On the Calendar: Observances in September
September is Healthy Aging Month and Suicide Prevention Week
Every month, the calendar fills with moments worth pausing for.
September brings two observances that speak directly to the work of clinicians, therapists, counselors, and care providers across every discipline: Healthy Aging Month and Suicide Prevention Week. Whether you spend your days supporting older adults toward stronger, more independent lives, or you're one of the professionals working on the front lines of mental health crisis prevention, this month's observances are a chance to sharpen both your awareness and your clinical toolkit.
At Impact CE, we believe continuing education is a powerful tool, not just for meeting licensure requirements, but for staying attuned to the populations and challenges that define modern practice. Learning doesn't stop at a certificate; it shapes how we show up for the people who need us most.
This September, we are proud to spotlight courses that speak directly to both of these awareness moments, giving practitioners practical, evidence-informed tools to bring back into their work immediately.
Healthy Aging Month
Healthy Aging Month was founded in 1992 by author and publisher Carolyn Worthington, with the goal of shifting the national conversation around aging away from decline and toward possibility. Observed every September since, the month encourages adults, particularly those in midlife and beyond, to take stock of their physical, mental, social, and financial well-being, and to recognize that many of the health challenges associated with getting older are neither inevitable nor unmanageable.
What began as a small awareness campaign back in the early 90's has since grown into a nationwide effort spanning healthcare systems, senior communities, and wellness organizations, all working to reframe aging as a phase of continued growth rather than one of decline.
For physical and behavioral health practitioners, Healthy Aging Month is a direct call to action. Rehabilitation professionals, physical and occupational therapists, and behavioral health clinicians alike are often the first line of defense against the more preventable aspects of cognitive and physical decline, from fall risk and loss of independence to isolation, depression, and cognitive impairment. This observance is a reminder for us all that lifestyle-informed, patient-centered care isn't a supplementary nice-to-have for older patients; it's often the intervention with the greatest long-term impact on their trajectory.
104668 Navigating Cognitive Decline: Helping Families Engage in Difficult Conversations
This training equips mental health professionals with practical strategies to guide families through conversations about cognitive decline. Participants will examine diagnostic uncertainty, family conflict, and anticipatory grief, and explore communication techniques, legal and safety planning, and caregiver well-being through case studies and discussion.
103198 Depressive Symptoms in the Elderly- An Early Symptom of Dementia? A Systematic Review
Depression and dementia are common incapacitating diseases in old age. The exact nature of the relationship between these conditions remains unclear, and multiple explanations have been suggested: depressive symptoms may be a risk factor for, a prodromal symptom of, or a coincidental finding in dementia. They may even be unrelated or only connected through common risk factors. Multiple studies so...
103665 Psychological Well-being and Cognitive Aging in Black, Native American, and White Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Participants
This study explores the relationship between psychological well-being and cognitive aging across diverse racial groups, including Black, Native American, and White participants from the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Using race-stratified regression models, the study assessed how specific aspects of psychological well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, positive affect, and sense of purpose) are associated with cognitive performance in executive functioning and...
Suicide Prevention Week
Suicide Prevention Week, observed the week leading up to World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th, grew out of decades of advocacy from mental health organizations, survivors, and researchers working to reduce stigma and increase access to life-saving intervention.
World Suicide Prevention Day itself was established in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention, in partnership with the World Health Organization, and the surrounding week has since become a dedicated period for training, public education, and renewed focus on prevention strategies across the United States and internationally.
For behavioral health clinicians, and truthfully for practitioners across every discipline, this week serves as a vital opportunity to revisit and reinforce suicide risk assessment and intervention skills. Suicidal ideation doesn't confine itself to behavioral health settings alone, as patients disclose distress to physical therapists, primary care providers, and other rehabilitation professionals just as often as they do to therapists and counselors.
Suicide Prevention Week is a chance for every clinician, regardless of specialty, to ensure they're equipped to recognize warning signs, respond with confidence, and connect patients to the right level of care.
102440 Recommended Standard Care for People With Suicide Risk - Making Health Care Suicide Safe
This guide has been produced by health care and suicide prevention experts working with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance). In this guide, we: Describe why improving suicide care is urgently needed, identify gaps in health care that contribute to suicide deaths, summarize the evidence-based solutions that should be adopted and provide information on resources that are...
103445 Adolescent Suicide--Understanding Unique Risks and Opportunities for Trauma Centers to Recognize, Intervene, and Prevent a Leading Cause of Death
This intermediate level course is tailored for health professionals seeking to enhance their expertise in recognizing and assessing adolescent suicidality, depression, and PTSD. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology and risk factors associated with adolescent suicide in the United States, emphasizing the critical overlap between suicide and injury...
103212 Minority Stress, Distress, and Suicide Attempts
Because LGBTQ+ issues and populations have become more accepted in the general public than in the past, researchers have wondered about the differences between age cohorts relative to social stressors for LGBTQ+ populations. This is a qualitative study aimed at separating research participants into one of three age cohorts, gathering information about responses to different stressors common across all three...
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