AHSNWho it is for
Occupational, physical, and speech therapists; nurses; pharmacists; physician assistants; home-health and long-term care staff; senior-center and aging-services staff; care managers; and primary care teams. Best with groups of 12 to 30.
Why it matters
Adults with hydrocephalus are often first noticed by providers who are not hydrocephalus specialists. Slower walking, more falls, missed medicines, bladder urgency, or pulling back from activities are common in older adults and easily blamed on aging.
These changes do not diagnose hydrocephalus. But they may warrant timely medical evaluation, especially when they are new, getting worse, happening together, or different from the person's usual.
Participants will be able to
- Explain why adult hydrocephalus, including NPH, can be mistaken for normal aging.
- Identify new or worsening changes across six functional areas.
- Document baseline, change, timeframe, and impact in clear, objective language.
- Tell routine, prompt, and urgent situations apart, including sudden change in a person with a shunt.
- Communicate observations with the AHSN Functional Change Summary.
- Support daily life within their own role while evaluation proceeds.
- Work within the boundary: observe, document, educate, communicate, and refer, without diagnosing.
Workshop at a glance
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 0:00 to 0:10 | Welcome, role boundaries, and pre-survey |
| 0:10 to 0:25 | Adult hydrocephalus in daily life |
| 0:25 to 0:45 | Six functional areas to notice |
| 0:45 to 1:00 | Observe and document |
| 1:00 to 1:15 | Routine, prompt, or urgent |
| 1:15 to 1:25 | Communicate and refer |
| 1:25 to 1:35 | Supporting daily life while evaluation proceeds |
| 1:35 to 1:50 | Case lab |
| 1:50 to 2:00 | Wrap-up and post-survey |
Host a workshop
Bring Recognize, Record, Refer to your agency, clinic, or senior center, in person or online.