In a milestone report released today, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) analyzes why the U.S. healthcare system needs a new business-based attitude, and why it struggles to learn from its own data. Read More »
In early August, Massachusetts became the 17th state to protect registered nurses from mandatory overtime. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed a healthcare law that identifies restrictions. In California and Missouri, regulations contain provisions for mandatory overtime. Read More »
Residents who are recovering from surgery need special transitions of care and monitoring to prevent post-operative complications and hospital readmissions. Read More »
The American Health Care Association has added a new technology tool for long-term care facilities to analyze their quality performance and to help reduce hospital readmissions. Read More »
As reimbursement becomes increasingly tied to clinical quality and performance, Ohio joins the list of states that are trying a bigger carrot instead of the stick. Read More »
Ryan Frederick, founder and principal of Point Forward Solutions, shares with Long-Term Living magazine his strategies for transitioning senior living facilities into the spaces consumers will want tomorrow. Read More »
When operational changes occur, it is critical to review and update your community’s emergency plans to help ensure that the changes have been incorporated into these essential documents. Read More »
A somber day in Kansas City, Mo.: A wandering senior is found dead and an entire nursing home is evacuated at two senior living facilities. Read More »
The key to your future data-sharing compliance may already be within your own daily data. Mining that data can reveal a lot about the organization's strengths--and its weaknesses. Read More »
The new version of CMS' Nursing Home Compare website now includes data on readmission rates, nursing home inspections and antipsychotic drug use. Read More »
State reform to limit medical liability claims and facility-based arbitration agreements can have huge impacts on long-term care’s finances, notes a study by ACHA/NCAL and Aon Global Risk Consulting. Read More »
The loss of bladder control also is a loss of dignity and an invitation for skin problems associated with incontinence. To ensure that a person with incontinence is getting the best protection possible, The National Association for Continence (NAFC) has issued recommendations for quality standards. Read More »
With the crackdown on “pill mills” in Ohio, nursing homes have become targets for employee theft of narcotic prescription drugs. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine intensifies anti-drug abuse efforts. Read More »
Innovative planning can allow traditional senior living spaces to be transformed into neighborhoods of shared spaces and private spaces, encouraging interaction and fostering memory care. Architect James Moyer describes the before and after designs. Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
While not every prospective adverse event can be mapped out with anticipated responses and scenarios, there are steps owners and providers can take, especially in the first 24 hours after a serious event, to better protect residents, their families and employees. Read More »
A new report found that half of violent victimizations of persons age 65 or older involved serious violence, based on data from crimes known to Michigan law enforcement from 2005 to 2009. Perpetrators of elder abuse were often related to the victims. Read More »
Nursing facilities with higher CNA staff levels can offset the lack of confidence that newly admitted residents exhibit in trying to safely navigate unfamiliar surroundings. The availablity of CNAs to assist residents has helped to lower the rate of falls, study says. Read More »
CMS announces a new partnership initiative to combat the improper use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes. Through better reporting and data sharing, the partnership vows to cut the use of antipsychotics in nursing homes by 15 percent before the end of this year. Read More »
Dining is the ideal way to socialize. Residents eagerly check out their monthly activity calendar to see what local restaurant they will be visiting. Read More »
Nurses, CNAs and orderlies miss more days of work due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders than any other group. Nowhere is this truer than in the LTC setting. Read More »
Can too much safety actually cause harm? Dr. Bill Thomas, Judah Ronch, PhD and Margaret Calkins, PhD, posed a combination of thought-provoking statements and questions to attendees at the Environments for Aging conference. Read More »
A resident experiences an emotional breakdown. An observant and quick-thinking Kathleen alerts her facility's aides to avert what could have turned into a tragic event. Read More »
