Are opioid painkillers safer and more effective than over-the-counter medications in the senior population? A National Safety Council white paper looks at both sides of the question. Read More »
The Pharmacy Quality Alliance and AllazoHealth have formed a formal research partnership to study and improve industry-wide medication adherence metrics. Read More »
Assisted living communities and home health agencies will be some of the next frontiers for the federal government’s efforts to reduce the use of antipsychotic medications in those with dementia, following a recommendation from the Government Accountability Office. Read More »
The Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition says the MAC Transparency Act, if passed, would improve payment transparency within the Medicare prescription drug program. Read More »
A former psychiatrist on Friday is expected to plead guilty to taking kickbacks from a drug manufacturer in exchange for prescribing clozapine. Read More »
AMDA–The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine has recommended sub-topics within three of the four previously identified areas of focus for the White House Conference on Aging. Read More »
For minor skin infections and irritations, some residents like to rely on simple remedies used when they were young rather than take more medication. Read More »
Keen insights on nursing home life are provided by Long-Term Living's resident blogger Kathleen Mears every Monday morning throughout the year. Here are 10 of her most popular blogs in 2014. Read More »
The third installment of our multi-part series on challenges facing those serving older adults looks at governmental and other efforts to improve quality. Read More »
The Long Term Care Community Coalition encourages CMS to include more consumers in its “provider calls” related to dementia care in nursing homes, citing a recent survey that supports this recommendation. Read More »
A trial of a drug to fight early-onset Alzheimer's disease, expected to include 1,500 participants in 15 countries, has enrolled its first participant. Read More »
In long-term care, residents can experience symptoms of seasonal depression, which might go unrecognized unless caregivers and families keep a watchful eye. Read More »
Trash receptacles behind nursing homes and other care facilities are becoming a goldmine for drug addicts in search of controlled medications. Read More »
The American Geriatrics Society has released a new guideline to prevent and treat postoperative delirium in older adults in an effort to reduce complications resulting in longer hospital stays and delayed rehabilitation. Read More »
A small, pocket-sized document can help curb antibiotic drug resistance and improve the treatment and outcomes of the frail and elderly in skilled nursing facilities, according to a recent study. Read More »
Treating a cold is not as simple as taking the latest advertised remedy off the shelf. If you live or work in a long-term care setting, let staff and residents know that choosing a cold reliever takes serious thought. Read More »
Two centers and 11 projects studying ways to improve cognition, decision-making, mobility and the independence of older people are expected to receive more than $23 million in funding over five years from the National Institute on Aging. Read More »
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is giving the reimbursement nod to a first-of-its-kind genetic test to help physicians choose the best medication to treat depression in older adults. Will this policy help solve the tricky task of treating depression in care settings plagued by polypharmacy and look-alike symptoms? Read More »
The Center for Aging Services Technologies has released a new portfolio of free tools designed to help long-term and post-acute care organizations identify and select the appropriate medication management technology solutions that best fit their needs. Read More »
Various conditions, including age, can affect how the body reacts to a psychotropic drug, such as Valium, as Kathleen Mears found out after decades of use. Read More »
A federal rule that reclassifies hydrocodone combination products went into effect Monday, and at least one industry group is expressing concerns. Read More »
This year’s winner of the Long-Term Living OPTIMA Award, Benchmark Senior Living, has taken dementia care programming far beyond reminiscing, brain-games and once-a-day-activities. Here's the story of how its award-winning programming got started, and how the lives of residents can be changed when engagement happens all day long instead of just during "activity hour." Read More »
The majority of the professional associations representing long-term care say they support the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care’s goal of continuing to reduce the off-label use of antipsychotic medications in long-stay nursing home residents, although some say more action is needed. Read More »
Skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities seeking to improve efficiencies and finances while helping the less fortunate and contributing to sustainability efforts may find an ally in a California-based nonprofit organization. Read More »
Prioritizing comfort in the care of residents with advanced dementia enabled one nursing home to reap many rewards for residents and their families, the community and staff members. Its innovative model was detailed in a Sept. 8 workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine. Read More »
