It is becoming increasingly evident that pharmacological interventions should be a last resort when treating patients with dementia. Due to a lack of resources and staff most skilled nursing home facilities overlook non-pharmacological options. However, studies have shown that non-pharmacological treatments are a safer alternative for patients. While pharmacological interventions…
One may feel that by placing their loved ones under the care of a skilled nursing facility, they would be provided with quality care. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. An investigation began on March 29, 2013 when an employee at an assisted living facility, Alzheimer’s Care of Commerce…
Of the symptoms associated with dementia, one of the most common is agitation. It is common for sufferers of dementia to be increasingly agitated at meal times. According to an article in the Journal of American Medical Directors Association, “Effectiveness of Mealtime Interventions on Behavior Symptoms of People with Dementia…
More often than not we are forced to do things that we would prefer not to. One example would be placing our loved ones under the care and supervision of a skilled nursing facility. When our loved ones are in a fragile state, we would like to keep them as…
In California, twelve new bills were recently proposed in support of increasing the care, health, and safety of elderly individuals staying at residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs). The purpose of these bills was also to enhance state enforcement and regulation, and came in light of numerous reports and…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the initiative Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes to lower the use of antipsychotic medication in nursing home facilities. The aim of this initiative was to reduce the inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs by 15%. However, this goal was…
A recent study published by the Journal of American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA) provided insight as to the knowledge nursing home staff possessed regarding antipsychotic drugs, along with the beliefs they held regarding the appropriateness and effectiveness of such drugs. Antipsychotic medications are generally administered to dementia patients to address…
A recent investigation in Michigan exposed the number of nursing home facilities in the state that were cited for significant medication errors. The resulting data from the investigation demonstrated that patients within nursing homes either failed to receive enough medication, were administered too much medication, or were administered incorrect medication.…
The non-profit nursing home advocacy group, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, has filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Public Health, challenging the constitutionality of a 1992 California law, Health and Safety Code § 1418.8. Under this law, if a physician deems a patient to be mentally incapacitated,…
On October 15, 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act of 2013. The passage of this Act followed after the veto of a similar bill by the governor last year. It has served as a response to critics who have continually argued that the…