No BinaxNOW despite ‘red’ zone designation? Contact HHS, federal testing czar says
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 06, 2020
Eldercare facility operators who believe they are qualified but have not yet received shipments of BinaxNOW Ag Card tests for COVID-19 may email the agency at a dedicated address, Adm. Brett Giroir said...
Mandated COVID-19 testing for surveyors, ombudsmen ‘under active consideration’: HHS official
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 06, 2020
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service is currently investigating whether it should require surveyors and ombudsmen to be subject to similar COVID-19 testing mandates as nursing home workers, a top...
Providers outraged after ‘insulting’ Trump tweet downplays COVID-19 dangers
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 06, 2020
A leading long-term care provider association was among those incensed Monday afternoon after President Trump sent a tweet telling people he was leaving the hospital after being treated for COVID-19 over...
‘It’s all about a vaccine,’ says top senior care economist Mace
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 06, 2020
As soon as some stability can be achieved battling the coronavirus, the senior care and housing industry will still be a good bet for investors, said the top economist for the National Investment Center...
CDC updates COVID airborne transmission guidance
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 06, 2020
COVID-19 can be transmitted by exposure to airborne droplets that linger for minutes or hours, the agency now states. This typically happens in poorly ventilated and enclosed spaces, involving activities...
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities: Federal scrutiny expected to continue
By
Margaret E. Daum
Kristina Arianina
Callan Smith
Oct 05, 2020
While COVID-19 infections are widespread, the virus disproportionately affects the nation’s most vulnerable populations, including seniors. According to an updated estimate from two healthcare experts,...
Allocation for COVID-19 vaccine should first hit nursing home workers and residents, national group says
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 05, 2020
Frontline healthcare workers, including those in nursing homes, should be in the first group to receive prioritization under a four-phase COVID-19 vaccination allocation framework released by a group of...
Virtual music therapy program engages senior living residents cognitively, socially during pandemic
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 05, 2020
A collaborative music therapy program has safely engaged small groups of residents and hit its therapeutic marks during the pandemic, says a Cleveland senior living operator.
COVID mortality rate 30 percent in diabetes, Parkinson’s
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 05, 2020
The diseases are independent risk factors for dying from COVID-19, according to a nationwide analysis in England (diabetes) and a large study in the U.S. (Parkinson’s)
How to take families from outraged to understanding
By
Steven Buslovich, M.D.
Oct 02, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing fears, anxieties and uncertainties for everyone, and these feelings can manifest in anger and rage. Physicians and other practitioners are often the target of these tirades,...