CDC posts videos to educate staff, residents on its 2 vaccine safety systems
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 17, 2021
YouTube videos detail the VAERS reporting system for CNAs and other facility providers, plus the agency’s smartphone-enabled post-vaccination health checker, or v-safe, which can be used by residents...
Anticipating anniversary reactions
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Mar 16, 2021
The coronavirus was officially declared a pandemic one year ago this month. The news is filled with articles reflecting on the dramatic changes in our lives from last year to this — lost jobs, remote...
Nursing home advocates urge 24-hour RN staffing, PPE mandates in sweeping reform agenda
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 16, 2021
The Care For Our Seniors Act, put forth by the AHCA and LeadingAge, seeks to address systemic issues in the nursing home sector that have been laid bare during the pandemic, including infection control...
Leading long-term care industry advocates are eyeing a registered nurse staffing requirement and enhanced Medicaid funding under a set of “bold” reform measures aimed at improving that long-term care...
‘Silent’ heart attack proves to be new stroke risk factor for older adults, experts find
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 15, 2021
Symptomless heart attacks may pose the same risk of stroke as a chest-crushing event, and are more common in people 65 and older, according to a new study to be presented at the upcoming American Stroke...
Mask prioritization ‘upside-down’; eldercare workers should be No. 1 recipient: report
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 15, 2021
Frontline staff may be exposed to as much or more cough and COVID-19 droplets than ICU workers performing intubations, according to some researchers and anesthesiologists.
Silver lining? Surgical and N95 masks ease spring allergies in nurse study
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 12, 2021
Nurses who recorded allergic rhinitis symptoms during a two-week period in the pandemic reported significantly decreased symptoms while wearing an N95 or surgical face mask vs. wearing no mask.
CMS opens visitation to nursing homes after year of isolation
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 11, 2021
“Facilities should allow responsible indoor visitation at all times” — no matter the vaccination status of resident or visitor, the agency now says. Its action follows the remarkable, apparent...
Treatment mix restores hand function in osteoarthritis trial
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 11, 2021
A conservative mix of treatments for base-of-the-thumb osteoarthritis is more successful than standard therapies alone, investigators say.
NY Tough campaign can’t disguise nursing home cuts that worsened COVID-19 struggles
By
Brendan Williams
Mar 10, 2021
No long-term care advocate is surprised by what was hiding behind Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s mask of self-congratulatory competence. Indeed, his reckless disregard for the lives of nursing home residents in...