James L West Center for Dementia Care: 2025-2027 Understanding and Supporting Behavioral Expressions in Dementia Care

Behavioral expressions are a common way for persons living with dementia communicate unmet needs as cognitive and language abilities change. This course provides a practical overview to help healthcare professionals and direct care staff understand and support these expressions using person-centered approaches. Learners will use the A-B-C framework (Antecedents, Behavior, Consequences) alongside the PAINAD scale to identify triggers, recognize unexpressed pain, and guide effective responses. The course highlights common behavioral expressions and reinforces communication practices learned in a previous course, including validation and nonverbal communication. Emphasis is placed on proactive strategies that reduce escalation, support dignity, and improve quality of life while decreasing caregiver stress.

Target Audience

This activity is intended for: physician assistants, nurses, social workers, public health professionals, Texas-licensed physical therapists, and Texas-licensed professional counselor.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:

  1. Identify behavioral expressions in dementia as forms of communication that vary across disease stages and reflect unmet physical, emotional, or environmental needs.
  2. Apply the A-B-C (Antecedents, Behavior, Consequences) framework and PAINAD scale to assess behavioral expressions, identify triggers and unexpressed pain, and guide person-centered responses.
  3. Analyze common behavioral expressions using case-based scenarios, identifying contributing factors and stage-specific considerations.
  4. Implement targeted, non-pharmacological interventions—including communication strategies, environmental modifications, and purposeful activities—to reduce escalation, support dignity, and improve quality of life.

Funding

This project is supported by grant funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U1QHP53050. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the Health Resources and Services Administration or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. No commercial support was received for this activity.

Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 ANCC
  • 1.00 ASWB Credit
  • 1.00 Certified Public Health (CPH)
  • 1.00 Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
  • 1.00 HSC Participation
  • 1.00 Physical Therapist (PT)

    This activity is provided by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners Accredited Provider APS #: and meets continuing competence requirements for physical therapist and physical therapist assistant licensure renewal in Texas.

Course opens: 
05/08/2026
Course expires: 
05/08/2028
Cost:
$0.00
Rating: 
0

 

 

Travel

 

 

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth and James L West Center for Dementia Care. The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth 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. 

As a Jointly Accredited Organization, The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. 

 

National Board of Public Health Examiners

This activity is approved for 1.0 credit(s) accepted by the National Board of Public Health Examiners' Certified Public Health (CPH) recertification program.

Texas Administrative Code

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth certifies this activity meets the requirements for continuing education for Texas-licensed Professional Counselors and Texas-licensed Marriage and Family Therapists. 

Texas Physical Therapy Association

This activity is offered by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners Accredited Provider #2711035TX and meets continuing competence requirements for physical therapist and physical therapist assistant licensure renewal in Texas. The assignment of Texas PT CCUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by TPTA or TBPTE. 

Designation Statements

Nurses

This activity provides up to 1.0 contact hour. 

Certified Public Health Professionals

This activity provides 1.0 contact hour.

Social Workers

Social Workers completing this course receive 1.5 contact hour(s) of continuing education credits. 

Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and Psychologists

This activity provides 1.0 contact hour(s).

Physical Therapists

This course provides 1.0 contact hour(s) for PTs and PTAs licensed in Texas. 

For successful completion, a participant must attend the program, complete the evaluation, and request credit online at the conclusion of the activity. 

Certificate of Attendance

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth certifies this activity for 1.0 hour(s) of participation.

Available Credit

  • 1.00 ANCC
  • 1.00 ASWB Credit
  • 1.00 Certified Public Health (CPH)
  • 1.00 Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
  • 1.00 HSC Participation
  • 1.00 Physical Therapist (PT)

    This activity is provided by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners Accredited Provider APS #: and meets continuing competence requirements for physical therapist and physical therapist assistant licensure renewal in Texas.

 

Price

Cost:
$0.00
Please login or register to take this course.

 

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