Resident Care

CMS nursing home guidance focuses on resident quality of life, environment and choice

June 22, 2009

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Friday issued new guidance for nursing home surveyors emphasizing the importance of resident quality of life and homelike environments.
 

CMS issues warning about Clarcon hand sanitizer products

June 22, 2009

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is warning healthcare workers to avoid using skin-sanitizing products manufactured by Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory.
 

Promising discovery could help prevent age-related macular degeneration

June 16, 2009

Researchers at the University of Kentucky have announced a major breakthrough in the prevention and early detection of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The condition affects between 10 million and 12 million Americans and is the number-one cause of blindness among seniors.
 

Number of nursing home beds, residents decreasing, report finds

June 11, 2009

The number of both nursing home beds and nursing home residents in the United States declined between 1999 and 2004, according to the recently released results of the National Nursing Home Survey: 2004 Overview.
 

MRSA thriving among one-quarter of nursing home residents, study results show

June 08, 2009

Nearly one in every four nursing home residents has been colonized by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to a recently published report from Queen's University Belfast.
 

New report details devastating toll of chronic conditions on economy, healthcare system

May 18, 2009

The U.S. spent $1.7 trillion treating patients with chronic conditions in 2007—the equivalent of 34 million annual salaries of $50,000, according to the second annual Almanac of Chronic Disease, which was released Thursday.
 

WHO issues guidelines on hand hygiene for healthcare workers

May 08, 2009

The World Health Organization has released a new report, "Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care," which target administrators, public health officials and healthcare workers.
 

New survey shows nursing home room rates rising steadily across country

May 01, 2009

Nursing home care and assisted living care are more affordable in the Midwest than in the Northeast or West. Meanwhile, long-term care in Alaska remains the most expensive in the country, according to the results of the 2009 Cost of Care Survey from Genworth Financial.
 

F-tags with revisions on resident quality of life to be released in June

April 20, 2009

Eleven F-tags with revisions related to the quality of life and environment of nursing home residents will be available June 17.
 

Study: Hispanics receive poorer nursing home care

April 13, 2009

Nursing facilities with a primarily Hispanic resident population generally provide lower quality care than facilities primarily servicing whites, say Brown University researchers who focused on pressure ulcer care.
 

CMS to test cash incentives for nursing home quality, efficiency efforts

March 30, 2009

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Friday announced a new, four-state demonstration project to test whether cash incentives will help improve quality and efficiency in nursing homes.
 

Robot nurses to care for aging Japanese

March 30, 2009

Japan, like many countries around the world, is facing a serious shortage of caregivers to look after its rapidly growing elderly population. Unlike others, however, it is about to create an army of robot nurses.
 

Bill would grant states money to pay for background checks for nursing home employees

March 20, 2009

(Editor's note: In an earlier version of this story, we reported that providers would be responsible for paying for fees associated with employee background checks. That is not necessarily the case. A revised and updated version of the story follows.) The Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act of 2009, which was reintroduced in the Senate this week by Sens. Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME), would expand upon a seven-state pilot program that instituted federal background checks for potential nursing home employees.
 

New portable device tracks hand hygiene compliance among caregivers

March 19, 2009

Technology that tracks caregivers' hand hygiene practices is proving effective at reducing costs and increasing compliance, according to the results of a recent pilot study.
 

Study finds home healthcare settings have many unsafe conditions

March 06, 2009

A recent study has identified a number of hazardous conditions found in home healthcare settings--conditions that are of special concern to both the elderly and their caretakers.
 

CMS to delay MDS 3.0 because of worries over system updates

March 05, 2009

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is planning to delay the implementation of Minimum Data Set 3.0 for one year because of concerns that there is not enough time to adequately prepare systems for the start date.
 

Long-term care reform hearing focuses on dual eligibles, home-based services

March 05, 2009

Public and private sector officials convened Wednesday to discuss the important role long-term care reform could play in a grander, overall healthcare reform scheme.
 

Think happy thoughts: views on aging tied to poor health later in life

March 04, 2009

Younger people who believe negative stereotypes about aging are more prone to suffer poor health when they themselves reach old age, new research suggests.
 

Wound care: advanced tools and talented care teams lead to solid wound management

March 01, 2009

Advanced wound care tools help caregivers treat complicated pressure ulcers. But solid wound management also involves a talented care team
 

Ask the care expert: how to understand state deficiency scores

March 01, 2009

Sherrie Dornberger, RNC, CDONA, FACDONA President, NADONA
 

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.
 

Nursing home, assisted living costs vary widely by region, new report finds

February 25, 2009

Geography plays an important role in the cost of nursing home and other long-term care services, according to a recently released report.
 

Report: More seniors have three or more chronic conditions

January 07, 2009

The prevalence of chronic conditions among Americans is on the rise with many people now saddled with up to three continuing afflictions. Nowhere is the up-tick more noticeable than among the senior citizen population, according to a report released Tuesday.
 

Report: Uniform standards lacking for nursing home social workers

January 06, 2009

Inconsistent state laws and low federal standards have resulted in varying qualification and certification standards for nursing home social workers, according to a recently released report.
 

Medicaid coverage lapses lead to more expensive hospitalizations

December 19, 2008

Temporary lapses in Medicaid coverage can lead to higher rates of hospitalizations for diseases that can be treated in primary-care settings, according to a recent report.
 

Interdisciplinary care cuts death rates for chronically ill seniors, helps diabetics most

December 17, 2008

A pro-active, multifaceted approach to senior care can significantly reduce both hospitalization and death rates among seniors with multiple chronic conditions, according to a new report. People with diabetes might have the most to gain.
 

Iowa law could become national model for long-term care insurance disputes

December 15, 2008

A new Iowa statute that will take effect Jan. 1 will protect Iowans who are denied long-term care insurance benefits. If successful, it could be used as a model for other states, according to industry experts.
 

Alzheimer's group wants national dementia-screening initiative

December 10, 2008

A prominent Alzheimer's advocacy group is urging Congress to implement a national dementia-screening program. The Alzheimer's Foundation of America says study results it released Tuesday make a clear case for screening.
 

Medicaid increases costs to beneficiaries under new federal rule

December 02, 2008

Some Medicaid beneficiaries will be subject to higher copayments and premiums for certain services under a new federal rule that took effect last week.
 

Report: Diabetes now costing the nation $218 billion yearly

November 18, 2008

The total cost of diabetes to the nation was roughly $218 billion in 2007, according to a new report released on Tuesday. Diabetes prevalence is soaring in the general public, and among the nursing home population in particular.
 
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