Tried-and-True Strategies for Managing Acute Agitation in Adults With Dementia
Upon entering the nursing facility one afternoon you encounter Mrs. Jones, an 84-year-old woman with a history of dementia, who propels her wheelchair toward you screaming, “Help me get out of here! Mama is trying to come get me, but they won’t let her in!” Moments later a staff member approaches from behind Mrs. Jones, grabbing her wheelchair and saying, “Mrs. Jones, you need to come back to your hall. No one is coming to get you.” Mrs. Jones becomes visibly upset and reaches back to strike the staff member. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Casey Rust, Allison Villegas, Nicole Coniglio Tags: Behavioral Health Source Type: news
CMS Requirements of Participation Phase 3 and Appendix PP Guidance Revision: New Emphasis on Existing Concerns
Simply stating the obvious, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed areas of weakness in the systems we need to provide care for those in our charge. Earlier this year, the Biden-Harris Administration published its goals to improve care in a Fact Sheet ( “Protecting Seniors by Improving Safety and Quality of Care in the Nation’s Nursing Homes,” Feb. 28, 2022, https://bit.ly/factsheet22); yet again we were put on notice to step up and do better. We providers see this as an opportunity to improve and innovate. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Robert C. Accetta Tags: LTC Pharmacy Source Type: news
Winner of 2022 Cowles Award Draws Attention to a COVID-19 Injustice
The 2022 Carey Cowles Award goes to Alan Horowitz, JD, RN, for “The Long and Winding Road: Life Care Center–Kirkland’s Journey for Justice” (Caring for the Ages 2021;23[2]:16). The award recognizes the author of the most read/downloaded article of the year and was established in memory of Carey Cowles, Caring’s managing editor for four years, who pass ed away in 2018. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Tess Bird Source Type: news
Don ’t Miss These Events
(Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Source Type: news
Shaping the Future of Eldercare
What is culture change? In 1997, when a group of diverse individuals from across the country founded what became Pioneer Network, that question wasn ’t unusual. Nor was the question, What is person-centered care? We have more answers to those questions 25 years later — simply put, culture change and person-centered care describe the simple idea that older adults and other people living in institutional settings should be valued, empowered, a nd included in the decisions and policies that affect their lives. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Penny Cook, Alex Spanko Tags: Partner Perspective Source Type: news
Journal Highlights From the November Issue of JAMDA
Skilled nursing facilities significantly reduced the amount of individual occupational and physical therapy (OT and PT) given to short-stay Medicare patients while increasing group therapy after the Patient Driven Payment Model, or PDPM, went into effect, according to a study in Oregon. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Tags: Journal Highlights Source Type: news
Assessment and Management of Wandering and Elopement in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care
Some years ago, I was supervising a group of nurse practitioner students in the health care center of a continuing care retirement community where I had previously been employed. While I was in a room with a resident and student, I heard a knock and saw a familiar face: a resident I had cared for two years earlier in the ambulatory care center. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Elizabeth Galik Tags: Caring Collaborative Source Type: news
Professional Social Workers in the Nursing Home
The International Federation of Social Work defines social work as “a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work. Underpin ned by theories of social work, social sciences, humanities and indigenous knowledges, social work engages people and structures to address life challenges and enhance wellbeing” (“Global Definition of Social Work,” IFSW, July 2014, https://bit.ly/3TsJszN)...
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Paige Hector, Nancy Kusmaul Source Type: news
Using CMS Survey Tools and QAPI Principles to Evaluate Regulatory Compliance
The June 29, 2022, release of QSO-22-19-NH from the Centers for Medicare& Medicaid Services announced significant revisions to surveyor guidance, which affected 62 regulations within 19 of the 21 regulatory groups (see https://go.cms.gov/3ybMosh). Changes to component(s) of the intent, interpretive guidelines, investigative procedures, probes, key elements of noncompliance, deficiency categorizations, and additional tags for investigation have necessitated a wide range of practice changes for skilled nursing facilities. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Alexandria Hill Source Type: news
When Sparring Spouses Need a Referee in Long-Term Care
Marriage is complicated, and every couple is unique. When a couple — or one spouse — enters a long-term care community, their relationship faces new challenges, and the community’s staff may find themselves pulled into the drama. In addition to helping the couple, it takes teamwork, patience, and creativity to keep marital discord from creating problems for o ther residents and staff. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Joanne Kaldy Source Type: news
Paxlovid: What Staff in Long-Term Care Should Know
Prescribing Paxlovid, the oral COVID-19 outpatient treatment recommended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has underscored the importance of strong clinician –pharmacist relationships and of communication with patients, residents, and their families and caregivers about medication safety and drug-drug interactions. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Christine Kilgore Source Type: news
Diagnostic Quality as a Key Quality Improvement Concern
Dear Dr. Steve: In my facility, our staff and practitioners often struggle with the accuracy and completeness of diagnoses on new admissions. It is often challenging to get the information that is needed, particularly to confirm or update psychiatric diagnoses. Hardly anyone seems to have the time or persistence to update the diagnosis list, even after weeks or months. In addition, it is difficult to keep up with diagnoses in patients with new and recurrent symptoms. What should I do to address these long-standing issues of accurate and complete diagnoses? (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Steven Levenson Tags: Dear Dr. Steve Source Type: news
Advancing Clinical Resources, Education, and Workforce Sustainability Through Research in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine
This year marks a historic time for post-acute and long-term care clinicians and facilities who have long wished for funding to improve the quality of care for older adults in post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) settings. In response, the Foundation for PALTC Medicine budgeted funds to support high-quality research that aligns with the Foundation ’s goals and vision. These studies can represent a pilot project, a small-in-scope research question, or a small aim within a larger research program. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Barbara J. Zarowitz Tags: Our Foundation Source Type: news
Ethical Issues and Team Resolution When a Resident Says “No!”
Mr. B is an 86-year-old man living in a nursing home who fell and sustained a left hip fracture when walking independently to the bathroom. He underwent an open reduction and internal fixation of the hip with a cephalomedullary pinning and returned to the nursing home for rehabilitation. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Authors: Barbara Resnick, Paige Hector Tags: Interdisciplinary Team Case Scenario Source Type: news
News From The Society
Before the pandemic, air quality and the possibility of infrastructure changes to improve it were low on the list of priorities for nursing home leaders. However, after COVID hit, it garnered more interest and attention. “We used to think about this as a quality-of-life issue at best, but it has significant health implications,” said Brian McGarry, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He and his colleague Ashvin Gandhi, PhD, at the Anderson School at UCLA, recently received a $25,000 grant from the Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine for...
Source: Caring for the Ages - November 1, 2022 Category: Health Management Source Type: news
