Resident Care

The holistic, natural way to manage pain

A meta-analysis found complementary health approaches, including massage therapy and yoga, helped people with severe pain--and without reports of serious adverse effects. 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 »

The care conundrum

Resident blogger Kathy Mears watches how one resident’s changing health condition affects her family. That requires a lot of coordination for staff to communicate and keep everyone updated on an institutional level.  Read More »

How does your memory care facility rank?

Memory care thought leaders gathered in at the Memory Care Forum to discuss the state of the industry and look ahead at what’s to come.  Read More »

The praying mantis

Resident blogger Kathleen Mears gets the creepy crawlies when her aides can't seem to kill her new insect roommate. Read More »

Not much gray on the silver screen

An analysis of the 100 top-grossing films of 2015 show seniors in a less-than-flattering light, especially in comparison to a Humana survey that found the story of aging is much more uplifting.  Read More »

An extra special birthday treat

A 105-year-old’s birthday wish has come true: A cake delivered by a hunky firefighter.  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 »

Dining dilemmas

Resident blogger Kathy Mears doesn’t know how meal plans are made, but she knows that when she’s eating simply to eat and not for enjoyment, the food doesn’t taste as delicious. Read More »

Deciphering SNAP: The other kind of dementia

Two independent studies say SNAP doesn’t lead to Alzheimer’s disease, but scientists still aren’t sure how it develops. Read More »

More families say no to feeding tubes for advanced dementia

Increasing awareness about the stages of advanced dementia can help families make more informed decisions on tube feeding. Read More »

Animal comforts

Aminals have a special power to connect with seniors, including those whose dementia makes it hard for them to communicate. Furry, fuzzy and feathered assistants help their human counterparts engage residents with company and comfort near the end of life. Read More »

Socializing makes seniors more popular—and healthier

Social butterflies tend to be in better health and less vulnerable to elder abuse, a Canadian researcher has found. 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 »

Wanted: A room of my own

Blogger Kathleen Mears lives in a semi-private room but prefers to live alone. She’s been lucky to have a room to herself but knows it’s a matter of time when, not if, she’ll get a roommate. Read More »

Some Alzheimer’s cases are better off on drugs, study says

In the past few years, most nursing homes have been reducing the use of antipsychotic drugs in favor of non-pharmacological interventions. But some people with certain Alzheimer's symptoms have a much high risk of relapse if drugs are withdrawn. Read More »

Seniors steal the spotlight

It’s lights, camera, action at one Florida senior living community, the set for the upcoming feature-length comedy “Salted Christmas: One Family, One Day, One Purpose.”  Read More »

Seniors help fund employees’ education

A Pennsylvania CCRC’s scholarship program awarded more than $90,000 to help its employees fund their post-high school education.  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 »

Brookdale resident found dead on bus

A resident boarded a bus for a weekly ride around town. She was found dead on the bus more than 29 hours later.  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 »

An app to help persons with dementia remember

Twelve-year-old Emma Yang is developing an app that will help families stay in touch with loved ones with dementia. It will also help those with dementia remember who their loved ones are through facial recognition detection.  Read More »