Nursing Home

'We have to do better' on infection prevention, CMS official tells LTC nurse managers during new survey update

Nursing homes's new survey routine seems to be going smoothly, about half a year in, but infection prevention problems continue to plague the field.

Facility accused in Irma deaths loses court battle

A Florida nursing home — which was the site of several residents' deaths after Hurricane Irma — was dealt a blow Wednesday in its attempts to reopen.

Ruling on nursing home arbitration shows the fine print counts

Signing on the dotted line counts in arbitration cases, even if the text explaining that arbitration is voluntary isn't in bold print.

Rating methods worlds apart

Preparedness is key

There are numerous resources available on the Internet to help you choose the right nursing home for an ailing parent or loved one.

Coroner opens probe in nursing home death

A coroner's inquiry has been opened following the death of an 85-year-old resident of a southeast suburban St. Louis nursing home. The woman was reportedly discovered deceased early on March 12, strapped to a wheelchair at the bottom of a flight of stairs

PA facility tries crowd-funding to replace TVs

A Pennsylvania nursing home recently tapped the growing crowd-funding craze to raise money to help its residents upgrade their dated televisions.

Report slams nursing home sex abuse probes

A television station's investigative team asserted Monday that nursing home sexual abuse incidents in Texas are not thoroughly investigated, and that state officials may not be doing enough to protect victims.

9 things NOT to expect in a nursing home

Family members need to know what to expect when their loved one enters a nursing home: Falls may happen, medications may change, and a private room may not be an option.

Resident on resident mistreatment is an urgent problem, researchers say

About 20% of nursing home residents experience mistreatment from a fellow resident in a given month, according to findings announced Thursday by Weill Cornell Medical College and Cornell University.

Republicans gain Senate control; McConnell puts ACA provisions in crosshairs

Congress will try to dismantle some parts of the Affordable Care Act now that the Republican Party has the majority of seats in both chambers, prospective Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Wednesday.

Expanded surveys will focus on staffing, MDS coding

Special surveys to determine Minimum Data Set coding accuracy and nursing home staffing levels will occur nationwide in 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in an Oct. 31 memorandum. A five-state pilot of the focused surveys concluded in August, and there were deficiencies reported on 24 out of 25, according to CMS.

Also in the news for Nov. 4, 2014 . . .

Health center owner fined $43 million in nursing home patient recruiting scam ... CMS defines "one-on-one" provider training ... Men shorter than five-foot-five are 50% more likely to die from dementia ... UK docs to begin telling patients their 'brain age'

Also in the news for Nov. 3, 2014 . . .

$37 million settlement makes Dignity the latest large hospital system to pay out for observation stay charges ... Vibrating insoles could reduce falls among seniors ... Audit shows 11,000 unresolved nursing home complaints in CA

Ask the legal expert ... how to avoid deadbeat families

What's the best way to prevent deadbeat families?

Adjust residents' hearing aids before they listen to music, researcher advises

Nursing home residents might get more enjoyment and therapeutic value out of music if they change hearing aid settings, recently published findings suggest.

Proposed managed care rule could accelerate shift away from nursing home care, official suggests

Proposed regulations slated for early 2015 likely will affect how Medicaid managed care balances home- versus facility-based long-term care, news sources reported Wednesday.

Protein wafers help nursing home residents gain weight, fight pressure ulcers and diarrhea

Easy-to-chew protein wafers can help nursing home residents gain weight and reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers and diarrhea, according to findings recently published in Age and Ageing.

New hospice comparison tool uses government info, Washington Post calls for more transparency

In the absence of a hospice consumer guide from the government, The Washington Post has created one using available Medicare data. The newspaper unveiled the quality tool Sunday, in an article criticizing a lack of transparency around hospice quality.

Judge approves $38 million settlement in ManorCare case

HCR ManorCare will pay $38 million under a legal settlement recently approved by a judge in West Virginia. The award to plaintiffs was originally $91 million until the state Supreme Court reduced it in June.

Test could confirm sepsis within an hour

Nursing home residents might benefit from a new way of diagnosing and treating sepsis made possible by discoveries out of the University of British Columbia.

Nursing home asked for employee's personal information too often, jury rules

The human resources department of a Maine nursing home did not properly protect a former employee's personal identification information, a jury recently ruled.

Subliminal messages: A basic part of nursing home care?

"Will your app deliver subliminal messages to my residents?" I did not hear that question yesterday while I wandered the expo hall at the annual LeadingAge conference. But perhaps I will next year.

Former office manager charged with embezzling half a million dollars from residents

The former business office manager of a Michigan nursing home has been charged with embezzling more than $460,000 from the resident trust fund, the state's attorney general announced last Thursday.

Nursing home workers told not to touch residents due to Ebola concerns

U.S. nursing home workers who hail from West Africa are being stigmatized as potential Ebola carriers and forbidden from touching residents, according to IRIN, an independent news service launched by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Hospice expansion decreases hospital readmissions among all nursing home residents, study shows

Increasing hospice services can reduce hospital admissions among all residents of a nursing home, including those not enrolled in hospice, according to findings recently published in JAMDA.

Also in the news for Oct. 15, 2014 . . .

Home health aides launch nationwide campaign for higher wages ... White House launches Conference on Aging website ... Structured resident interviews increase quality of life in the nursing home, Pitt researchers find

NIC: Senior housing sets record for absorption, nursing home occupancy flat

The average occupancy rate for senior housing sailed past 90% in the third quarter, and the absorption rate set a single-quarter record, the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care announced Friday.