A new study reports the cost of treating Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia at $109 billion, making it more expensive to society than either cancer or heart disease. Read More »
Health information technology and long-term care, once rarely found in the same conversation, are now topics of discussion within multiple policy-making bodies and workgroups. Read More »
Considerable opportunity exists to improve interventions and outcomes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in older adults, according to three studies published in the recent online issue of NeuroRehabilitation. Read More »
Senior Editor Pamela Tabar talks with Ruta Kadonoff, vice president of quality and regulatory affairs for the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), about quality in long-term care—and why being able to measure it will be important for business. Read More »
The waiting is over. No resolution to the budget crisis means that sequestration begins—today. Long-term care facilities will feel the effects upfront, but a quieter casuality might be healthcare's information technology and data-sharing initiatives. Read More »
Expect changes as the Baby Boom generation ages. As in their youth, they will do things differently from their parents and create their own concepts of elderhood. Read More »
Florida’s Universal Health Care Insurance suddenly closed its doors last week, giving beneficiaries three days to choose another insurance provider. Read More »
The federal government last Friday announced a final rule that provides 100 percent payment of the cost of certain newly eligible adult Medicaid beneficiaries. Read More »
In 1752, when Benjamin Franklin flew his kite in a storm, little did he know how people would rely on his discovery for centuries to come. When that energy is interrupted, complications arise and Kathleen Mears shares her experience with a computer and a power interruption. Read More »
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released a new analytics tool to help providers understand multiple chronic conditions in seniors. Read More »
Sweeping changes may be on the horizon for the way Medicare billing is divided, as President Obama and Republicans put the idea of combining Medicare Parts A and B back on the discussion table, the New York Times reports today. Read More »
In recent years, a new approach has been added to the kit bag of thousands of nurses and scores of nurse supervisors across the country--nurse coaching. Nurse coaching focuses on building a relationship-centered approach to supporting the growth and development of others. Read More »
Patients receiving antihistamines to suppress stomach acid are at greater risk of infection from Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, a common cause of diarrhea, Mayo Clinic researchers have found. Read More »
It’s not exactly a building boom yet, but things are looking brighter for the senior housing market, according to ALFA’s new senior living provider rankings. Read More »
Pets, especially pets trained to respond to the elderly, are welcome guests—and even permanent residents—at some nursing homes. However, research indicates that it might be better to leave pups at home. Read More »
Those who suffer a stroke may want the emergency medical staff to be busy texting instead of using an overhead paging system, a new study finds. Read More »
Knowledge about the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers has come a long way, but has it come far enough to prevent and reduce the incidence of this problem in long-term care? Read More »
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) got a tongue-lashing from the Senate Finance Committee, while CMMI’s director explains that testing new models takes time before payment reforms can be put into action. Read More »
When long-term care residents perceive control over what is generally a highly structured new environment, it helps them cope with stressors, reduces their depression and anxiety and increases their satisfaction with care. Read More »
Mainstreaming elderly prisoners into LTC facilities has its champions and its critics. How do residents feel about sharing their space with convicts? Kathleen Mears shares her views. Read More »
Legislation that would roll back caps on therapy services to seniors in skilled nursing centers has been introduced in both the House and Senate and is being applauded by an industry reeling from one payment reduction after another. Read More »
Are your staff scheduling processes as fair, balanced and tightly connected to your census and acuities as they should be? Two experts explain why even small changes in staffing can add up to big savings. Read More »
