Epilepsy in the Older Adult

1. Distinguish between a seizure, nonepileptic seizure, and epilepsy given a description of a patient and his/ her clinical symptoms. 2. Recognize and manage the etiologies and risk factors for seizures in older adults. 3. Develop an appropriate pharmacotherapy treatment plan for an older adult patient with newly diagnosed epilepsy. 4. Design an effective plan for monitoring antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy in older adult patients. 5. Minimize and manage common adverse effects of AEDs in the older adult. 6. Detect and manage important interactions between AEDs and other medications. 7. Design a plan for discontinuation of AEDs when appropriate.