CME/CE credit for this Webcast will be available through August 31, 2005. The original release of this material was September 1, 2004. Your CME or CE certificate will be generated online upon successful completion of the post-test.


  Recent epidemiological studies have demonstrated that elderly individuals have the highest incidence of epilepsy of any age group, and the incidence rises with advancing age. Individuals aged 65 years and older represent the most rapidly growing segment of the US population. However, despite these epidemiological realities, recent nursing home studies reveal that the percentage of elderly patients receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) decreases with advancing age. Thus, there is an urgent call to action to optimize epilepsy management strategies in elderly patients.

These teleconferences focus on the following topics regarding elderly epilepsy patients:
  • Incidence and prevalence of epilepsy in the elderly
  • Prevalence and incidence of AED use in nursing homes
  • Key issues concerning managing epilepsy in the elderly
    • Selection of epilepsy therapy in the elderly
    • The long-term care of epilepsy patients
 

These teleconferences are intended for neurologists and epileptologists who treat elderly epilepsy patients, and for consultant pharmacists, long-term care (LTC) medical directors, and LTC nurses.

  At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to
 
Discuss the prevalence and incidence of AED use in the elderly at long-term care facilities
Describe age-related physiologic changes that influence the management of elderly epilepsy patients
Select the appropriate AEDs for elderly patients
Identify benefits and adverse effects of available AEDs used in elderly epilepsy patients
 



Scienta Healthcare Education® is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians.

  Scienta Healthcare Education® designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 category 1 credit toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those credits that he/she actually spent in the activity.
 

The School of Pharmacy of the University of North Carolina is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

This program, ACPE 046-999-04-093-H01, will provide 1.0 contact hour of continuing pharmacy education credit. To receive CE credit, the program evaluation form must be completed and returned to Scienta Healthcare Education®. Pharmacy CE credit forms will be mailed within 4 weeks of receiving the completed evaluation. Program Coordinator: Stephen M. Caiola, MS, Associate Professor, UNC-CH School of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill, NC. E-mail: steve_caiola@unc.edu.
  It is the policy of Scienta Healthcare Education® that all faculty members participating in continuing medical education activities are expected to disclose to the program audience (1) any real or apparent conflict(s) of interest related to the content of their presentations and (2) discussions of unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or medical devices. Disclosures are included in the program syllabus.
 

Faculty presenter:

Gregory K. Bergey, MD
Professor of Neurology
Vice-Chair for Neurological Laboratories
Director, Johns Hopkins Epilepsy Center
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Hospital
Baltimore, Maryland

Additional faculty involved with content development:

Kerry Cranmer, MD, CMD
Crossroads Hospice & Geriatric Medical Services
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Diane Crutchfield, PharmD, CGP
President, Pharmacy Consulting Care
Knoxville, Tennessee

Barry E. Gidal, PharmD, BCPS, RPh
Professor of Pharmacy and Neurology
School of Pharmacy
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin

R. Eugene Ramsay, MD
Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry
Director, International Center for Epilepsy
University of Miami Medical Center
Miami, Florida

A. James Rowan, MD
Professor of Neurology
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, New York

 
  If you have any questions, please call Scienta at (800) 234-8770 or e-mail us at elderlyepilepsy@scienta-edu.com.