Vaccination is the best safeguard against the highly transmissible Delta variant. 99% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Residents in nursing homes account for a significant number of COVID-19 infections and deaths. There have been 704,233 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. Over 50,000 deaths in nursing homes. Becker’s Hospital Review listed the states with
McKnight’s had another article on the long-standing problem of nursing homes improperly sedating residents. This practice is known as chemical restraints. The misuse and abuse of antipsychotics is a well-known problem. Antipsychotic medications are dangerous for the elderly especially those suffering from dementia. Long-term care clinical experts are acutely aware of the dangers of overprescribing
Employment The Biden Administration will provide $500 million to the nursing home industry. The initiative will send strike teams to nursing homes to help with infection control and prevention efforts, and address staffing shortages. The strike team program will be a partnership between providers and inspectors that reduces the spread of infections at facilities. CMS
Technology An article in Quartz made an interesting point. Why isn’t Amazon Echo and other communication devices standard in long-term care? during the pandemic, social isolation and loneliness increased dramatically. Restrictions kept millions locked indoors for months without visitors. Technology can help. But it needs to be accessible for residents with functional or cognitive limitations.
Broken bones from falls and other traumatic incidents at nursing homes occur often. The cause is typically unsafe staffing levels. A new study from Australia finds that increased intake of dairy foods may prevent fractures. The study shows more dairy products to nursing home residents could reduce risk of falls and fractures. Increased dairy consumption
Virginia nursing home residents are in danger. At least, 20% of Virginia’s nursing homes fail to meet expected staffing levels under federal standards. The standard is to provide sufficient and qualified staff to meet the needs of the residents. Poor quality care is inevitable without safe staffing. Associate Health Policy Analyst Kyu Kang warns: “Facilities
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