presenter and trainer, published fiction and non-fiction author, and member of the Yale volunteer clinical faculty. His most recent book is “Co-Occurring Disorders: The Integrated Assessment and Treatment of Substance Use and Mental Disorders.”
Registration is $75, which includes lunch. Participants are eligible to receive six continuing education units (CEU’s) from the Connecticut Association of Social Workers (NASW), Continuing Medical Education (CME) and the Connecticut Certification Board (CCB). Click here to register.