Functional impairment from COVID-19 may persist long after ICU discharge, studies suggest
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 21, 2021
Certain physical and mental health problems persist for years in some hospitalized survivors of acute respiratory diseases, suggesting that disability may be permanent for some severely ill COVID-19 patients...
CDC advisers: Long-term care workers, residents should receive first COVID-19 vaccinations
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 02, 2020
An influential committee on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to recommend that healthcare personnel and residents in long-term care should be the very first recipients of COVID-19 vaccinations. The vote reflects...
Feds mull shortened COVID-19 quarantine period
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 30, 2020
There is “a preponderance of evidence” that a shorter quarantine period, complemented by a COVID-19 test, could effectively prevent transmission of the disease, according to Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant...
Classic COVID-19 symptoms not always apparent in elderly residents
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 01, 2020
Fever may be blunted or absent entirely, and respiratory symptoms may also be masked or exacerbated by co-occurring disease.
Show us the data: COVID vaccine boosters may get go-ahead, but LTC docs remain wary
By
Alicia Lasek
Danielle Brown
Aug 09, 2021
Booster shots for the most vulnerable appear to be on a fast track to federal authorization. But clinicians want information about necessity, safety, dosing and more to justify prescribing an extra dose...
Despite outsider-driven COVID outbreaks, providers face continued demand for risky visits
By
Kimberly Marselas
Alicia Lasek
Jan 07, 2022
Multiple providers have said that they are irritated that attempts to strengthen infection control measures are sometimes being undermined by facility visitors. “Nursing homes must be allowed to...
In a first, FDA advisers endorse vaccines to prevent RSV in older adults
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 01, 2023
In landmark decisions, the advisers recommended that two new vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) should be approved for use in older adults.
CDC: C. auris spreading at ‘alarming’ rate in U.S. healthcare facilities
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 22, 2023
Drug-resistant Candida auris, a known threat to nursing homes, has spread rapidly, and a growing number of cases are resistant to first-line treatment, federal researchers report.
Communicating through a mask with elders: 3 things to remember
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 13, 2020
Geriatric experts say a simple memory tool can help clinicians convey sincerity and meaning to elders and dementia patients – despite COVID-19 challenges.
Feds’ antipsychotics program fails to reduce prescriptions in assisted living
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 23, 2022
In a federal initiative to reduce unnecessary antipsychotics prescribing, results in assisted living didn’t match the successes seen in nursing homes, a new study reveals.