Vaccine potency wanes, but third COVID shot restores 95 percent efficacy, new data show
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 16, 2021
New data from vaccine maker Pfizer and Israel’s health ministry may help U.S. health agencies make a case for recommending COVID-19 booster shots, various sources report.
CDC chief endorses COVID booster shots for nursing home residents, healthcare workers
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 24, 2021
Older and medically compromised adults and workers in high-risk settings should be offered third doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., said early Friday. Her decision...
New Biden executive order would tie Medicare rates to turnover
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 18, 2023
President Joe Biden’s new executive order includes several measures intended to improve access to long-term care and bolster job protections for those who work in skilled nursing.
Residents asking about medical cannabis? A senior living community brought in the experts
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 24, 2022
Inspīr Carnegie Hill brought in a cannabis doctor and dispensary pharmacist to field questions from residents and their families after New York state legalized recreational adult use of marijuana this...
Nurses report glaring gender pay gap, overwork in new survey
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
May 12, 2022
Despite an overall increase in salaries, registered nurses report glaring differences in pay and concerns about equity and overwork that could affect already troubled pandemic-era staffing levels.
Study: LTC residents with COVID-19 at risk for polypharmacy, new drug interactions
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 12, 2022
Across 41 Texas long-term care facilities, nearly 20% of residents with COVID-19 had drug-drug interactions related to treatment, and one-third continued new meds 30 days after diagnosis.
A first: FDA approves drug to treat agitation in Alzheimer’s dementia
By
Alicia Lasek
May 12, 2023
For the first time, the FDA has approved a drug to treat agitation related to Alzheimer’s disease dementia. Patient advocates are hailing the news, but prescribing the drug, an antipsychotic, may put...
Early screening curbs C. auris in ventilator-assisted facilities: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 02, 2023
Targeted screening for Candida auris at admission to ventilator-assisted units in nursing homes helps to identify colonized residents, physician researchers report.
Merck to seek emergency use for COVID-19 antiviral pill that cuts severe outcomes by 50 percent
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 04, 2021
Molnupiravir has reduced COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations by half in a new clinical trial. An orally delivered drug could offer unprecedented treatment convenience, the drug’s developers say.
CDC: RSV hospitalizations soar among seniors while vaccine remains on horizon
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 16, 2022
The hospitalization rate for seniors with respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV, is 10 times higher than usual for the season, federal data show.