Lois Bowers
Lois A. Bowers was senior editor of I Advance Senior Care / Long-Term Living from 2013-2015.
A challenge worth meeting—and eating
A recent competition among chefs promoted nutritious, tasty recipes for residents of one company’s post-acute and long-term care communities. What unique things are your senior living communities doing to promote senior health? Read More » SAIDO Learning: ‘It’s remarkable’ [PODCAST]
"It is really remarkable to see." That's how one senior living community employee describes the 2013 Long-Term Living OPTIMA Award-winning SAIDO Learning program designed to reduce or reverse the effects of dementia. In this audio podcast, she details a typical session and explains how the program affects not only residents but also the volunteers who work with them. [4:05] Read More » SAIDO Learning: Seeing is believing [PODCAST]
"If I didn't see it, I wouldn't believe it." That's how one senior living community staff member working with residents to improve their cognition describes the effects of the 2013 Long-Term Living OPTIMA Award-winning SAIDO Learning program. In this audio podcast, hear what else she has to say about why she got involved and how it changes not just residents but also the volunteers (called supporters in the program) who work with them. [5:55] Read More » The elusive high five
Aug. 13 stands out in my mind not because of what I did but for what I wasn't able to do. Read More » OPTIMA Award: How SAIDO Learning works
The SAIDO Learning program is designed to stimulate the prefrontal cortex, resulting in activity that can be measured by two standard cognitive tests. Read More » SAIDO Learning in action: A typical session [VIDEO]
Three videos illustrate the overarching principles of the SAIDO Learning technique to slow or reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Read More » SAIDO Learning: A timeline
The journey to bring the SAIDO Learning approach to treating Alzheimer's disease and dementia from Japan to the United States began in 2010, nine years after the technique had been developed overseas. This timeline details the process. Read More » Telehealth, safety monitoring increasingly popular among seniors, caregivers
Remote monitoring technology capabilities, an aging population and the increased costs typically associated with caring for seniors are combining to drive the global market in elder-care technologies to high growth, according to one research firm. Read More » Research seeks ways to improve long-term care offerings in reformed healthcare system
An academic powerhouse and several senior living service providers are joining forces to try to find ways to increase the quality of long-term care while decreasing unnecessary healthcare spending. Read More » Senior living in TV spotlight again
Potty-mouthed? Mournful? These are some of the adjectives being used to describe a new show depicting life and work in a senior living facility. Read More » Eye disease poses isolation danger in seniors
Increased isolation, decreased quality of life, mood changes and depression are associated with a particular eye disease in seniors, Johns Hopkins researchers have found. Read More » Assisted living: Some are doing it right
As we observe National Assisted Living Week, let’s celebrate the communities delivering high-quality care for residents. What lessons can we learn from them? Read More » Higher staffing levels mean better quality, report card finds
A new analysis of nursing homes scores facilities on eight federal quality measures to determine where to find the highest- and lowest-quality care. Read More » Aging brains benefit from video game
Participants in a recent study experienced improved performance in three cognitive areas after they played a specially designed video game. Read More » Stress may precede falls, and new technology may detect them
New research finds that older men experiencing the death of a loved one or financial problems are more likely to fall within the next year. Technology under development may help detect such falls, however, and notify caregivers for assistance. Read More » Nursing homes serving black residents have fewer resources for care, study finds
A study of more than 11,500 nursing homes reveals racial disparities in care, and researchers have some ideas about why – and some potential solutions, too. Read More » Pneumonia, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia
Three recent studies provide new knowledge related to the development, prevention or prediction of dementia in various populations. Read More » Informed consent provisions strong in only 7 states, group says
The informed consent rights of nursing home residents in 43 states may not be fully realized due to weak or nonexistent provisions, according to a nonprofit organization’s new analysis. Read More » 5 tests to avoid in long-term care settings
Percutaneous feeding tubes, sliding scale insulin, urine cultures, antipsychotic medications and lipid-lowering drugs should be used only under certain circumstances, representatives of the long-term care field say in a national campaign. Read More » Aging, longevity clues arise from gene study
Researchers found a way to extend the life of study subjects by 20 percent, but the rate of aging varied by body system. Read More » The present and future of long-term services and support
Newly released data summarize the present state of long-term services and support — and what the future holds. Read More » App designed to foster interaction between adults with dementia, caregivers
A new app expands on a popular live program that provides an alternative way for older adults with cognitive disabilities to communicate and reflect on their life experiences while enjoying themselves in the moment. Read More » Need for institutional care may increase, AARP report says
Population trends mean that the current model of family members serving as the primary caregivers for their elders may not work in the future, according to some policy advisers. Read More » 9 new quality goals for nursing homes unveiled by initiative
Nursing homes participating in a new initiative may gain competitive advantages, organizers say. In the process, they could collect data helpful in establishing uniform national standards and evidence-based best practices. Read More » U.S. companies expand in China as senior care restrictions relax
As its elderly population grows and traditions change, China is seeking help from foreign and private companies to provide services and housing for this segment, and U.S. companies are answering the call. Read More » App will be ‘virtual coach’ for LTC caregivers
Caregivers will be better able to communicate residents’ healthcare preferences to providers at skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities after using an app under development, researchers hope. Read More » Direct-care occupation data featured on website
Wage trends, projected employment growth and training standards for nursing home, home health and personal health aides are among the pieces of information featured on an updated website from the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute. Read More » Remote patient-monitoring technology still faces reimbursement roadblock
Device improvements as well as changes in government incentives, nursing staffing levels and the size of the senior population will lead to greater adoption of telemedicine in long-term care, but reimbursement remains a challenge for now. Read More » Early-onset dementia: 9 risk factors identified
New research identifying nine risk factors for early-onset dementia ultimately could lead to treatments to prevent development of the condition. Read More » 