First appropriate use guidance published for Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 28, 2021
The new guidelines cover how to choose appropriate patients, safely scale up to a full dose, monitor side effects and assess effectiveness. The authors also address when to stop therapy and what patients...
Meds won’t ease seniors’ loneliness, but ‘social prescribing’ can help, geriatricians say
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 28, 2021
Some lonely seniors are prescribed psychotropic drugs at double the rate of their non-lonely peers, a new study finds. But these medications may not alleviate their problems, the researchers say.
Less popular hypertension drug has fewer side effects, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 28, 2021
Two common choices for treating high blood pressure do a good job of preventing related cardiovascular events. But one drug class is less associated with swelling, cough, pancreas inflammation and gastrointestinal...
Clinical briefs for Tuesday, July 27
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 27, 2021
Feds publish long-COVID disability coverage guidelines … Genesis’ targeted COVID-19 vaccine efforts increased uptake among Black, Hispanic employees … Israel may recommend Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster...
CDC safety panel: J&J vaccine benefits outweigh rare neuro risks seen in older adults
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 26, 2021
The benefits of the shot — including reduced hospitalization, intensive care unit admission and death — outweigh the risk of contracting Guillain-Barre syndrome, the Advisory Committee on Immunization...
New cases of antifungal-resistant yeast infections in nursing homes alarm CDC
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 26, 2021
For the first time, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention has identified U.S. nursing home residents and hospital patients with candida auris yeast infections that resist all first-line antifungal...
Online tool helps take guesswork out of COVID-19 testing in long-term care facilities
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 23, 2021
The LTCF Simulation dashboard uses facility and community data — such as proposed test schedules, number of shift workers, vaccination rates and community case prevalence — to help LTC administrators...
Early dementia risk disclosure encourages help from family members
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 16, 2021
Family members of older adults value early dementia risk information provided by clinicians, a new study finds. When interviewed about their post-disclosure reactions, some said the knowledge prompted...
Dementia diagnostics more accurate when patients recall Cinderella story
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 15, 2021
Narrating an overlearned story, such as the Cinderella fairy tale, gave the most accurate results, identifying Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment with 78% accuracy, investigators say.
Require COVID-19 vaccination of all healthcare workers, seven clinical groups say
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 14, 2021
Their evidence-based verdict: healthcare institutions and facilities — including long-term care facilities — should require that their personnel be vaccinated as a condition of employment.