California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer BlogThe prevalence of cognitive impairment among residents of assisted living facilities and nursing homes is significantly high (68-72%), among which 42% have moderate to severe impairment. Older adult residents in long-term care who are cognitively impaired suffer greater functional decline pertaining to eating compared to those without dementia. 22% of assisted living residents with cognitive impairment showed functional loss in eating and needed assistance, among which 24% had moderate impairment and 65% had severe impairment. Nursing home residents with severe cognitive impairment showed the greatest loss in eating ability compared with the other activities of daily living (ADLs) within half a year after admission. Eating performance is the functional ability to transfer food into the mouth, and is a critical predictor of physical and psychosocial health, as well as quality of life for long-term care residents. The negative effects of compromised eating performance include inadequate intake and weight loss, malnutrition and breathing problems, eating disability, and even death. Continue Reading
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Health Care Staff Need to Screen their Patients with Dementia for Dysphagia
Dementia imposes various hazards that increase a patient’s vulnerability and risk of mortality. Patients with advanced dementia often experience difficulties in swallowing, known as dysphagia. Oropharyngeal dysphagia is the most common cause of aspiration, and pneumonia, presumably caused by aspiration, is the most common cause of death in people with dementia. An estimated 13% to 57% of patients with dementia experience dysphagia. Due to an almost tenfold risk of aspiration pneumonia in patients with dysphagia, aspiration pneumonia is the primary cause of death in people with dementia.
Identifying Modifiable Markers of Impaired Decision Making Can Improve Nursing Home Residents’ Ability to Make Decisions Independently
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, that resident might have the ability to make other types of decisions. Residents who actively participate in decision making can strengthen their sense of well-being and improve their quality of life. Factors that are known to indicate poorer decision-making ability include cognitive impairment (particularly dementia) and older age. By contrast, depression does not diminish a nursing home resident’s ability to make decisions.
Nursing Home Staff Should Strive to Prevent or Eliminate Urinary Incontinence in their Residents
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 living (ADLs) that include sleep, genital hygiene, clothing options, sexual function, liquid intake, social life, and movement rhythm.
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Nursing Homes Should Encourage Their Residents to Stay Active
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 fitness, which includes muscle strength, balance, and physical performance. Deterioration of physical fitness negatively effects the care dependency of older adults, which influences the workload of nursing staff. Research has shown that even in healthy older adults, 10 days of bed rest leads to an extreme decline on muscle function and aerobic capacity, and results in an overall reduction of physical activity. Long-term care facilities should implement exercise interventions that have shown to be successful in producing positive results. Physical activity does not need to be vigorous in order to produce beneficial results. Participation in daily activities already helps to maintain physical functioning and influences higher quality of life.
Nursing Homes Should Provide More Palliative Focused Care for their Residents
In 2012, skilled nursing facility (SNF) care accounted for $26.8 billion of health care spending. SNFs are intended to provide a setting for stabilized transitions for older adults. However, research shows that between a quarter and half of Medicare recipients are readmitted from SNF rehabilitation back to the hospital within 30 days, amounting to $4.34 billion in expenses in 2006. These patients are often in poor health and well-being, with 1 in 11 elders dying while enrolled in SNF care. Although there is a great need, palliative care is not adequately used in SNFs.
Nursing Homes Should Identify Potentially Preventable Emergency Department Visits by Their Residents
Emergency Department (ED) visits and subsequent hospital admissions from nursing homes (NHs) are common and can be costly to the patient and the health care system. Unfortunately, many of the over 2.2 million ED visits annually by nursing home residents are preventable. The Office of the Inspector General reported that 22% of Medicare beneficiaries experienced an adverse event leading to harm (usually hospital admission) while staying in a skilled NH, and that 60% of these were considered preventable by physician reviewers if better care processes had been used.
New Treatments Available for Older Adults with Osteoporosis
Research shows that nearly 80% of nursing home residents have osteoporosis and 10.8% have a hip fracture. Dementia significantly increases residents’ risk of a hip fracture. Although treating osteoporosis in nursing homes was proven to be feasible by the Vitamin D and Osteoporosis Study (ViDOS), only one-third of residents prone to hip fracture were treated. Moreover, a number of these residents were given calcitonin or raloxifene, which are not as effective as alendronate or zolendronic acid.
Troops Abroad Threatened by Repossessions At Home
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) was passed by Congress in order to grant certain legal protection for members of the military. However, Corporate America and its front groups have found a loophole in the SCRA that allows them to violate the act without being held accountable—forced arbitration. This puts U.S. Armed Services’ brave men and women, who protect our country and should not have to worry about financial frauds and schemes back home, in jeopardy.
The Palestinian Authority Declared Guilty and Charged Over $655 Million
Justice against the Palestinian Authority has finally been served. The six terrorist attacks following the Second Intifada’s end in 2004 was proven on Monday by lead trial counsel Kent Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter to have been supported by the Palestinian Authority in the form of money and personnel. Yalowitz asserted that the PA’s involvement met the legal definition of “material support,” refuting the PA lawyer Mark Rochon’s claim that the PA and the PLO were not liable for the attacks that resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries.
