For more than 60 years, behavior analysts have conducted research and clinical work related to aging issues among older adults (“older adults” are traditionally arbitrarily defined as those over the age of 65). As a result, the field of behavioral gerontology has identified best practice approaches guided by a combination of behavior analytic research, as well as gerontology research. Many of these best practices have emerged in the sub-field of neurocognitive disorder and memory impairment. Any behavior analyst considering respecializing in aging supports focused on neurocognitive disorder and memory impairment has an ethical obligation to be familiar with the literature and up to date on best practices. This presentation will discuss the best practices and the evidence base for behavior analytic services in aging settings.

Learning Objectives

  1. Understand the time implications of using the system of least to most prompts in comparison to other practices.
  2. Identify the primary challenges associated with conducting functional assessments in aging settings.
  3. Evaluate empirical evidence supporting various behavior analytic techniques for older adults with neurocognitive disorders

About the Presenter

Jonathan Baker
Dr. Jonathan Baker is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Western Michigan University. Prior to joining WMU, he was a faculty member in the behavior analysis and therapy program in the Rehabilitation Institute at Southern Illinois University as well as the coordinator of the SIU gerontology certificate program. He received a certificate in gerontology from the University of Kansas, a masters in applied behavior science from the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. from Western Michigan University. Dr. Baker served as a member (2014-2019) and Vice President (2020) of the Board of Directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and serves on the editorial board for The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and The Analysis of Verbal Behavior. He is an Associate Editor at Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice. He has served as a guest reviewer for the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias and The Gerontologist. Dr. Baker is the former president of the Mid-American Association of Behavior Analysis and former chair of the Behavioral Gerontology Special Interest Group with ABAI. Dr. Baker was the principle investigator for the Behavioral Residential In-home Care and Supports (BRICS) project evaluation for the Illinois Department of Aging and was a co-principle investigator for Behavior Analysis and Intervention in Nursing Homes, funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Baker’s main research interest is behavioral gerontology, including the assessment/treatment of behavioral excesses and developing programs that remediate behavioral deficits in older adults with neurocognitive disorder, as well as treatment adoption. His interests also extend to adults and older adults with developmental disabilities and staff training.

Course information

  • Title: Best Practices in Gerontology for Neurocognitive Disorders
  • Presenter: Jonathan Baker Ph.D.
  • Date: Wednesday, February 5th
  • CEUs: 2 Learning
  • Time: 9:00 AM Pacific
  • Duration: 1 hour and 40 minutes
FREE!
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