McKnight’s reported on a new study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. The study found that more than 90% of “high-touch” surfaces in nursing homes have fecal matter and other organic substances. “High-touch” surfaces means handrails, doorknobs, and safety equipment. Gross. The researchers found that surfaces touched by patients and visitors were twice as
Happy New Year. Be safe tonight! New York Times published the following letters on How to Improve Nursing Home Care. The experiences of each are interesting. The Family Physician To the Editor: “How Nursing Homes Hide Their Most Serious Lapses” (front page, Dec. 10) exposes conditions in nursing homes, issues with their regulation and the
Unsurprisingly, a study from UPenn researchers reveals that the use of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) significantly declined during the pandemic. The facilities were death sentences for too many vulnerable adults. SNF spending for care also declined. Featured in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, the study showed SNF use declined from an average of
Prepare to Prevent COVID-19 killed more nursing home residents last year than combat casualties during the combined wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. The $166 billion nursing home industry includes 15,600 skilled care facilities nationwide. The industry must do a better job with infection prevention and control. COVID-19 is not the last contagious virus
Inconsistency AARP’s Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard shows good and bad news. Across the U.S., the AARP dashboard shows a very uneven level of vaccination among nursing home workers. The good news is that in areas with high vaccination rates and vaccine mandates, the nursing home residents are thriving. The bad news is places with low
Outbreaks The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported “superbug” outbreaks with patients that had invasive fungal infections that were impervious to all three major classes of medications. The fungus, Candida auris, is a harmful form of yeast that is dangerous to nursing home residents. Candida auris is difficult to detect and to control. The