Resident Care

Harness the MDS for dementia care

The federally mandated minimum data set (MDS) is a documentation tool caregivers use every day that can help ensure quality dementia care. Read More »

F-Tag 309 and the compliance domino effect

Poor training in dementia care documentation can get a facility a pile of deficiencies in a big hurry, explains a national consultant in survey-related regulatory issues. Read More »

What’s your best practice for memory care?

Attendees at the Memory Care Forum in Austin, Texas, share their communities' most successful strategies and programs for engaging residents with dementia.  Read More »

Central catheter maintenance bundle cuts CLABSI rates

Using a bundled approach to catheter maintenance can reduce central line-associated blood stream infections, a high risk for patients in long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs). Read More »

6 ways to manage family expectations in dementia care

People aren't perfect. Neither are memory care facilities. Consultant Michael Gill advises how to keep dementia residents and their loved ones happy by helping families to set realistic facility and caregiving expectations from the start.  Read More »

Dementia bathing: How to keep a bath from becoming a battle

What makes for an enjoyable bathing experience for some may not be the best strategy for those with dementia. Read tips from a national dementia expert on how to avoid struggles and fears in residents with cognitive decline at bathing time. Read More »

7 steps to building a dementia-capable system

Our infrastructure wasn’t built to accommodate people with dementia, but we can build one. And it starts with proper diagnosis. Read More »

Pew research: Fewer female seniors living alone for first time in nearly a century

The number of seniors living alone had risen steeply since 1900, but for the past 26 years, the percentage of senior women living alone has dropped. Yet, more than half of seniors surveyed in the research say they'd prefer to stay at home than move to a professional care setting if they could have a caregiver. Read More »

Canada tries again for national dementia strategy

Canadian lawmakers introduced a bill today that would form a national strategy to grapple with the social, economic and medical costs of Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias. Last year, a similar bill was defeated by a single vote. Read More »

Some viral infections could cause cognitive decline

Researchers found exposure to certain chronic viral infections, which can linger in the body long after infection, are associated with cognitive decline in seniors. Read More »

Possible new drug for Alzheimer’s already on the market

Researchers have found ‘neurostatin’ targets the first step of the reaction that leads to Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting a preventative treatment plan similar to how statins reduce the risk of heart disease. Read More »

FDA approves deep brain stimulation procedure for Parkinson’s

Medtronic's Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy receives new approval to extend its uses to less advanced Parkinson's cases. Read More »

Iowa won’t require nursing home employees to complete dementia care training

State legislators failed to pass a bill that would have required nursing home employees to learn how and be assessed on how they care for people with dementia.  Read More »

An Alzheimer’s-like disease that leaves people speechless

Researchers don't know much about primary progressive aphasia, a neurological syndrom that makes it difficult for people to express their thougths. It's often mistaken for dementia, though most people are able to remain independent.  Read More »

3-D ‘mini-brain’ could be future of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s research

Researchers have grown human neurons and cells that mimic the brain's structures and functions. The mini-brains could eliminate the need for animal drug testing, the results of which are often unreliable in humans.  Read More »

Key to continuity of care a single doctor

A piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association found high-risk older adults benefit from having a phsyician follow them throughout their continuum of care from the hospital to the skilled nursing facility to home.  Read More »

Firefighters heat things up at ALF

Arizona firefighters delivered flowers to more than 50 female residents at an assisted living facility this Valentine's Day.  Read More »

Rx for obesity

Medicare has long invested in the coverage of prescription drugs to treat chronic diseases. But a growing number of people think Medicare is missing the boat by not covering medications used to treat obesity. Read More »

Say what? Hearing loss increases risk of dementia

Older adults with hearing loss are more likely to develop dementia, research suggests. Read More »

‘Cautious optimism’ over decline in dementia cases

Researchers have noticed a steady decline in dementia cases in the 40 years between the 1970s and the 2000s, but the rising numbers of older adults will keep the battle with other types of dementia top of mind for many years to come, notes longitudinal study data in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read More »

I (still) do: Memory care center hosts vow renewals

The Valentine’s Day spirit was in full force at Stoneybrook Memory Care in McKinney, Texas, as dementia care residents and their spouses renewed their marriage vows and their commitments to stay together despite the disease. Read More »

CA judge halts end-of-life decision making for incompetent nursing home residents

A judge rules physicians are no longer able to make end-of-life decisions for nursing home residents, citing the 1992 state law violates residents' constitutional rights.  Read More »

Canada takes on violence in LTC communities

Ontario’s long-term care communities ask for the government’s help as aggression and violent deaths among nursing home residents continue to rise. Read More »

Don’t call me ‘honey’: Avoiding elderspeak

When it comes to culture change, put your awareness where your mouth is. What you say—and how you say it—affects the dynamics of staff/resident relationships, especially in dementia care. Read More »

ADA issues guidance on managing diabetes in LTC

The American Diabetes Association has issued its first position on managing diabetes in long term care facilities in response to the growing number of residents with type 2 diabetes.  Read More »

Tonight in Holly’s world

Resident blogger Kathleen Mears talks about a fellow resident with memory loss who is reliving her younger days as a nurse by trying to care for other residents. Read More »

Seniors have a new way get around town with Uber

grandPad, a tablet designed for seniors, has partnered with Uber to help seniors catch a ride while maintaining their mobility and independent. Read More »

A glove that reduces Parkinson’s tremors

A medical student designed a glove to give back control topeople with Parkinson's disease. The glove uses gyroscopes to steady hand movement, allowing people to feed themselves again. Read More »

FDA clears new tests to diagnose, treat vestibular disorder

Hearing and balance manufacturer GN Otometrics has developed a series of tests to help balance professionals diagnose and treat Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.  Read More »

Reducing brain inflammation could reduce Alzheimer’s risk

A new study found maintaining normal immune cell levels could protect against Alzheimer's disease. Read More »