ACE.Z Teaching Strategies
The teaching strategies offered in this section are guidelines for faculty to develop encounters with older adults that are intentional and that incorporate all or some of the ACE.S Knowledge Domains and Essential Nursing Actions into student learning experiences.
Alzheimer’s Teaching Strategies
While the symptoms of Alzheimer's dementia are prevalent in many practice arenas, the disease behind the symptoms and the many complications caregivers are faced with are often difficult and easily misunderstood. This series of teaching strategies are
designed to help the student become more proficient in understanding Alzheimer's dementia as a disease process and the care management implications.
This teaching strategy offers an opportunity to use currently available free references related to 2019 updated Beers Criteria in evaluating PIM in older adults. It is directed at helping students understand potential medication concerns specific to older adults. It provides an opportunity for students to evaluate older adults and it advocates for safe medication administration. It should be noted that the Beers Criteria is intended to be used as a guide, and risks vs benefits should be part of the conversation when assessing the medications of older adults. The tool should not be used for the population of older adults in hospice or palliative care.
Nurses need to include family members in their approach to treatment of the patient with Alzheimer’s disease. By understanding how to screen caregivers for evidence of burnout, students are better prepared to more holistically treat the patient. Early screening and multi- component interventions can improve outcomes both for the caregiver and the patient (Etters et al, 2008). This teaching strategy offers activities to help the student better understand the impact of stress on the caregiver, screen for this impact, and construct strategies to address the strain. It is a teaching strategy that can be adapted to both in-class and online settings.
This teaching strategy is designed to help the student become more proficient in understanding Alzheimer’s dementia as a disease process. It was created to pair a topic that is heavily laden with complexity with an engaging approach. The premise of the strategy is similar to a game show where the participants are quizzed on content areas about the pathophysiology, etiology, course of the illness, and epidemiology of Alzheimer’s dementia. Designed as a flipped lecture approach, the students learn about the content through readings prior to class and participate in the game format in class.
This teaching strategy looks at the evolving knowledge pertaining to the non-pharmacologic treatment of clients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia. It helps students recognize behaviors and start to assess the etiology of the disturbances as the first step in management to provide optimum quality of life.
This teaching strategy uses Managing Oral Hygiene Using Threat Reduction Strategies (MOUTh), which contains three components: (a) an evidence-based mouth care protocol for older adults with dentition or dentures; (b) recognition of CRBs; and (c) strategies designed to lower the perception of mouth care as a threatening, scary, or assaultive activity (Jablonski, Kolanowski, Therrien, et al., 2011; Jablonski, Therrien, & Kolanowski, 2011; Jablonski, Therrien, Mahoney, et al., 2011).
This teaching strategy is designed to help students understand dementia, depression, and delirium. By better understanding this triad and developing a clearer understanding of the similarities and differences, the student will be better able to intervene to ensure the best outcomes. This strategy utilizes active learning to help students understand the content and to apply it to clinical practice.
This teaching strategy focuses on supporting the spouse when a diagnosis of dementia changes the relationship. It looks not only at the emotional and educational support needed for the best possible outcomes, but also at the economic challenges of managing the needs of a patient with dementia.