According to a recent government study reported in The New York Times, 82% of residents who live in assisted living facilities suffer from at least one of the three most common chronic conditions: Alzheimer’s disease, high blood pressure and heart disease. The alarming way in which these ailments overlap has…
It has recently been discovered that patients are being hospitalized and dying due to nursing homes’ failure to properly manage the blood thinner Coumadin. The federal government is now instructing health inspectors across America to be vigilant in spotting these errors by nursing homes. A memo sent last month to…
Researchers of a recent study reported in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease examined over 1,400 Italian seniors from ages 65 to 84 and found interesting associations between coffee consumption and risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). They found that people who consistently drank one to two cups of coffee per…
According to a recent news article from The New York Times, nursing homes are beginning to take the hospital’s place when it comes to basic health care, preventing unnecessary hospitalizations for older adult residents. Not only does this shift in focus allow residents who do not do well in hospital…
A nursing home in St. Paul, Minnesota is giving its residents something to smile about every day—an employee’s teacup poodle. Nala, who has become the nursing home’s perky mascot, lovingly interacts with the residents on a daily basis, riding the nursing home’s elevator and leaping onto wheelchairs and beds to…
On a daily basis, nursing home residents have opportunities to make many decisions that affect their lives. These decisions range from important medical considerations to more routine decisions, such as choices regarding social activities and composition of meals. Even if a resident’s cognitive condition hinders decision-making ability in one area,…
Urinary incontinence (UI) is very common among older adult women. UI is a debilitating problem—it not only diminishes quality of life, but also decreases one’s ability to carry out daily tasks. UI increases with age and affects women throughout their lives physically, socially, and psychologically. UI affects activities of daily…
60% of Massachusetts nursing homes have been found to advertise misleading statements about their services. A review by the Alzheimer’s Association of Massachusetts and New Hampshire has reported that these nursing homes have claimed that they can meet the care needs of dementia patients when, in fact, this cannot be…
It is well known that physical frailty is highly prevalent among older adults. A recent study has shown that people with early frailty and decrease in muscle mass can enhance both muscle mass and chair-stand time over a duration of 13 weeks. Improvements in handgrip strength and gait speed were…
It is well-known that living an active lifestyle is beneficial to one’s overall health and well being. Unfortunately, inactivity among nursing home residents is prevalent and has shown to be especially deleterious for frail individuals. A risk factor for sedentary behavior in nursing home residents is a decline in physical…