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Pain

AHCA: Chronic pain a major issue for long-term care

November 13, 2009

The American Health Care Association is supporting a new report that calls on government agencies, Congress and the medical community to address chronic pain as a public health crisis.

State, federal pain policies hurt

Liza Berger November 13, 2009

A lot of Americans suffer from chronic pain. This group includes many nursing home residents. Which is why some new developments on the pain front are encouraging.

Adequate pain management training sorely lacking, new report says

November 10, 2009

More needs to be done to train doctors and healthcare workers about treating chronic pain, according to a new report.

Quality improvements in nursing homes, rehab facilities right on track, new report says

September 29, 2009

Nursing home quality improvement efforts over the last few years have largely met their goals, according to a new report examining quality trends in the nation's nursing homes. The report, which also warned about potential ill effects of any reduced Medicare funding, was released Monday by the American Health Care Association and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care.

Nurses, relatives underestimate pain in nursing home residents, study finds

September 18, 2009

Nurses and relatives routinely fail to detect the severity of chronic pain among nursing home residents, especially those with cognitive impairments, according to a new study.

Nursing home Advancing Excellence campaign results in decrease in pressure ulcers, physical restraints, pain rates, coalition says

May 06, 2009

Advancing Excellence, a voluntary, nationwide campaign formed to improve care in nursing homes has done just that, organizers say. There has been a drop in the number of pressure ulcers and the use of physical restraints, and improved pain management for both long-term and short-term stays, according to newly released data.

First reports of swine flu at nursing homes surface, professionals council issues guidelines

May 04, 2009

A council of long-term care professionals has issued guidelines for dealing with suspected or actual outbreaks of H1N1, or swine flu. The recommendations came out late last week, just hours before the first suspected cases of the flu at nursing facilities began to surface.

Study shows simple foot exercises significantly decrease seniors' risk of falls

March 10, 2009

Seniors who perform simple ankle and foot exercises a few times per week can noticeably improve their strength and balance, according to recent research.

Guidelines for pressure ulcer prevention to be introduced at conference

February 27, 2009

New international guidelines for performing prevalence and incidence studies on pressure ulcers will make their debut today and Saturday at the Biennial Conference of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel.

Seniors have higher rates of cancer, fewer treatment options

November 07, 2008

The elderly are routinely excluded from clinical trials for cancer treatments, even though 60% of all cancer cases occur among the senior population, according to new research.

Pain management still lacking in hospitals, patients say

October 31, 2008

A recent nationwide survey of hospital patients finds room for improvement in the area of pain management.

Research: End-of-life discussions improve quality of life for families, patients

October 09, 2008

Discussions about end-of-life issues between patients, doctors and families improve the quality of life for the terminally ill. They also have "cascading benefits" for both patients and their loved ones, according to new research.

Joint Commission releases new pain management brochure

September 22, 2008

The Joint Commission, a nonprofit healthcare certification and accreditation organization, has released a new brochure to help patients better discuss issues of pain management with their caregivers.

Advancing Excellence campaign receives major grant from Commonwealth Fund

August 28, 2008

The Commonwealth Fund has awarded a $474,000 grant to the steering committee of the Advancing Excellence campaign, a two-year campaign that aims to improve care in the nation's nursing homes.

Congress cries foul over report of inaccurate DME fraud prevention claims

August 22, 2008

Many lawmakers are outraged after allegations surfaced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services misled Congress into thinking it had significantly reduced the number of fraudulent claims for durable medical equipment (DME).

New palliative care ethical guideline released

July 01, 2008

Palliative care workers are allowed to sedate some patients with intractable pain at the end of life--but only as a last-resort measure, according to a new ethical guideline approved by the American Medical Association at its most recent annual meeting.

CMS warns: Medicare therapy caps back in full effect soon

May 23, 2008

A process that shields most nursing home residents from therapy payment caps is set to expire at the end of next month, federal regulators told providers Thursday during a special conference call. Officials with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also announced that new surveyor guidances covering nutrition and food handling would be issued in July or August.

En route to recovery

Brett Bakshis May 01, 2008

Rehab Road is the jewel of an Ohio facility's progressive therapy environment that helps prepare residents for their trip back home.

Ask the treatment expert

Donna Sardina May 01, 2008

Is it a realistic care plan goal to heal a diabetic foot ulcer that has been present for two years?

Antibiotics for advanced dementia patients questioned

February 27, 2008

Nearly half of advanced-dementia residents in nursing homes receive antibiotics during the last two weeks of life, but it remains unclear whether such treatment helps, authors of a new study say. Pain from administering the drugs intravenously, as well as unwanted side effects, are among the chief concerns.

Pain-relief patch available

January 30, 2008

Alpharma has announced the availability of the Fletcor Patch. The adhesive patch delivers medication directly to the pain site, offering a safe and effective alternative to widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, according to the firm.

Tech toys

January 30, 2008

The nation's top lawmakers are learning more about new monitoring, personal health record and brain fitness technologies for seniors during a special briefing and demonstration today.Senators from the Special Committee on Aging; the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; and the Medical Technology Caucus are hosting the event to discuss and explore what type of support is needed to promote technological advances that can help our nation's aging population.