Nursing homes that administered shots early in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout experienced a lower rate of new infections compared to later-vaccinating sites. The results underscore the efficacy of the drugs in elders who often do not respond well to vaccines, investigators say.
As we move through 2021, the loneliness posed by social distancing will likely remain a challenge for seniors. Healthcare providers should take a more proactive role in helping seniors manage their mental health in a safe and healthy way. With social activities and events consistently delayed or canceled for almost a full year, seniors have…
People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may now safely gather indoors and even visit low-risk, unvaccinated people in non-healthcare settings. How LTC staff members should balance the changes with COVID-19 restrictions at work has not yet been clarified.
Nursing homes of the future will require two major themes to be successful: caring and technology. In an age of continued lockdowns and restrictions, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel as our frontline healthcare workers and nursing home patients get their COVID vaccines. But in the meantime, loneliness continues to…
Older adults say that they are no worse off on some indicators of loneliness and overall mental health than they were five years ago, though general happiness has declined. Technology has been a coping mechanism, they say.
By now many of us have viewed the viral video of residents gleefully shooting soft foam balls at laughing staff members dressed as reindeer dodging through a pine-tree “forest.” It’s the kind of merriment suitable for the 2020 holidays — one that uses humor and playful defiance to release pent-up frustrations. Under normal circumstances, spending…
Congregate living may have a positive effect on fall risk, a new study finds. Seniors who live with others are much less likely to report hospital admission due to falls than their peers who live alone, researchers say.
After a day of total isolation, the sight of people having fun together activates the same brain region that lights up when a hungry person sees food, an MRI study has found.
According to the Yale School of Public Health, regular phone calls or emails may provide the most solace for people living in long-term care facilities. This includes remote calls, and phone calls while visiting at a facility window.
pCare and Coro Health have integrated therapeutic music and spiritual support into pCare’s Interactive Patient System. The new offering is available to any pCare client, including nursing homes, and will leverage Coro Health’ offerings including MusicFirst and CoroFaith. “One of the biggest challenges hospitals and healthcare systems face in caring for patients during a pandemic…
