Study confirms link between high blood pressure and dementia in seniors
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 17, 2020
High blood pressure is tied to lower global cognitive and memory test scores, a long-term study shows.
FDA approves first fully at-home COVID-19 test
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 17, 2020
Results are available in about 20 minutes via a mobile phone app, and the test is more than 90% accurate in both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, the agency announced Tuesday.
Clinical briefs for Thursday, Dec. 17
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 17, 2020
Drug added to remdesivir reduces time to recovery in COVID … Communication with nursing home staff critical during lockdown, bereaved families say … Certain drug treatments linked to survival rates...
FDA panel recommends emergency use for Pfizer COVID vaccine
By
Danielle Brown
Alicia Lasek
Dec 11, 2020
“I think we know enough now to say this [vaccine] appears to be our way out of this awful, awful mess,” one committee member told CNN after the Thursday vote. The vaccine is highly effective, with...
Supplied with PPE, care providers are less exposed to COVID at work than in community, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 11, 2020
The results suggest that PPE is highly effective in acute exposures to SARS-CoV-2, but certain tasks may still be hazardous, investigators say.
Elders who live alone much more likely to be hospitalized due to a fall
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 11, 2020
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,...
Clinical briefs for Friday, Dec. 11
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 11, 2020
Chicago to offer all adults COVID vaccines in 2021; LTC to follow hospitals … LTC leaders have a moral responsibility to address racial inequities in facilities, influential educator says … Higher-intensity...
Most states choose long-term care to receive first COVID vaccinations, feds say
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 10, 2020
Although they are not obliged to do so, 36 states so far have told federal health officials that first doses should go to long-term care facilities, the COO of Operation Warp Speed said Wednesday.
Change in resident’s mental status doesn’t always equal infection, new guidance cautions
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 10, 2020
The authors provide a framework for infection workups when residents present with a non-specific sign or symptom. The revised guidance also reviews the latest evidence on how best to evaluate non-localized...
Flu not a ‘short-term illness’ for older adults, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 10, 2020
Older adults often face persistent functional decline after being hospitalized with influenza. The findings highlight the need for prevention, investigators say.