The New Wave of Foodservice Technology in Senior Care

Clinical

Finances could affect cognition, aging process

New research suggests poverty and perceived hardship could lead to premature aging.  Read More »

Taking antibiotics can raise C. diff infection risk for residents nearby

Can taking antibiotics affect a roommate's risk for C. diff? A new JAMA study says yes. Read More »

Personality and perceptions of aging linked to depression

A new study found that improving self-perceptions related to efficacy and aging in older adults can reduce signs of depression in older adults.  Read More »

Nurse Assist issues I.V. flush syringe recall

The company is voluntarily recalling all unexpired lots of I.V. flush syringes because of a potential link to B. cepacia bloodstream infections.  Read More »

More LTC workers but fewer seniors getting their flu shot

A record number of physicians and healthcare workers, including nonmedical staff, were vaccinated against the flu. That’s good news for seniors, who are especially vulnerable, but who also saw the biggest age bracket decline in vaccination. Read More »

Pneumonia and a dose of mortality

Resident blogger Kathleen Mears caught pneumonia and caught herself taking stock of her life, too.  Read More »

NIH addresses health disparities of chronic diseases

The National Institutes of Health has launched a new program to develop, implement and disseminated community-based interventions to combat chrnoic diseases among racila and ethnic minority groups and under-served rurla populations.  Read More »

Brain activity declines over time with Parkinson’s disease

New research on how Parkinson’s disease affects brain activity could help measure the effectiveness of future clinical trials and offer insight into new treatments.  Read More »

SCPC to Congress: Fix conflicting oversight and definitions of ‘LTC pharmacy’

As senior care continues to spread into an array of settings, providers can be confused by the patchwork of regulations and the conflicting definitions of what constitutes a long-term care pharmacy. Read More »

Vitamin D may help reduce asthma attacks

A meta-analysis of people with mostly mild to moderate asthma found that vitamin D supplements decreased the number of asthma attacks that required use of oral steroids and reduced the number of trips to the emergency department. Read More »

Sanofi, Google-owner form new diabetes management company

The French pharmaceutical and Verily Life Sciences LLC announced a nearly $500 million joint venture aimed at offering devices and services for people with diabetes, one of the fastest growing disease markets.  Read More »

The nurse practitioner’s role in SNF dementia care

Primary care clinicians are the top care providers overall for those with dementia, but nurse practitioners are providing increasing amounts of predominant care for those living in a long-term care facility. Read More »

CDC encourages early intervention, preventive measures for sepsis

A recent Vital Signs report on sepsis and found that for nearly 80 percent of patients, the infection begins outside of the hospital, leading the government agency to ramp up preventive efforts and increase sepsis awareness. Read More »

FDA nixes 19 antibacterial handwash ingredients

The final rule issued today forces companies to remove 19 different ingredients from over-the-counter products because they haven’t proven to be effective in preventing the spread of illness and could do more harm than good. Read More »

Study: Invest in heart health now or pay later

A 14-year study indicates that as the number of older adults continues to climb over the next 44 years, the heart failure rate could triple. Read More »

WoundRounds launches mobile charting app

Documenting wound care just got easier, as a leading application gets mobile. Read More »

How you walk could indicate falls risk

An analysis of embedded sensor data that measured gait speed and stride found that cumulative declines could predict a fall up to three weeks in advances, suggesting opportunities for proactive interventions. Read More »

What senior communities need to know about Zika

The Zika virus is not expected to spread rampantly throughout the United States, but senior living communities in southern states or high-risk areas like Miami can take proactive precautions to reduce risk to residents, staff and visiting families. Read More »

Flu season: An opportunity for training

Despite sunshine and warm temperatures, influenza season is right around the corner. Are your staffers trained in the policies and protocols concerning vaccinations? Read More »

Shortage of female urologists met with growing need

A recent study has found women prefer to see female urologists, but that can be a challenge because female urologists are a small minority.  Read More »

UpToDate adds sleep medicine

The addition formalizes sleep medicine as a specialty and makes its diagnostic information and treatment guidelines accessible to clinicians, including those in geriatrics. Read More »

Ethnicity and aging: Latina es mejor!

Latinos have higher rates of diabetes and other illnesses—so why do they age slower than other ethnicities? Read More »

Voluntary recall: Certain cloth wipes contaminated

Sage Products is voluntarily expanding a recall of certain lots of Comfort Shield Barrier Cream Cloths due to contamination. Read More »

Fla. judge says resident death is manslaughter

A Florida court has charged an assisted living LPN with aggravated manslaughter—a felony charge rarely seen in the assisted living setting and one that comes with serious jail time. Read More »

Warning labels reduced improper medicine crushing

Researchers found that medicine packaging and training classes reduced the number of pill-crushing errors at nursing homes in the Netherlands.  Read More »

Pill organizers could put seniors at risk

Researchers studied the effectiveness of pill organizers and found seniors who used multi-compartment compliance aids (MCAs) had a higher incidence of falls. Read More »

3 LTC communities win Gold award for quality excellence

Three long-term/post-acute communities have won the top quality accolade from the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) National Quality Award Program. Read More »

AHT partners with COMS Interactive for combined clinical workflow

The two companies will combine their nursing workflow system features and create accessibility from a single dashboard. Read More »

Seniors with RA may have lower cancer survival rate

Researchers found relationship between cancer mortality rate and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is more pronounced in tumors with longer expected survival rates, including breast and prostate cancers.  Read More »

Calif. sets the pace for POLST

A whopping 50 percent of the state’s nursing home residents are using POLST forms to document their decisions on life-sustaining treatment, according to a new study. Read More »