Frail and elderly adults were systematically excluded from COVID vaccine trials. But now there are enough original studies involving long-term care residents to begin understanding how COVID vaccination campaigns have affected this population, investigators say.
Although health data-sharing brings significant benefits for patients, residents and providers alike, a JAMDA study points to communication barriers blocking potential benefits specific to nursing homes.
The pandemic’s effect on nursing home residents goes well beyond cases and deaths, investigators say. Unplanned weight loss, depression, incontinence, and loss of cognitive function stand out — with loneliness and direct care changes as likely contributors.
Residents living in smaller nursing homes are less likely to contract or die from COVID-19 than those who live in larger facilities, according to study results published in JAMDA on Monday.
Seniors who live in nursing homes were at an increased risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19 compared to those who live in home-and community-based settings during the pandemic’s early months, a new study found.
The survey process for nursing homes should focus on engaging geriatric experts more and recognizing high-performing and innovative facilities rather than assigning blame and focusing on punishments for providers, according to a long-term care task force.
Nursing home operators have an urgent need to reexamine their facility design models to better protect residents after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed flaws in current models, researchers argued in a new JAMDA study.
Providing more financial security for U.S. nursing homes may help prevent future staffing shortages after researchers found that about one in six facilities have reported shortfalls in licensed nurses and aides during the pandemic.
The use of telehealth and remote interventions has been a common solution to help provide necessary health services to seniors at nursing homes due to the coronavirus pandemic. But researchers are urging providers to be cautious before they consider replacing face-to-face interactions with remote services after social distancing measures are lifted.
The impact of industry medical directors remains inconsistent, and steps should be taken to further strengthen the role, say leading executives.
