California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer BlogImmobility occurs as a result of a process of degeneration that influences nearly all organ systems due to altered gravitation forces and decrease of motor function. Immobility or disuse appears most pronounced on the musculoskeletal system. These changes occur during the early stages after immobilization and are directly associated with diminished movement and weight-bearing stress. Due to the fact that the primary role of the musculoskeletal system is to support the body against gravity and move the body in space, loss of function of the musculoskeletal system will have a critical effect on a person’s functional mobility.
Articles Posted in Uncategorized
The Prevalence of Immobilization Among the Elderly
From a medical and rehabilitative standpoint, immobility is used to characterize a syndrome of physiologic decline that is a consequence of a decrease in activity and loss of conditioning. Many older adults experience physiological decline due to acute changes in mobility that occur as a result of acute medical illness and hospitalization. It is important that care providers in long-term care facilities be knowledgeable about the process of degeneration as they care for older adult patients. The most common causes of immobility in the older adult population are directly associated with the outcomes of disease and age-related physiologic changes. Long periods of acute immobilization often result in rapid loss of functioning and incomplete recovery of function after remobilization. The effect of immobility on older adults has a profound influence on morbidity, personal independence, health care expenses, quality of life, and mortality.
Interventions Can Be Used to Identify Older Adults at Risk of Depressive Symptoms
A recent study found that approximately 25% of older adults experience depressive symptoms. Candidate genes that are known to influence depression and that have been commonly studied include those that effect serotonin, dopamine, or nueroplasticity. However, the majority of candidate gene studies have not considered the relationship of genetics, demographic, clinical, and behavioral markers and how they combine to trigger depressive symptoms among older adults. The aim of the study was to gain a deeper understanding of depressive symptoms among elderly people.
Yelp Partners with ProPublica to Make it Easier for Consumers to Look Up Health Care Businesses
Yelp has long been a popular site used to find businesses. Now, Yelp can help people make informed decisions even more about hospitals, long-term care facilities, and dialysis centers. Yelp has recently partnered with ProPublica, an award-winning nonprofit new organization, to integrate health care statistics and consumer opinion survey data displayed on the Yelp business pages of over 25,000 medical care facilities. Yelp users can now see hospital wait times, nursing home fines or post-dialysis readmission rates conveniently on the business’ Yelp pages.
Continue Reading
Assisted Living May Potentially Put Vulnerable Older Adults at Risk of Preventable Hospitalizations
Older adults are increasingly turning to assisted living facilities for their care needs. Not only is assisted living more affordable than long-term care (i.e. nursing home care), it also provides a more homelike and autonomous setting, as well as secure housing, personal support, and limited health care. However, unlike traditional nursing homes, assisted living facilities have lower staffing levels and provide less professional services, which put vulnerable older adults at higher risk. Delayed identification of developing health problems and decreased ability to provide more intensive care could result in hazardous consequences for assisted living residents and, ultimately, greater need for acute care. US physicians who were asked to compare assisted living with long-term care reported diminished confidence in the abilities of assisted living staff, described less treatment options in this setting, and stated that they were more likely to move an assisted living resident with a medical issue to an emergency department.
Long-Term Care Facilities Should Incorporate Effective Interventions that Improve Cognitive Functions and Depressive Symptoms of Dementia Patients
Impairments in cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms are prevalent among older adults with dementia. Older adults with dementia commonly experience a variety of cognitive and behavioral problems, which may in turn diminish physical activities and mental well-being, reduce social or occupational functions, and decrease health-related quality of life. Furthermore, research has shown that depressive symptoms are strongly related to aggravated cognitive functions in older adults with dementia. Thus, long-term care facilities who provide care to the elderly with dementia should strive to implement effective strategies to improve their cognitive functions and depressive symptoms.
Assisted Living Facilities Must Provide Quality Care for Residents with Dementia
Living in assisted living facilities has become increasingly popular among older adults with dementia. However, lower staffing levels and availability of care services in assisted living facilities put residents at increased risk for negative outcomes. A recent study examined the rate of hospitalization over one year for assisted living facility residents with dementia compared with those in long-term care facilities. The study found that residents with dementia in assisted living facilities had a hospitalization rate about 4-fold higher than those in long-term care with dementia.
An Increasing Number of Nursing Home Patients are Experiencing Falls
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 staff, and their care aims to increase independence. Research has shown that these kinds of patients are at greatest risk for falling and experiencing fractures.
Six Important Questions to Ask When Finding a Nursing Facility
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 by Avery Comarow.
The Needs of Stroke Survivors Living in Long-Term Care Facilities Must Be Sufficiently Met
A stroke can cause major burden to the victim. An estimated 30 million people around the world are stroke survivors. Approximately one-quarter of residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities are stroke survivors. A recent review aimed to integrate the existing knowledge from literature regarding stroke and analyze themes around the care of stroke survivors in long-term care facilities. Continue Reading
