Course Description:
This course is designed to equip both formal and informal caregivers of individuals with Huntington’s Disease (HD) with the essential knowledge and skills for providing comprehensive care. While each Huntington Academy course focuses on a specific aspect of HD care provision, it’s important to recognize that HD challenges should be approached in a holistic way. As a result, many of the Huntington Academy courses are interconnected, with overlapping content that reinforces a comprehensive approach to care.
This specific course equips participants with the knowledge and strategies to provide effective occupational therapy for individuals with HD across all disease stages. The course covers the impact of HD symptoms in function and daily life, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between formal and informal caregivers to effectively overcome the challenges posed by the disease. Additionally, participants will gain insights into expert-level care through theoretical training, real-life testimonies, and practical strategies tailored to each individual’s needs.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand how occupational therapy can help individuals with HD maintain independence and engage in activities of daily living by adapting tasks to their abilities and providing ongoing support.
- Address key challenges in the prodromal stage of HD, helping individuals accept their diagnosis, prepare for future changes, maintain autonomy, stay active, and promote a healthy lifestyle to improve quality of life and delay disease progression.
- Balance fostering independence with providing support for individuals with early-stage HD, addressing key challenges like adapting to symptoms, encouraging adherence to treatment, and collaborating with other informal and formal caregivers.
- Acquire effective strategies to support individuals with mid-stage HD in maintaining independence, adapting to changes, and managing cognitive and emotional challenges through the collaboration of formal and informal caregivers.
- Effectively manage total dependency in late-stage HD, adapt the environment for safety, ensure quality of life through palliative care, prevent injuries, and provide essential support for both individuals with HD and their families.
- Develop and implement personalized strategies to manage motor symptoms in individuals with HD, improving daily activities, mobility, and overall independence.
- Implement holistic strategies to manage psychiatric and behavioural symptoms in individuals with HD, improving daily routines, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life.
- Apply tailored strategies to support cognitive function in individuals with HD, improving task performance, engagement, and efficacy in daily life.
- Support individuals with HD in maintaining autonomy and independence through tailored strategies, promoting active participation and self-esteem.
- Identify key features of an expert in HD occupational therapy.
- Learn from personal testimonies of informal and formal caregivers to gain insight into the human impact of HD and improve care strategies.
FEEDBACK SURVEY
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JMSCCVK