Let's Talk Senior Care

Let's Talk Senior Care Info about ABA, Gerontology, Dementia care, ID/DD, Clinical practice and SO much more!

🎂🎉 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DR. MARANDA TRAHAN! 🎉🎂Today we’re celebrating a true pioneer in ! 🩷Dr. Maranda Trahan, PhD, BCBA-D, ...
09/06/2026

🎂🎉 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DR. MARANDA TRAHAN! 🎉🎂

Today we’re celebrating a true pioneer in ! 🩷

Dr. Maranda Trahan, PhD, BCBA-D, has spent years helping shape the future of ABA in aging and dementia care. From launching the first ABA clinical practice for individuals with dementia in Florida in 2014, to developing training, conducting research, and educating clinicians, Maranda continues to expand what’s possible for behavior analysis across the lifespan.

Her passion, leadership, and dedication have opened doors for so many practitioners interested in working with older adults. We’re incredibly grateful for everything she brings to this field! ❤️

Wishing you the happiest birthday, Maranda! 🎂🎈🎉 Here’s to another amazing year!

**lysis

🧠 Want to make a difference in Alzheimer’s research? Consider volunteering for a clinical trial.We often talk about the ...
09/05/2026

🧠 Want to make a difference in Alzheimer’s research? Consider volunteering for a clinical trial.

We often talk about the need for better treatments, earlier diagnosis, prevention, and—ultimately—a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But none of that happens without people willing to participate in research.

And here’s something important: you don’t have to have Alzheimer’s disease to participate. The Alzheimer’s Association is currently connecting people with hundreds of research opportunities through TrialMatch®, including:

🔬 Treatment studies — testing new medications, therapies, or non-drug interventions
🧪 Diagnostic studies — exploring new tests and ways to detect Alzheimer’s and other dementias
🛡️ Prevention studies — investigating ways to prevent or delay disease
❤️ Quality-of-life studies — looking at ways to better support people living with dementia and their caregivers
💻 Online studies — research that can be completed remotely

🔎 How do you get started?
The Alzheimer’s Association offers TrialMatch®, a FREE service that matches people with research studies based on their information.
1️⃣ Visit the Alzheimer’s Association TrialMatch
2️⃣ Answer 10 simple questions about yourself or the person you're helping.
3️⃣ Review research studies that may be a good fit.
4️⃣ Contact the research team to learn more.

💙 Don't just hope for a breakthrough. Help make one possible.

Have you ever used a family tree as part of an intervention? 🌳We do **so many things** for older adults with dementia—an...
09/04/2026

Have you ever used a family tree as part of an intervention? 🌳

We do **so many things** for older adults with dementia—and sometimes the simplest tools can make a big difference.

One tool I often create is a family tree to help us understand the person’s relationships, preferences, and family dynamics. And it doesn’t have to stop at names. I’ll add information such as:
📍 Where family members live
💡 Fun facts about them
🎨 Their interests and hobbies
❤️ Important relationships
📸 Photos, when appropriate

Then we can share the resource with paid caregivers.

Caregivers are expected to support multiple people, and they can’t possibly remember every detail about every client. A simple family-tree handout gives them meaningful conversation starters and helps them connect with the person beyond the task at hand.

And this can become part of an intervention, not just an information sheet.

For example:
🎯 Activity engagement: Use family members’ interests, hobbies, or stories to develop individualized activities.
🚿 Shower routines: Staff can use photos and family information to spark conversation and build rapport during a routine that may otherwise be purely task-focused.
💬 Communication: Give caregivers easy topics to discuss when a person has difficulty initiating or maintaining conversation.
🧠 Dementia care: Familiar people, places, and interests can provide opportunities for meaningful engagement—even when other forms of communication become more difficult.

**lysis

(Just a reminder: these are not actual client names.)

Clinicians—are you ready to take your skills into the world of aging? 👵🏼🧓🏼The **ICAA Conference & Expo 2026** is coming ...
09/03/2026

Clinicians—are you ready to take your skills into the world of aging? 👵🏼🧓🏼

The **ICAA Conference & Expo 2026** is coming up November 17–19 in Orlando, FL—and it’s a great opportunity for anyone interested in older-adult wellness, senior living, and the future of aging.

Why should clinicians consider attending?
✅ Learn from experts on evidence-based wellness, cognitive health, healthcare integration, technology, leadership, and more
✅ Explore **80+ educational sessions** designed to provide practical, actionable strategies
✅ Connect with professionals across senior living, wellness, healthcare, and active aging
✅ Explore the ICAA Expo and discover new products, technologies, and services supporting older adults
✅ Earn CEUs/CECs through a variety of participating organizations

For those of us working in **behavior gerontology**, conferences like this are an opportunity to step outside of traditional clinical spaces and learn from the broader aging-services community.

The future of aging needs interdisciplinary professionals—and **our behavioral expertise has a place at the table.** 💙

📍 Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld
📅 November 17–19, 2026

👉 Register here: icaaconference.icaa.cc

**lysis

🧠 Assessment Spotlight: Severe Impairment Battery (SIB)When we’re assessing cognition in older adults with significant c...
09/01/2026

🧠 Assessment Spotlight: Severe Impairment Battery (SIB)

When we’re assessing cognition in older adults with significant cognitive impairment, traditional neuropsychological tests may not always be the best fit. That’s where the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB) comes in. The SIB was developed for individuals who are too impaired to complete standard neuropsychological testing. It uses simpler response formats, including matching, nonverbal responses, and partially correct responses, to gather performance-based information across areas such as memory, language, attention, praxis, orientation, and visual perception.

Research examining the SIB, Brief Praxis Test, and Dementia Questionnaire found that the SIB could help differentiate probable dementia from no/possible dementia — but informant-based measures were even better at identifying changes associated with dementia.

For those of us working in Behavior Gerontology, it’s an important reminder:
🧠 Test performance is only one piece of the puzzle.
👀 Changes in everyday behavior and functioning matter.
💙 Know the person, not just the score.

**lysis

🎉🎂 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEHAVIOR GERONTOLOGY! 🎂🎉62 years young! 👴👵🧠💙And at 62, we all know what that means… Behavior Gerontol...
09/01/2026

🎉🎂 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEHAVIOR GERONTOLOGY! 🎂🎉

62 years young! 👴👵🧠💙

And at 62, we all know what that means… Behavior Gerontology can officially start collecting Social Security retirement benefits! 😂💰

But instead of retiring, this field keeps growing, evolving, and showing us what behavior analysis can contribute to aging, dementia care, and quality of life.

From Ogden Lindsley’s early work on geriatric behavioral prosthetics to the growing recognition of ABA in aging services, the last 62 years have given us a pretty incredible foundation.

And the best part? We’re not done yet. 🚀

Here’s to 62 years of behavior gerontology — and to the next generation of behavior analysts continuing to expand what is possible in aging and dementia care! 🎉

Happy Birthday, Behavior Gerontology! 🥳🎈

**lysis **lysis

🧠 Can behavior analysis support cognitive skills in older adults?This 2020 article by M. E. Kelly explores the potential...
08/31/2026

🧠 Can behavior analysis support cognitive skills in older adults?

This 2020 article by M. E. Kelly explores the potential of relational training as an intervention to improve cognition in older adults.

This paper is that it gets us thinking beyond traditional behavior targets and considering how behavior-analytic approaches might support cognitive functioning as we age.

For BCBAs interested in behavior gerontology, this is a great read and a reminder that there is still so much potential for ABA in aging! 👵🏽🧠

🔗 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32953397/

Kelly ME. The Potential of a Relational Training Intervention to Improve Older Adults' Cognition. Behav A**l Pract. 2020 Jul 1;13(3):684-697. doi: 10.1007/s40617-020-00415-0. PMID: 32953397; PMCID: PMC7471216.

**lysis **lysis

📘 Looking for a great resource on mental wellness and Down syndrome?Mental Wellness in Adults With Down Syndrome: A Guid...
08/30/2026

📘 Looking for a great resource on mental wellness and Down syndrome?

Mental Wellness in Adults With Down Syndrome: A Guide to Emotional and Behavioral Strengths and Challenges by Dennis McGuire and Brian Chicoine is an excellent resource for adults with Down syndrome, caregivers, and professionals.

It focuses on supporting mental and emotional well-being while helping us better understand emotional and behavioral changes in adults with Down syndrome.

For BCBAs working in behavior gerontology, this is another valuable resource to add to your toolkit. 🧠💙

🔗 adultdownsyndrome.org/resources/mental-wellness-book-2nd-edition

**lysis

What do we need to know when we expand our practice into senior care? 👵🏽👴🏽One of my favorite places to start is the Amer...
08/29/2026

What do we need to know when we expand our practice into senior care? 👵🏽👴🏽

One of my favorite places to start is the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Core Competencies.

The AGS provides competencies designed to help healthcare professionals develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide quality care to older adults. And while these competencies were not created specifically for BCBAs, they can be incredibly valuable when we are building our skills in behavior gerontology.

Think beyond behavior alone. Working effectively with older adults means understanding aging, health conditions, medications, cognition, function, communication, interdisciplinary care, ethics, and the many factors that influence quality of life.

For BCBAs entering senior care, these competencies can help us ask an important question: What do I need to know about aging to be a competent behavior professional working with older adults? 🤔

We may not have formal ABA-specific behavior gerontology competencies YET, but that doesn't mean we don't have excellent places to look for guidance.

Start here: www.americangeriatrics.org/geriatrics-profession/core-competencies

Build your gerontology knowledge. Collaborate with other disciplines. And keep expanding what it means to practice ABA across the lifespan. 💙

**lysis **lysis

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