Still time to register for the 2018 AGNA Conference and annual general meeitng! You will find detials on speakers and registration below, as well as an attchment for sharing and posting. Look forward to seeing you there!
Questions? E-mail Conference2018@agna.ca
Building on the Best!!
Friday April 20, 2018 Red Deer, Alberta
at the Radisson Hotel 6500 67 Street 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Register at https://www.agna.ca/conference2018/ Registration Deadline: April 13
$115 for members, $60 for students, $185 non-members
AGNA 2018 Education Day Program
Polypharmacy: Less is More Verdeen Bueckert, RN, MLC and Safia Khalfan, B.Sc.Pharm, APA, Cert.Inj. The Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics Project became a provincial and then a national movement. AUA resources are now shifting practices in acute care, through the Elder Friendly Care Project. Could a new movement be sparked around appropriate prescribing? Bring your brain to this interactive presentation where we’ll build on our best project with your best ideas!
Continence Issues in Older Adults’: Complex Cases Dr. Kathleen Hunter In this case based presentation on continence care, we will move past the usual simple definitions of incontinence to understanding the complexity of lower urinary tract symptoms that can be experienced by older persons, and the impact on their quality of life. Symptoms, and symptom complexes including nocturia/nocturnal polyuria, over active bladder syndrome and the underactive bladder will be explored in terms of pathophysiology, and the role of the gerontological nurse in assessment and management.
Medical Assistance in Dying: Where we have come Jo Heggerud, RN Medical Assistance was legalized in Canada in June 2016. Since that time Alberta Health Services has developed care co-ordination teams to assist patients/families and health professionals through the process of medical assistance in dying. Each case we work with is unique and involves differing aspects and challenges. We will reflect on experiences to date and look at some of the challenges faced through the process of medical assistance in dying.
Depression, suicide risk, and suicide prevention in older adults Beth Wilkey, RN, MN, GNC(c) CHPCN (c)
This session will address suicide risks in older adults, in particular for those in long term care. This will include assessing suicide risk in LTC residents, risk and resiliency factors for suicide in older adults, speaking to older adults about suicide and tools that can be used to assist health care professionals.
Leadership Panel: Round out the day with a discussion on leadership challenges in gerontological nursing and the care of older adults. Our panel members will represent various roles in nursing practice that are provide leadership “from where they are” and address some thought-provoking questions facing nurses as we look to the future.
Thursday Night Presidents Reception in the Lounge at 7:00 pm
Our Presenters!
Verdeen Bueckert MCL BScN
Verdeen is a Registered Nurse with a Master’s in Leadership, and a fascination for innovation, applied research and system redesign. Verdeen contributed to the collaborative practice model (now part of CoACT), the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics project and the Elder Friendly Care project. Over the past 18 months, she’s co-chaired the Restraint as a Last Resort provincial policy, which is generating practice change across care settings.
Safia Khalfan, B.Sc.Pharm, APA, Cert.Inj
Safia is a Senior Practice Consultant with Seniors Health Strategic Clinical Network. She has experience as a pharmacist in community, acute and continuing care. Safia is involved in developing a provincial strategy on appropriate medication use in older adults to ensure safe and effective care in this population.
Dr. Kathleen Hunter PhD RN NP GNC(C), NCA
Kathleen Hunter is an Associate Professor with the Faculty of Nursing, University of with specialization in gerontological and continence nursing. In addition to teaching and research, she is a Nurse Practitioner in an adult continence clinic, and coordinator for the NP program at the University of Alberta. Kathleen is a board member of The Canadian Continence Foundation and has been an active member of the International Continence Society, serving on the Nursing Committee (2011-17) and Scientific Review Committee (2016-present). Kathleen’s research interests include hospital transitions for older adults, lower urinary tract symptoms in older adults and links to falls risk and cognitive impairment.
Beth Wilkey RN, MN, CHPCN(c), GNC(c)
Beth is the Director of Policy, Practice, Access and Case Management with the Provincial Senior’s Health Team at Alberta Health Services. In addition to her current role with AHS, She holds a Sessional Instructor position with Grant MacEwan University in the Gerontology/Hospice Palliative Care Post-Basic Nursing Practice program. Beth’s education includes Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in nursing as well as a certificate in hospice palliative care. She is specialty certified in both hospice palliative care and geriatric nursing with the Canadian Nurses’ Association.
Jo Heggerud, RN
Jo is a Registered Nurse who has 20 years of nursing experience. She graduated in 1997 from the University of Alberta/Red Deer College Collaborative program with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She is currently working as the Navigator for Medical Assistance in Dying for the North Sector. Jo’s previous experience includes rural nursing, emergency nursing, oncology, community care access, education in continuing care facilities as well as management with Communicable Disease Control.