Alzheimer's Disease Management and Caregiver Care
Target Audience: Pharmacist, Physician Assistant, Physician
Course Overview
The factors causing Alzheimer's disease are not fully known but likely include age, brain changes, family history, and lifestyle. Growing scientific evidence shows that healthy lifestyle habits reduce people's risk for Alzheimer's. Clinicians understand that early diagnosis and intervention are imperative to assist patients with Alzheimer's disease. Early diagnosis preserves daily function, slows cognitive decline, and delays disease progression. Memory problems are often the first symptom of cognitive decline. Although there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, treatment aims to manage symptoms and maintain brain health. Ongoing clinical trials are focusing on more treatments for preclinical and early stages. Caregivers are essential to medication management for patients. Burdened with maintaining or improving the quality of life of a loved one and tasked with caring for patients with a progressive disease, caregivers face their own challenges. Counseling caregivers offers the education and support necessary to optimize patient care and well-being.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:
- Recognize early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease
- Describe the difference between Alzheimer's and age-related changes
- List Alzheimer's risk factors
- Summarize medications used for Alzheimer's symptom management and disease treatment
- Identify resources and education to provide caregivers during counseling
Faculty
Maintenance of Certification (MOC): Continuing Certification is offered for the following board: American Board of Internal Medicine® (ABIM).
ABIM: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 3.0 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component and post-test, qualifies for MOC points with the following boards:
American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
- Geriatrics & Palliative Care
- Internal Medicine
- Introduction
- History and Overview of Alzheimer's Disease
- Pathophysiology of Alzheimer's Disease
- Dementia or Alzheimer's Disease
- Warning Signs and Risk Factors of Alzheimer's Disease
- Modifiable Risk Factors of Alzheimer's Disease
- Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease
- Counseling Caregivers of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
- Caregiver Support With Respite Care
- Developing a Care Plan
- Resources for Caregivers
- Managing Medications
- Mild to Moderate Disease
- Moderate to Severe Disease
- Managing Behavioral Symptoms
- Summary
- Disclosures
From July 12, 2026 through July 1, 2029, participants must:
- Read the "learning objectives" and "author and planning team disclosures"
- Study the section entitled "educational activity"
- Complete the Course Test and Evaluation form. The Course Test will be graded automatically. Following successful completion of the Course Test with a score of 70% or higher, a statement of participation will be made available immediately. (No partial credit will be given.)
Credit for this course will be automatically uploaded to JA_PARS.
Faculty Planner Disclosure
The following individuals were involved in planning, developing, and/or authoring this activity: L. Austin Fredrickson, MD, FACP; Kristina (Tia) Neu, RN; Ashley Walsh, PharmD; and Pamela Sardo, PharmD, BS. None of the individuals involved in developing this activity has a conflict of interest or financial relationships related to the subject matter. There are no financial relationships or commercial or financial support relevant to this activity to report or disclose by RxCe.com or any of the individuals involved in the development of this activity.
Unlabeled Use Disclosure
The information provided in this course is general in nature, and it is designed solely to provide participants with continuing education credit(s). This course and materials are not meant to substitute for the independent, professional judgment of any participant regarding that participant's professional practice, including but not limited to patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and/or health management. Medical and pharmacy practices, rules, and laws vary from state to state, and this course does not cover the laws of each state; therefore, participants must consult the laws of their state as they relate to their professional practice. Healthcare professionals must consult their employer, healthcare facility, hospital, or other organization for guidelines, protocols, and procedures to follow. The information provided in this course does not replace those guidelines, protocols, and procedures, but is for academic purposes only, and this course's limited purpose is for the completion of continuing education credits. Participants are advised and acknowledge that information related to medications, their administration, dosing, contraindications, adverse reactions, interactions, warnings, precautions, or accepted uses is constantly changing. Any person taking this course understands that such a person must make an independent review of medication information before any patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment and/or health management. Any discussion of off-label use of any medication, device, or procedure is informational only, and such uses are not endorsed hereby. Nothing contained in this course represents the opinions, views, judgments, or conclusions of RxCe.com LLC. RxCe.com LLC is not liable or responsible to any person for any inaccuracy, error, or omission with respect to this course or course material.
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Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, RxCE.com is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.