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GERIATRICS - Chronic Pain, Opiates, and Physical Therapy: Considerations for the Older Adult

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The purpose of this monograph is to be an evidence-based resource on pain assessment and management that guides clinicians in caring for older adults appropriately without contributing to opioid misuse or the health disparities, ageism, and other means of health inequity commonly faced by older adults with pain. The monograph is designed to help readers understand the evidence and provides pragmatic suggestions for clinical application. Case studies guide the reader through clinical decision making based on the current evidence.

Kenneth L. Miller

PT, DPT

Kenneth is a board-certified geriatric specialist, advanced credentialed exercise expert for aging adults and credentialed clinical instructor. He has over 25 years of clinical practice with the older adult population in multiple practice settings. Dr. Miller is an assistant professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth serving in the department of physical therapy. His clinical focus is on best practices and optimal care with the at-risk populations.  He is an international and national speaker presenting topics related to gerontology in Australia and across the United States at national level conferences including the Combined Sections Meeting and NEXT conferences of the American Physical Therapy Association. He has multiple peer-reviewed publications on clinical pharmacology, has been honored as a guest editor for the Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation peer-reviewed journal issue focusing on medications and nutrition. He serves the physical therapy profession as director of practice for the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy and is immediate past Chair of the Practice Committee for the Home Health Section of the APTA.

Sarah Wenger

PT, DPT, OCS, FNAP

Dr. Wenger has been a professor at Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions since 2007. Dr. Wenger has published and presented on a range of topics related to her clinical and academic areas of expertise in chronic pain, underserved populations, clinical reasoning, and interprofessional care and education. She provides pro bono physical therapy services at Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services, an interprofessional community-based federally qualified health center. Dr. Wenger enjoys working with people who have chronic medical, social, behavioral, and environmental complexities and teaching students how to care for patients with complex needs. Her treatment focuses on patient education and building self-efficacy to empower patients to manage their chronic conditions as independently as possible. As part of an interprofessional team, Dr. Wenger developed a chronic pain clinical reasoning model and psychoeducation program. She mentors DPT and orthopedic residency students in the clinic and teaches complexity content in pathophysiology and case-based courses. Dr. Wenger also manages the standardized patient program and student affairs, serves on the PT department’s Curriculum and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, mentors students on an annual service trip to Guatemala, is a member of the College’s Interprofessional Practice Education and Research Collaborative, and serves on the University’s Antiracism Task Force Subcommittee on Learning, Leadership, and Education. At 11th Street, she serves on the Antiracism Counsel and on the Community Relief Committee.

Yein Lee

DO, MMS, FAAPMR

Dr. Lee is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC), Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM). She is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine/Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. Dr. Lee graduated from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Orthopathic Medicine (UMDNJ-SOM), which is now Rowan University of School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM), in 2011. She completed her internship at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, IL. Then, she transitioned to Philadelphia for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Upon completing her residency program in 2015, Dr. Lee moved to HSC to complete a neuromusculoskeletal medicine/osteopathic manipulative medicine fellowship. Soon after, Dr. Lee joined HSC as faculty, she began her practice treating various neuromusculoskeletal pathologies and pain. Since then, Dr. Lee has been named Top Doctor for the 350 West and Fort Worth Magazine. She has also given talks locally and nationally regarding the gait, mobility, pain management, and function. As a medical educator, Dr. Lee teaches student doctors and residents in her outpatient musculoskeletal medicine clinic. With a passion for biomechanics, she started translational research to determine a novel data collection approach to provide quantifiable injury risk factor data to clinicians for patient-focused treatment and early implementation of preventative strategies. As a lifelong musician, Dr. Lee is a Performing Arts Medicine specialist taking care of pain and neuromusculoskeletal disorder occurring in performers of all disciplines.

Course Instructions

  1. Click on the Contents tab to watch the course recording.
  2. Click the Take Quiz button to complete the assessment. Learners will have 3 attempts to pass and must answer at least 70% of questions correctly.
  3. Click the View/Print Your Certificate button under the Certificate listing. You can view/print your certificate at any time by visiting the APTA Learning Center and clicking the CEU Certificate/Transcript link on the left-hand side of the page. 


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    Assessment
    20 Questions  |  3 attempts  |  14/20 points to pass
    20 Questions  |  3 attempts  |  14/20 points to pass Please complete the post-course assessment with a score of 70% or better. You have three attempts to obtain a passing score.
    CEU Certificate
    Up to 0.20 contact hours available  |  Certificate available
    Up to 0.20 contact hours available  |  Certificate available Please download and save certificate for future use.