SNFs kept up ‘remarkable’ level of rehab during pandemic, Harvard study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 06, 2023
Despite caring for a sicker patient population and higher staff turnover, skilled nursing facilities provided post-acute rehabilitation services with only a modest decline in intensity, investigators say.
VA’s narrative medicine program improves senior patient care, docs’ study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 25, 2023
Physicians said that the practice of narrative medicine changed how they framed patient decisions and helped them to guide seniors toward appropriate care.
Lasting cognitive decline common in older COVID-19 patients: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 14, 2022
One year after hospital discharge, 9% of study participants who survived severe disease had dementia and 26% had mild cognitive impairment — a higher proportion than their uninfected peers, investigators...
Panel on non-invasive ventilation seeks to simplify ‘maze’ of regulation for device coverage
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 20, 2021
Recommendations aimed at expediting CMS coverage determinations for non-invasive ventilation devices could help ensure that LTCF residents and others get quick access to lifesaving treatments.
Medicare costs could rise by $5B annually with expanded Alzheimer’s drug coverage: study
By
Alicia Lasek
May 12, 2023
Medicare costs could rise by $2 to $5 billion a year if CMS expands its coverage for newly approved Alzheimer’s disease drug Leqembi (lecanemab), investigators say.
Medicare’s outpatient knee replacement policy tied to more surgeries, less access: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 06, 2023
Medicare’s 2018 policy change supporting outpatient total knee replacement may have led to more surgeries and higher costs, while unintentionally limiting access to older, Black and female patients,...
Positive perception of aging linked to memory recovery, Yale study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 12, 2023
Older adults who have absorbed positive beliefs about aging from their culture are 30% more likely to recover normal cognitive function after experiencing mild cognitive impairment, investigators report.
Study pinpoints risk factors for extreme skin fragility in older adults
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 21, 2021
More than a quarter of older patients examined in a rehab facility were found to have dermatoporosis, or dangerously fragile skin. Four key factors were associated with higher odds of having the condition,...
Gentle cleansers and harsh soaps equally effective at killing deadly viruses, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 13, 2023
Gentle cleansers are just as effective as harsh soaps at killing deadly viral pathogens — even after adding moisturizers, a new study has found.
Social isolation linked to dementia in national study
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 11, 2023
Nearly one in four older adults in the United States are socially isolated, and at higher risk for developing dementia over the next decade, according to new findings.