ODL 207: “I’m Still Me” – A Unique Lens at Keeping Personhood Alive in Dementia through Personal Perspectives

Revised on 06/09/2023

Target Audience:

This course is targeted for social workers, case managers, nurses, and counselors.

Overview:

More than 16 million people in the United States are living with cognitive impairment. With age being the greatest risk factor, this number is expected to dramatically increase as the Baby Boomer generation passes the age of 65. As helping professionals, we often see the clients who are the human beings behind these statistics and wish to continue to live their life with meaning, dignity, and purpose.  This eye-opening discussion will include the personal perspectives of a social worker and others living with some form of cognitive impairment. Anne McSweeney, LCSW and CEU Creations Educational Director, will lead participants through a discussion on personhood and how helping professionals can truly help their clients continue to live quality lives with purpose even through a dementia diagnosis.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the session – the participant will be able to:

• State several perspectives, resources, and ideas that were shared first-hand from persons with cognitive impairment. 
• Identify ways to preserve personhood as a client/loved one is diagnosed with dementia.
• Define the person-centered approach to care.

Presenter:

Lynn Ross, LMSW

Lynn Ross, LMSW, is a retired medical social worker that has found it hard to retire. From her experience as an Activity Director in a skilled nursing facility, to the director of an Alzheimer’s Day program, as a geriatric care coordinator with a local elder law attorney, and as a medical social worker for ten years, Lynn brings a wealth of knowledge to her part time work with Caring Companions of Atlanta, a home care agency.  In 2017, she retired from the Movement Disorders program in the Department of Neurology at Emory University, and since has volunteered with several organizations serving those living with dementia in Georgia.  Lynn serves on the Advisory Councils for Culture Change of Georgia, and Georgia Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (GARD) State Plan.  With GARD, she is a member of the Outreach & Partnership Workgroup.  Her other interests include arts/crafts, Mixed Media especially, and card making.  Lynn lives in Atlanta. 

Anne McSweeney, LCSW – Owner/Founder CEU Creations

Anne McSweeney is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a unique and diverse background
in medical social work, education and community relations. Anne is the owner and
Educational Director of CEU Creations. For over 10 years, CEU Creations has been providing
cutting-edge, educational trainings to clinicians throughout the United States through live
and online CE trainings. One of the main missions of CEU Creations is to remove boredom
from CE trainings and use innovative learning techniques to engage learners. Many of CEU
Creations’ trainings have been also been featured at professional conferences – on a state
and national level. Anne has been a Licensed Social Worker in GA since 1994. Prior to finding
her niche providing educational trainings, Anne practiced medical social work for over 8
years – working primarily with the geriatric population in home health, hospice and dialysis.
In 2015, Anne was appointed to the Fulton County Commission on Elderly Affairs. She
received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Auburn and her Masters in Social
Work from the University of Alabama. She resides in Alpharetta, GA with her husband and 2
daughters.

1 CREDIT HOURS APPROVED FOR:

Social Workers
ASWB ACE – 1 CE Credit
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work – 1 Contact Hour
Case Managers
CCMC – 1 Contact Hour
Nurses
California Board of Registered Nursing – 1 Contact Hour
Counselors
NBCC ACEP – 1 Contact Hour
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners – 1 Contact Hour

Please make sure to check with your own state board to ensure the transferability of CE credit for an asynchronous course. Some state boards may place restrictions regarding the modality of training required for ethics credits to be awarded. If this training indicates ethics credits are available, please verify that your state allows them to be earned through an on-demand course format.