Study: Shift to home COVID tests leads to vast undercount of cases
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 30, 2023
Home testing may have begun to interfere with the ability to accurately track COVID-19 case counts and positivity rates, investigators report.
Study: Falls rate nearly 50% for U.S. seniors with dementia; 3 factors raise risk
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 13, 2023
Nearly half of American seniors with dementia had one or more falls in the preceding year, according to a new analysis of 2016 data. Risk factors differed between seniors with and without dementia, investigators...
Pfizer asks FDA to approve omicron-specific booster shot
Aug 22, 2022
The drug company says that its new mRNA vaccine produces an immune response against the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants.
CDC may be overestimating COVID-19 vaccination stats for older adults, state officials and experts say
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 13, 2021
The agency’s online tracker currently shows that 99.9% of U.S. seniors have been at least partly vaccinated against COVID-19. But this sky-high figure is almost certainly not accurate, observers...
Program that diagnosed fractures virtually led to fewer ER visits for LTC residents: study
By
Alicia Lasek
May 14, 2023
A program that enabled virtual diagnosis and on-site fracture care kept 100% of participating LTC residents out of the emergency department and cut the need for clinic visits, a new study reveals.
CDC: More nursing homes now can obtain, provide single-dose COVID vaccines
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 20, 2022
Nursing homes that are not already enrolled as full providers in the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program now can apply to provide shots directly to residents and staff.
Study of aggression in Parkinson’s disease finds unexpected triggers
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 09, 2022
Investigators studying aggressive outbursts toward caregivers pinpointed top triggers for these behaviors, and found caregivers ill-prepared to cope.
Alternatives to antipsychotics can create new dangers, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Jun 01, 2022
Fewer residents with dementia now receive off-label antipsychotic drugs in VA nursing facilities. But overreliance on other behavior-modifying medications has spiked, a new study finds.
FDA’s vaccines chief foresees deployment of another COVID-19 booster for older adults
Oct 25, 2022
This fall’s updated booster shot may not be the last one that older adults need this year, says the Food and Drug Administration’s Peter Marks.
Seasonal flu vax guidance released, with drug preferences for seniors
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 26, 2022
The CDC’s new guidance for the 2022-2023 flu season includes preferential advice on which drugs to prescribe for older adults.