Memory care

Healthcare reform benefits Alzheimer’s advocacy

One group cheering the court’s decision is the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA), which maintains that upholding of the healthcare act will result in earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease—with care thereby starting sooner—while helping millions with more effective and efficient treatment. Read More »

IOM: ‘Serious shortages’ in mental health resources loom for baby boomers

Major efforts are needed to increase the mental health workforce and train them in the mental health and substance abuse issues that relate to seniors, a new Institutes of Medicine report warns. Read More »

Compassionate LTC care for some prisoners in Connecticut

In Connecticut, the state has given permission to its corrections commissioner to release the sickest and most frail inmates to palliative or hospice care. Read More »

Techno health: New devices could fill roles in LTC

Portable stroke monitors, video visits, diabetes testing on a cell phone… these tools and more are coming soon to a healthcare site near you, according to an emerging technology report. Read More »

Ask the Medical Director: The appropriate use of antipsychotic medications in LTC

Last spring (May 2011), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published a report titled, "Medicare Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Claims for Elderly Nursing Home Residents." Here is what medical directors practicing in long-term care had to say about the appropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medications. Read More »

Nursing home sex: An emotional outlet or a safety issue?

Sexual appetites don’t disappear after age 50, an Australian study concludes. However, seniors in nursing homes often have to sneak around because administrators are concerned about safety risks. Read More »

Research group launches testing lab for next generation of home health technology for seniors

Georgia Tech’s new lab for senior home health technology will test pilot products designed to help seniors remain independent for longer and to assist them in maintaining chronic conditions at home. Read More »

Study indicates a vascular link to Alzheimer’s

A study shows how ApoE4 can unleash an excess of the protein cyclophilin A into the cardiovascular system, causing inflammation in atherosclerosis and other conditions. The study also found that ApoE4 makes it more likely for cyclophilin A to accumulate in cells that help maintain the blood-brain barrier, reducing blood to the brain and allowing toxic substances to infiltrate. Read More »

Hospitalization can lead to adverse events for people with Alzheimer’s

While hospitalization affects any patient with Alzheimer’s disease, those who suffer delirium are at a greater risk for adverse events, which may lead to nursing home admission, cognitive decline or death. Read More »

Senate committee rejects attempts to shackle reform’s prevention funds

The Senate Appropriations Committee today struck down several amendments aimed at putting a chokehold on funds allotted by the Affordable Care Act, including a prevention fund containing millions for eldercare initiatives. Read More »

Pentecostal moments in long-term care

Can religion add quality to life in advanced age? Can it do so when dementia sets in? Ethnographic evidence, abundantly found in long-term care, speaks of the salutary contribution religion makes in advanced age. Read More »

Overcoming unhappiness

A resident’s withdrawal from life’s opportunities does not have to be a permanent condition. How can you help a resident who is unhappy, has lost interest in life, or has become testy and difficult? Read More »

New national plan focuses on Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment

HHS introduces ambitious national plan focused on prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's Read More »

Study: People with dementia more likely to die at home than in nursing home

Many older adults with dementia live and die in community settings rather than nursing homes, contradicting the commonly held view that most people with dementia eventually move to nursing homes and die there. Read More »

Study: Lifelong depression may increase risk of vascular dementia; late-life depression may signal Alzheimer’s

The findings suggest that depression that begins in late-life may be an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease, while chronic depression over the life course may reflect a long-term process of changes to blood flow in the brain associated with increased risk of vascular dementia. Read More »

Abbott Labs pays $1.5 billion to settle Depakote litigation

Abbott Labs reaches settlement for its marketing of the anti-seizure drug Depakote for conditions for which it had not received Food and Drug Administration approval. Read More »

Serenades models advances in memory care design

Serenades of Sonata was recently recognized by ALFA (Assisted Living Federation of America) as a 2012 "Best of the Best" recipient given exclusively to providers with services and programs that are making significant contributions to advancing operational excellence in senior living. Read More »

Calling full-court press on Alzheimer’s disease

Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity award presented at National Alzheimer's Dinner in Washington, D.C. Read More »

Rethinking environments for aging with growing dementia population

Jail isn’t the answer. Nor are warehouses with room and board. And yet, many of today’s institutions that house and deliver care to patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease often appear that way to family members seeking long-term care for a loved one with fading cognitive skills. Read More »

A resident’s long battle with Alzheimer’s

Larry was a former operator of nursing homes and faced his own fight with Alzheimer's. His family demonstrated commitment, patience and love in caring for him and chose to not have him live in one of the homes he had run. Read More »

Leaders of Tomorrow: Govind Bharwani, PhD

Congratulations to the second of five Leaders of Tomorrow award winners profiled this week: Govind Bharwani, PhD, director of nursing ergonomics and Alzheimer's care, Nursing Institute of West Central Ohio, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. Read More »

No need to die for Alzheimer’s diagnosis?

Until now, the only absolute diagnosis of Alzheimer’s was by autopsy. Is PET Amyloid Imaging, which can detect beta-amyloid neuritic plaques in the living brain, a potential screening or diagnostic tool for the future? Read More »

Report declares dementia a global public health crisis

According to research, the number of people living with dementia worldwide, estimated at 35.6 million in 2010, is set to nearly double every 20 years, reaching 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050. Read More »

One-on-one with Loren B. Shook

What should LTC developers know about operational and business challenges when it comes to memory care? And what do they need to know about developments on the regulatory front? Loren B. Shook, president and CEO of Silverado Senior Living, weighs in on these questions in an exclusive interview. Read More »

Alzheimer’s research funding questioned

A senator says that while he supports Alzheimer’s research, "this $80 million isn’t happening," referring to funding President Obama proposed earlier this year. Read More »

Study: Bilingualism wards off symptoms of dementia

Researchers said the bilingual mind’s need to monitor two languages in order to select the appropriate language recruits brain regions that are critical for general attention and cognitive control. Read More »

Cultural considerations inform China’s senior housing design

Senior housing development in China is a vast frontier for foreign developers, as described in Long-Term Living's feature “Senior Living in a Sandbox: The China Investment.” But before making the investment plunge, developers are advised to do their cultural studies homework. Read More »

CMS nursing home initiative to address behavioral health, use of antipsychotics

Thursday’s event, to be streamed live on the Internet, will provide an overview of the national initiative, resources for technical assistance and plans for upcoming education offerings. Read More »

Innovative music therapies engage seniors

It's not just background music anymore. Creatively incorporating music into the lives of seniors offers the therapeutic benefits of social engagement, memory enhancement, light exercise and more. Read More »

Researchers link Alzheimer’s and diabetes

Emerging research suggesting that Alzheimer's disease may be linked to insulin resistance and could eventually be considered a third type of diabetes was supported by two new articles. Read More »