Tamiflu®

It was only a matter of time I suppose, here is the Health Canada warning from today

New information regarding Tamiflu

Colin Powell

Dr Powell was a keynote speaker at the British Geriatrics Society Autumn meeting in Harrogate. His comments are summarized in the newsletter


BGS Newsletter Online

couple marry in nursing home

A man and woman both aged 24 were married in a nursing home in Ohio last Saturday so the groom's mother could attend the ceremony. Why not?

Young Couple Weds At Nursing Home

Fire

Fire at US nursing home kills 10

medical care of dementia

An editorial in the most recent Annals of Internal Medicine reflects on two studies published in the same edition that highlight dementia care making the following two points

1) dementia care has to focus more on the efforts of the caregiver, most patients who could live in a nursing home are living in their own home thanks to the work of the caregivier.

2) the office isn't the place to deliver coordinated care as the fee system does not support the activities required to coordinate and integrate ( ?and reward) appropriate care


Envisioning Better Approaches for Dementia Care

C Diff

In Ohio
Hospital rates 1.1-15.1 per 10,000 patient days
LTC 45-53 per 10,000 patient days

Integrated care

An example of integrated continuing care near Ottawa. Locals raised $1m for the project which combines LTC with supportive care apartments.

Deep River's new experiment -- senior living

Casa Verde

The coroner's report on the tragic deaths at a nursing home in Ontario in 2001 at the hands of another resident.

Casa Verde long-term care home inquest

hidden cameras

Medical director caught on camera....along with others

Hidden Cameras Lead To Nursing Home Arrests

Furor in the UK over NICE decision

The NICE has refused to support the use of cholinesterase in mild AD. Drug companies are considering an unprecedented court appeal. There have been widespread protests in the UK


Furore over who gets Alzheimer's drug in the UK

National report on LTC ( US)

Brown university researchers are assisting Newt Gingrich and John Kerrey in the upcoming report The National Commission for Quality Long-Term Care.Vincent Mor and Edward Allan Miller at the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research at Brown University's report can be found at Out of the Shadows

Brown duo examines elder care

Future uncertain for older LTC homes in Ontario

Concerns over the future of LTC facilities in the province under the new legislation which targets older facilities. The Long Term Care Act will place a 10 year deadline on older facilities with uncertainty over continuity after this period.

Older long-term care homes under threat

Falls in nursing homes

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control spotlights falls in the elderly with some helpful provider and patient information.

Falls in Nursing Homes

not H5N1 in Australian nursing home

Nursing home illness 'not bird flu'

More OT less Rx

From Holland in today's BMJ



Therapy Beats Drugs For Dementia Sufferers'

Alzheimer's disease now in top 10

Now the 8th leading cause of death in LA county
16 deaths / 100,000

Alzheimer's now a top killer in L.A. County

Irish nursing home care

The Leas Cross report on Nursing Home care by Prof Desmond O'Neill who investigated 105 deaths at the home is critical of the lack of standards of care and low level of medical and nursing cover.


'Lessons to be learned from Leas Cross'


Summary of the O'Neill report recommendations

Influenza outbreak - down under

Flu claims another nursing home victim

week 44 activity

Canadian influenza activity map

European influenza activity

US influenza activity

World influenza activity

10 tips for caregivers

These seem useful

10 Tips to Keep a Family Caregiver from Losing Their Mind

Frailty

Recognition of frailty in the older patient should prompt the clinician to consider palliative-type interventions in a planned fashion. The authors talk of the prescence of 3 of 5 features as significant for frailty

loss of strength
weight loss
low levels of activity
poor endurance or fatigue
slowed performance


"There Are Things I Can't Do Anymore That I Wish I Could . . . "

tamiflu® concerns

From the FDA today

FDA Orders Caution Over the Use of Tamiflu

counselling delays placement

Who would have thought it?

Doesn't seem possible , nevertheless , even if it was true for a fraction of the 18 months deferred it would be worthwhile?

Counseling Alzheimer's Caregivers Postpones the Nursing Home

A case study

Winner of a AAAS Science Journalism Award Stacy Burling's case study of a patient with Alzheimer's disease is described as a 'superb route in to a harrowing subject' written in a beautiful counterpoint style.


Probing a Mind for a Cure

slideshow

Dr John DeVries

Calgary Geriatric Psychiatrist Dr John DeVries was honored Saturday night with the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry Award for Lifetime Achievement in Geriatric Psychiatry in Canada

Psychiatrists Recognize for Outstanding Contributions to Mental Health at CPA Annual Conference

wrongful life

The case of a 92 year old woman in Florida who had a living will which expressed a wish to have a peaceful death who was resuscitated and lived for 9 days brought by her granddaughter.

'Death with dignity' on trial in Florida

Staffing mix

Ontario takes a page out of Alberta's book. It does work but it takes time and education. The new LPNs need lots of supervision. Overall this is probably not a good idea given the long term needs in the area and the need to retain 'good' people of all stripes. I would say that the allure to management is relatively short sighted and misses the major issue of the day, namely the human health resource crisis. We need to invest in good people now if we want to prevent sliding backwards.

Long-Term Care Facilities Lay Off RNs: Reductions Threaten Health & Safety of Residents

New LTC act in Ontario

Does more regulation make for better care? Do we have to be told? Do compliance reports and citations really benefit our residents as staff are distracted with the petty minutiae ? Is it evidence based?


Changes to long term care act needed

mobile dental unit

By the spring of 2000 in Alberta
Dentists - coming to a care facility near you

"Elder intimacy"

The article says it all


When love blossoms in the nursing home

Growth in seniors residences in Montreal

growing needs in St Laurent. One in four residents are over 65

2000 local seniors live in residences

statins and heart failure

Age and sex adjusted incidence of death and hospitalization were lower in treated groups ( hazards ratio 0.79 and 0.76 respectively)in this large cohort study.


Statin Therapy and Risks for Death and Hospitalization in Chronic Heart Failure

ADRs in the news

If it's not in the plan of care it makes it much more difficult to justify, especially if your home has previously recieved citations.


Nursing home patient given opiate overdose