Nursing homes to feds: Expand COVID-19 testing to all, pay $120K per facility, increase PPE shipments
By
James M. Berklan
May 05, 2020
The nation’s largest nursing home and assisted living association has turned up the pressure on the federal government, sending formal letters to federal authorities Monday asking for priority COVID-19...
Looking at COVID-19 through the eyes of residents with dementia
By
P.K. Beville
Aug 10, 2020
When I was in graduate school as a single parent, barely making ends meet, I lamented to my mother in loud, ugly sobs that I thought I might be going crazy. I was serious. My mother calmly responded,...
More nursing home COVID cases stay in state courts — for now
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jul 05, 2023
A recent rash of federal court orders made clear the path for COVID-related lawsuits in nine states, but more controversy over PREP Act immunity for protection could be brewing as another court considers...
Seeking paradise in a pandemic
By
Renee Kinder
Apr 09, 2020
When will we ever see paradise again? It may be staring you in the face already, or just around the corner.
Providers told to prepare for Monday’s vaccine deadline despite mandate injunction
By
Danielle Brown
Dec 02, 2021
Meeting Monday’s first-shot deadline for the federal government’s healthcare worker vaccine mandate is in nursing homes’ best interests, despite a temporary injunction that halted the rule nationwide...
The unintended consequences of COVID-19 in long-term care
By
Karen Bonn
Jun 30, 2020
Anyone who is familiar with my work knows I am not only dedicated to maintaining and restoring human bodies to normal range of motion and function — including to the most upright posture — I work diligently...
White House message on COVID-19 bivalent booster: ‘Don’t wait’
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Dec 12, 2022
Getting the updated bivalent COVID-19 booster is the single most important thing that older adults can do to protect their health, COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, said during a White...
Minimizing the impact of touch starvation in long-term care residents
By
Jennifer Birdsall
Sep 09, 2020
What is touch starvation? Also known as “touch deprivation,” “skin hunger” or “hug deprivation,” touch starvation is what occurs when a person’s exposure to physical contact has been significantly...
Feds’ ‘dramatic expansion’ of telehealth widens payment coverage; HIPAA rules are relaxed for COVID-19
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 18, 2020
The federal government removed Medicare restrictions for telehealth coverage nationwide Tuesday while also temporarily relaxing HIPAA obligations for providers. The latter opens the door for doctors’...
COVID-19 survey: Nursing homes’ top strategies for ‘keeping spirits up’
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 02, 2020
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News asked nursing home leaders what they were doing to “help keep spirits up” during the coronavirus pandemic and, boy, did they tell us.