Maintaining one’s spiritual life in a long-term care facility can be a challenge if it’s up to the resident to find ways to fulfill that need for worship and reflection. Read More »
The eye holds clues to Alzheimer’s disease, according to one study. Another study, however, finds no association between a common age-related eye disease and dementia. Read More »
Preventing or managing diabetes can mean lower health insurance and other personnel-related costs for employers as well as healthier employees and residents. Here are some tips to help combat the disease, in observance of National Diabetes Month and World Diabetes Day. Read More »
Three new studies and a new guideline on obesity and health from a government-convened panel have implications for medical, nursing, nutrition and activities personnel in long-term care environments. Read More »
Seniors who regularly donate their time to their favorite causes are physically healthier than those who don’t, according to new research. So think about encouraging volunteerism among residents. Read More »
For more than 50 years, caregivers turned nursing home residents every two hours to prevent pressure ulcers. Do improved mattress manufacturing methods extend the time between turns? Read More »
Many deaths from congestive heart failure might be prevented if healthcare professionals look for four risk factors, according to new research. Read More »
You may see some familiar faces on Nov. 24 when HBO debuts a comedy about a “ragtag crew” caring for elderly women at a hospital’s extended care unit. Read More »
One medical visit is all it takes to gather enough data to predict how long it will be before someone with Alzheimer’s disease needs professional long-term care or dies, according to new research. Read More »
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services emphasize the importance of following the “Rule of 3” sequence when coding activities of daily living, as noted in the recently updated RAI User's Manual. Read More »
As seniors become the dominant population in the American landscape, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are predicted to increase at an alarming rate. Read More »
If you or those for whom you care are concerned about how to pay for long-term care, you may be interested to learn that the Internal Revenue Service has increased the tax deductions allowed for the purchase of long-term care insurance policies in 2014. Read More »
In what the federal government maintains is one of the largest healthcare fraud settlements in U.S. history, Johnson & Johnson and subsidiaries will pay more than $2.2 billion for allegedly promoting three drugs for unapproved uses in the elderly and others as well as purportedly paying kickbacks to doctors and the country’s biggest long-term care pharmacy provider. Read More »
This society’s eagerness to seek legal action against perceived harm or injustice to their loved ones in long-term care gives plaintiffs’ lawyers a wide-open client base to pursue. Read More »
A $13.4 million initiative funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hopes to improve care and communication within nursing facilities and between nursing homes and acute care institutions so that problems can be caught and managed before it becomes necessary to transport residents to the hospital. Read More »
Monitoring residents’ weights essential in providing quality care. At times, however, the process can present challenges to doing it accurately, comfortably and privately. Read More »
A new study of nursing home residents in California indicates that there's much more community-acquired MRSA in LTC settings than medical professionals first thought. Read More »
As the end of daylight saving time approaches in most parts of the United States, here are some tips to keep you—and residents—healthy and alert in the coming weeks. Read More »
Hospice takes the stage in November to educate the public on the services and supports available to help a loved one and family members make the transition together. Read More »
The first national survey of patient-controlled pain medication pumps has revealed red flags in how patient vitals are monitored and how risk factors are calculated. Read More »
Study investigates the geographical differences and patterns in drug prescribing and drug therapies for Medicare patients and the potential risks involved. Read More »
In March 2013, an elderly woman who died after not receiving CPR in her retirement community became national news and a focus of public outrage. CMS memo updates state surveyors on CPR policy in nursing homes. Read More »
