CMS update for long-term care: J&J vaccine interruption and signs of rare clotting
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 20, 2021
Concerned LTCF staff members and residents should be aware that cases of blood clots after vaccination appear to be “extremely rare,” CMS says. Nevertheless, the agency is encouraging healthcare...
The coronavirus likely began to spread worldwide last year, say researchers
By
Alicia Lasek
May 06, 2020
The pandemic may have started as early as October 2019, quickly adapting to its human host, according to a new genetic analysis.
LED lighting overhaul led to 43 percent falls reduction, Harvard study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 12, 2022
Resident falls in two long-term care facilities dropped by 43% after the installation of a dynamic lighting program tuned to natural sleep and wake rhythms.
Eliminating residents’ chronic pain not a realistic goal: Aim for quality of life, experts tell...
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 24, 2021
Even the best, multimodal treatment strategies may be only 30% effective, say the authors of a new review and pain management guide.
COVID-19 vaccine booster jab has 96 percent efficacy, Pfizer reveals
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 22, 2021
A third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine restores protection against the disease to levels achieved after the second dose, a large new trial shows.
Rollout of COVID antibody therapy requires clinician feedback, U.S. officials say
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 11, 2020
Federal agencies say they will depend on clinician input during distribution of Eli Lilly’s new intravenous antibody therapy for high-risk COVID-19 patients.
CDC: Turn to Paxlovid to treat COVID-19, not steroids or antibiotics
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Apr 26, 2022
The agency is urging clinicians to consider the now readily available, recommended therapies such as Paxlovid as first-line COVID-19 treatments.
Stable use of antipsychotics in long-term care during pandemic ‘reassuring’: study
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Mar 07, 2022
The use of antipsychotics and pain medications in assisted living and nursing home residents was relatively unchanged early in the pandemic. New residents were more likely to get certain drugs, however.
Private equity equates to poorer outcomes for nursing home residents, physician contends
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 21, 2021
For-profit nursing homes have put residents at higher risk of death during the pandemic and are a poor deal for elders overall, according to a cardiologist and researcher.
Vetting COVID-19 vaccine in bariatric population is essential, investigator says
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 17, 2020
Judging from the performance of other vaccines, some experts are concerned that a COVID-19 inoculation will be less effective in people with obesity than for those with a lower body mass.