Coordinate locally to lower COVID-19 burden, facility study suggests
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 13, 2020
Three Michigan nursing homes worked hand-in-hand with local referral hospitals and labs to successfully contain facility COVID-19 outbreaks.
Calculator predicts elders’ need for palliative care
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 07, 2021
A new online tool can help frail older adults and their clinicians estimate six-month life expectancy and better plan for end-of-life care, according to real-world studies from Canada.
Tests conducted in a Chicago skilled nursing facility found that patients who harbor the candida auris fungus shed it, likely contaminating their surroundings.
Skilled nursing facility guidance part of Arizona’s revised crisis care plan
By
Alicia Lasek
May 27, 2021
The revisions include guidance on honoring care and treatment preferences in federal skilled nursing facilities. The changes follow a complaint against the state brought by national and local disability...
FDA advisers to vote on first drug to treat Alzheimer’s
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 28, 2020
Advisers will consider whether to recommend that the amyloid beta-removing drug aducanumab be approved. The FDA has not reviewed an application for a new Alzheimer’s treatment for at least 15 years.
J&J delaying vaccine trials due to ‘unexplained illness’
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 14, 2020
Late-stage COVID-19 vaccine trials by Johnson & Johnson have been temporarily halted due to an “unexplained illness in a study participant,” the company reported Monday.
Feds scramble to boost availability of COVID-19 tests
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 15, 2020
The House has passed a bill that includes Medicare waivers to allow free testing for all, while the White House has funded fast-track test development.
California nursing home visitors must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 12, 2021
The state is requiring that all indoor visitors to skilled nursing facilities and other healthcare settings prove full vaccination or negative SARS-CoV-2 test results. Facility operators must have a plan...
Bracelet may help predict dementia-related agitation
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 26, 2019
A location-monitoring bracelet developer has received an NIH grant to study whether its device can detect agitation in seniors with dementia.
Q&A: Clinical best practices when gauging residents’ end-of-life preferences — a POLST expert weighs...
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 29, 2021
There’s a clear need to improve the quality of Physician’s Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, or POLST, in nursing homes, says Susan E. Hickman, Ph.D. An expert on the subject, she spoke with...