Nursing home staff vaccinations get a boost thanks to New York mandate; delta ups jabs nationwide
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 29, 2021
By midnight of its Monday deadline, New York state saw vaccination rates rise to 92% among nursing home and hospital workers, according to a new report.
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.
New COVID-19 test kits promised as LTC operators contend with shortages, slow PCR results
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 03, 2022
Five million Celltion brand rapid tests will be shipped over a five-week period to facilities as they contend with testing supply shortages and slow lab turnaround times.
Pandemic has taken significant toll on patients with dementia, geriatricians say
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Jul 26, 2022
The pandemic has hastened the cognitive decline of patients with dementia in unprecedented ways, doctors confirm. Despite rising cases, clinicians must emphasize socialization, they say.
$2M virtual reality trial to gauge impact on senior living residents with dementia
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 20, 2021
The Phase II trial will evaluate how virtual family engagement affects quality of life for 400 older adults in 12 U.S. long-term care communities.
CDC: Two booster shots cut severe COVID risk in nursing home residents by 74 percent
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 03, 2022
Nursing home residents who received a second mRNA booster shot during omicron were much less likely to suffer severe COVID-19 outcomes than their peers who received only one dose, a new study shows.
AMDA launches ‘Moving Needles’ vaccination initiative across 3 LTC organizations
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Jul 28, 2022
AMDA and the CDC are collaborating on a pilot program with 3 long-term care operators toward a goal of setting industry-wide standards for routine vaccinations in resident and staff.
FDA proposes two annual COVID shots for seniors in ‘simplified’ vaccine schedule
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 24, 2023
In an effort to streamline COVID-19 protection, older adults and others vulnerable to severe disease would receive two annual shots of an updated vaccine, according to a plan to be evaluated on Thursday...
CMS, OIG agree on increasing scrutiny of psychotropic drug use
By
Joe Bush
Nov 18, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will be increasing its oversight of the use of psychotropic drugs to pay closer attention to certain classes, warned the lead author of a federal report identifying...
AMDA calls for public list of nursing home industry’s ‘underutilized’ and ‘invisible’ medical...
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 07, 2022
President Biden’s call for nursing home reform must extend to the industry’s clinical leadership as well, a top clinician advocate contends. A public directory would be a step toward transparency...