Omicron remains lethal in the older and unvaccinated, former CDC chief warns
Mar 23, 2022
The next wave of COVID-19 is on its way and unvaccinated elders are at risk of being hit hard, according to former CDC director Tom Frieden, M.D. “If we learn quickly and act quickly, we can outmaneuver...
Stable use of antipsychotics in long-term care during pandemic ‘reassuring’: study
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Mar 07, 2022
The use of antipsychotics and pain medications in assisted living and nursing home residents was relatively unchanged early in the pandemic. New residents were more likely to get certain drugs, however.
CMS opens visitation to nursing homes after year of isolation
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 11, 2021
“Facilities should allow responsible indoor visitation at all times” — no matter the vaccination status of resident or visitor, the agency now says. Its action follows the remarkable, apparent...
Docs push for new COVID-19 funding as signs point to rebound in U.S. omicron cases
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 17, 2022
The alternative is to risk leaving patients without access to needed vaccines, treatments and testing, the American College of Physicians has told Congress.
Monoclonal antibodies ‘unequivocally’ saved lives during pandemic, patient data show
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 14, 2023
For two years, monoclonal antibodies were approved, revoked and sometimes reauthorized or scarce, but pushing through these challenges “unequivocally saved lives and prevented hospitalizations,”...
AHCA/NCAL: When inspected during pandemic, most nursing homes deficiency-free
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 28, 2022
Despite navigating unprecedented hardship and loss during the pandemic, there is evidence that care in nursing homes held steady in a number of quantifiable areas, according to the organization’s...
Parkinson: Vaccinate all long-term care by March and slash coronavirus mortality 40 percent
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 08, 2020
A one-month delay “could result in more than 20,000 of our residents losing their lives when a vaccine could have saved them,” AHCA / NCAL leader Mark Parkinson said Monday.
Senior living community logs 21 breakthrough cases after being COVID-free for 15 months
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
May 25, 2021
Riverview Retirement Community in Spokane, WA, has a 98% COVID vaccination rate among residents, but an outbreak has occurred among the vaccinated. Despite varied symptoms, cases so far have not been severe,...
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.
Study isolates nursing home leaders’ unique COVID-era stressors
By
Joe Bush
Nov 10, 2022
Excessive feelings of guilt, extra infection control precautions, unprecedented long work hours and personal healthcare sacrifices were common among nursing home leaders during the height of the pandemic,...