The New Wave of Foodservice Technology in Senior Care

JAMA study: Drug interaction risk doubles for older adults since 2006

Adults age 62 to 85 are using more concurrent medicines and dietary supplements than ever, a new JAMA study says, enhancing the need for detailed medication reviews to avoid drug interactions. Read More »

Boomer expectations don’t match reality for retirement, report finds

The sixth annual Boomer Expectations for Retirement report from the Insured Retirement Institute found baby boomers are less confident about and how well they have prepared financially for retirement.  Read More »

Tap dancing at any age

An 85-year-old Navy veteran always wanted to learn to tap. He decided it was finally time to dance.  Read More »

Meet the 2016 Leaders of Tomorrow!

Long-Term Living’s Leaders of Tomorrow awards celebrate five nominated individuals who go out of their way to change the status quo of senior care, try new strategies and innovative approaches and serve as inspirations to their peers. Read More »

Infectious disease orgs release new guidelines for antibiotic stewardship, combating C. diff

A good antibiotic stewardship program is more than a leaflet or two about drug resistance. New guidelines from two leading infectious disease bodies offer specific strategies to implement stewardship programs and improve antibiotic efficacy, including ways to handle staff training and the challenge of C. diff. Read More »

Arizona State University to build CCRC on campus

The university wants to build a continuing care retirement community on campus. The CCRC could appeal to the roughly 30,000 alumni age 65 and up dwelling in Arizona who want to relive their college years. Only, this time class is optional.  Read More »

AHCA to Congress: Rural SNFs need better technology

Skilled nursing providers in rural areas need better access to broadband connectivity to keep up with the rapidly changing senior care landscape, providers said in testimony before the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Read More »

Rocking the drug reimbursement boat

Medicare is trying a new way of calculating the reimbursement for certain drugs, including expensive drugs to treat cancer. After barely a month, the pilot has riled physicians on both sides of the issue. Read More »

CMS payment model could change primary care for up to 25M Medicare beneficiaries

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will test a new payment model that encourages doctors to focus on health outcomes rather than volume of visits or tests. Read More »

An apparent seamless transition

For nursing homes residents, the transience of living space can be difficult to accept, especially when a resident dies. Read More »

Light therapy helps people with dementia sleep

A pilot study by Ecumen found residents exposed to bright lights for at least 30 minutes a day had fewer sleep disturbances, behavioral episodes and needed less antipsychotic medication—all without any adverse side effects to the light.  Read More »

Older women have less cognition loss—and less quickly—than men

Researchers examined the effects of aging on cognitive functioning. They found normal age-related memory and cognition decline may occur at an earlier age and at a faster rate in healthy older men compared to healthy older women.   Read More »

Educating AND training for safety

Safety training only goes so far unless you train employees’ hands as well as their heads, says safety training expert Steve Wilder. Read More »

New clues in the link between Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes

Researchers have found that Alzheimer’s disease impairs the part of the brain that regulates metabolism. That means people with dementia may be more likely to develop diabetes. Read More »

COPD study: inhaled corticosteroids may not be for everyone?

Combination treatments, such as using an extended-release pill and an inhaled product, are a standard practice in therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). But new research shows that many people with COPD may not benefit from the addition of a corticosteroid inhalant. Read More »

DOJ: substandard nursing home care will not be tolerated

The Department of Justice announced the launch of 10 regional interagency task forces designed to protect seniors in nursing homes by holding operators accountable for the quality of care they provide. Read More »

CMS imposes fines of more than $278k for Woodbriar Health Center

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has imposed steep fines and threatened to terminate Woodbriar Health Center from its programs if serious problems are not resolved by next week. Read More »

Innovation program to reduce nursing home hospitalizations

The Center for Innovation has invested more than $30 million for Indiana University’s project to reduce avoidable hospitalizations for nursing home residents by providing higher levels of care on site. Read More »

New drug could become first FDA-approved treatment for Parkinson’s disease pyschosis

A new drug treatment for Parkinson’s disease psychosis has been given a major thumbs-up by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committee, a crucial step in the agency's drug-approval process. If the drug eventually receives full FDA approval, it will be the first treatment of its kind, researchers say. Read More »

AMDA names 2016 medical director of the year

A St. Petersburg, Fla. senior living medical director is AMDA's top CMD for 2016. Read More »

Penn. SNF union workers to earn $15 an hour

On the heels of California and New York, thousands of CNAs in Pennsylvania will now earn $15 an hour. Read More »

Joshua Freitas named NCCDP’s 2016 educator of the year

The National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners has named a former OPTIMA award winner the educator of the year for educating—and inspiring—frontline staff on dementia care. Read More »

Adding color to ICD-10 codes

A group of health information technology nerds enjoyed finding obscure and absurd ICD-10 codes like toxic effect of venom of bees, intentional self-harm. They thought others might, too, so they found their favorites, formed a publishing company and illustrated them for your amusement. Read More »

Calif. nursing home population growing younger

From 1994 to 2014, the population of California nursing home residents under age 65 increased by nearly 40 percent. So, too, did the number of reported problems directly related to the resident population mix.   Read More »

USF study: Brain exercise lets seniors drive on

University of South Florida researchers say certain types of brain exercise can improve reaction times, staving off cognitive decline and letting seniors hang onto a key piece of independence: a driver's license. Read More »

Focused Dementia Care Surveys: What You Need to Know

CMS is moving forward with new surveyor tools for facilities that offer dementia care. does your staff know how to document for the new survey? Read More »

Training went unheeded at Woodbriar Health Center, say Mass. regulators

Employees at Woodbriar Health Center were retrained on falls-related injuries following the death of a resident, according to a revised plan submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Public Helath. The department says the second fall-related resident death is the result of deficient care.  Read More »

Fla. passes LTC wait-list prioritization law

The new law will require the state’s Department of Elderly Affairs to sort and prioritize those who are receiving long-term care services and those who are waiting for consideration. Read More »