Resident Care

Tailored rehabilitation therapy for dementia

What happens when someone with dementia needs physical or occupational therapy? Phoebe Ministries is applying neurocognitive engagement to its physical, occupational and speech therapy programs to improve outcomes for residents with cognitive impairment. Read More »

Nurses celebrate Nursing Home Week

It’s time to say a double thanks to nurses, nursing aides and all nursing home staffers as the industry celebrates Nurses Week and Nursing Home Week. Read More »

Hospice experience inspires woman to become a hospice nurse

A woman decides to become a hospice nurse based on her personal experience with hospice care for her teenage son. Read More »

Alzheimer’s Association funds drug study for inherited, young-onset disease

Catching dementia early matters—especially with younger-onset Alzheimer’s, where time is life. Read More »

Ties that bind

Sometimes a careless action can cause a big headache. SNF resident blogger Kathleen Mears relates how a gown tie forced the nurse to get out the scissors. Read More »

TBI and dementia

Does a person with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) have an increased chance of developing dementia in later years? Researchers are building a massive database to study the risks. Read More »

Pen pal program pairs CCRC with elementary school

Children met their senior pen pals after months of getting to know each other the old-fashioned way: through letters.  Read More »

Train staff, residents in signs of stroke

May is National Stroke Awareness month, so consider holding refresher training—for staff and residents—on the signs and symptoms of stroke. Read More »

Buzzfeed gets serious about Alzheimer’s disease

Click all the crying emoji and GIFs for this serious Buzzfeed production about loving someone with Alzheimer’s disease. The film is a departure from the company’s addicting quizzes, life hacks and lighthearted videos.  Read More »

UC to open first senior emergency care unit in San Diego

Older adults in San Diego will soon have an emergency care unit that specializes in geriatric care, thanks to a philanthropic grant. Read More »

Straighten up for posture awareness month

May has been designated a time for doctors, therapists and trainers to talk about the negative health consequences of poor posture, including what hunching over a smartphone or computer can do to the back muscles.  Read More »

One-on-one with… Arif Nazir, MD, CMD

Signature HealthCare's new chief medical officer talks about adaptive leadership and why collaborative teams are key to person-centered care in skilled nursing environments. Read More »

mmLearn.org launches medication management training series

The online educational series, created for professional caregivers, covers 16 topics relating to senior medication and adverse drug events—and it’s free. Read More »

FDA approves first drug for Parkinson’s psychosis

People with Parkinson's disease may get a new lease on life as the FDA fast-tracks a new treatment to curb the psychotic hallucinations that often accompany the disease. Read More »

Sunrise Senior Living donates $75k to Alzheimer’s Association

Sunrise Senior Living will make a donation to the Alzheimer's Association's Brain Ball in honor of national honoree Thomas J. DeRosa, CEO of Welltower, Inc. Read More »

Working challenged

When an aide quits unexpectedly, it can really disrupt a nursing home's routines. SNF resident blogger Kathleen Mears tells how two aides managed to do the work of three when a sudden staff shortage caught everyone by surprise. Read More »

Brookdale resident dances her way to ‘The Ellen Show’

A Brookdale Senior Living program director recognizes a resident’s love for dancing and Ellen DeGeneres, so when she won the chance to grant the wish of a resident’s lifetime, she had to go to Los Angeles.  Read More »

Is tweeting golden for seniors?

A new clinical research project is pairing college students with seniors to teach each other about Twitter. As seniors learn how to use the social media platform, students learn whether being connected improves emotions, language and cognitive function in older adults. Read More »

Post Acute Medical buys HealthSouth’s Beaumont Rehab Hospital

The Beaumont, Texas, location increases Post Acute Medical's market foothold in specialty post-acute care in the state. Read More »

Hand hygiene and superbugs

New residents arriving from a hospital often have multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) on their hands that can spread quickly across the LTC facility, yet resident hand washing is still overlooked as a protocol, a JAMA study says. Read More »

Nursing depositions—Duty or disaster?

Being asked to give a deposition doesn’t have to be a scary experience with the right documentation skills and preparedness. Read More »

Studying the brain on the MIND diet

The National Institute of Aging is funding a study to see whether the Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet is an effective strategy to slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.   Read More »

Protein injection ‘promising’ as new Alzheimer’s treatment

Researchers have discovered a protein that can "digest plaque" and reverse cognitive decline in mice. But how do we translate the idea to humans? Read More »

Seniors tell their stories to ward off memory loss

Older Americans say it's important to maintain or improve brain health. The Administration for Community Living, in partnership with Oakland, Calif.-based Statebridge senior theatre company, is helping seniors take center stage and share their stories.  Read More »

Study: Injections improve knee osteoarthritis without surgery

Does the next promising treatment for OA reside inside our own blood? The surprising results from a new study say it's definitely worth researching. Read More »

2016 Leaders of Tomorrow: Awa Diouf

In our fourth installment of the Leaders of Tomorrow award winners, Awa Diouf is leading the culture change in memory care activities programming at The Residence at Watertown in Watertown, Mass.  Read More »

UnitedHealthcare pulls out of most state health marketplaces

The largest private insurer in the country has announced it will be ending its participation in most state healthcare marketplace exchanges, but it has some new plans for the future. Read More »

2016 Leaders of Tomorrow: Rachel Pankratz, PT, WCC

In our second installment of the Leaders of Tomorrow award winners, Rachel Pankratz, PT, WCC, director of therapy at Larksfield Place, Wichita, Kans., shows what can be done when physical therapy and clinical teams combine efforts in the mission of proactive resident care. Read More »

Advanced dementia doesn’t lead to more ED visits, study shows

Residents with mild or no dementia are more likely to make a trip to the emergency department than residents with severe dementia, says a new study by the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research. Read More »

2016 Leaders of Tomorrow: Debra Gallimore, RN

In our first installment of the 2016 Leaders of Tomorrow award winners, we honor Debra Gallimore, RN, Director of Nursing at Skyline Health and Rehabilitation Center in Floyd, Va. She may be one of the youngest DONs the community has had, but you'll have a difficult time finding someone who knows more about her staff's job roles—she's done most of them herself. Read More »