Preventing the possibility of adverse events, like accidental falls, among patients who stay for a short duration of time in a nursing home may be challenging, but is necessary. These patients differ from long-term care residents in that they are in an unfamiliar environment, are not as known by the…
Finding the right nursing home for your loved one can be an extremely stressful task. Fortunately, Medicare.gov provides a very useful site for comparison: Nursinghomecompare. MSN News recently performed an analysis nursinghomecompare provided for 16,000 nursing facilities (that take Medicare and Medicaid) in the US: U.S. News Best Nursing Homes…
There is something quite unique about Providence Mount St. Vincent in Seattle that sets it apart from other senior living communities. Not only is it home to approximately 400 older adult residents in need of various types of care, it is also home to the Intergenerational Learning Center—a preschool that…
A recent congressional report stated that in “numerous” nursing homes across the nation, older adult residents experience serious physical, sexual, and verbal abuse. A study was performed by the minority (Democratic and Independent) staff of the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee that found that 30% of…
For frail older adults, the preservation of physical mobility, function, and ultimately independence is of highest importance. Sarcopenia, the degeneration of muscle mass, strength, and function with old age, is a significant part of physical frailty. Not only is it a critical risk factor for decreased mobility and the occurrence…
The use of hospice care has been on a continuous rise for the past 10 years, with 1.5 to 1.6 million people using hospice every year. The majority of this use is by older adults. Although most people in hospice are provided care at home (66%), a significant minority (7%)…
Urinary incontinence and behavioral problems that come with dementia are frequently cited among the most common markers necessitating nursing home placement for elderly patients. A study analyzed urinary incontinence prevalence in 321 older adult nursing home residents (average age 81.5 years) in a large city in Brazil. The overall urinary…
Fine print hidden in nursing home admissions contracts has stripped the constitutional rights of nursing home residents and their love ones for far too long. Amidst the extremely stressful process of being admitted into a nursing home, residents and their families are pushed into signing an agreement that waves their…
According to a recent report, the federal trial court has ruled that a nursing home operator in North Carolina is unable to claim privilege in protecting documents authored by its safety committee from being disclosed. The case arose when a resident passed away, allegedly because of injuries obtained from an accident that involved…
A petition has recently been drafted by a national, non-profit consumer advocacy organization that bans nursing homes from using arbitration agreements. This petition has been addressed to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), urging them to cease the use of pre-dispute, forced arbitration clauses in nursing home contracts.…