find 5 star nursing homes

....yes, they do exist! an interesting service courtesy of CMS

Nursing Home Compare

eyesight

is not as poor as you think in LTC. This study was able to measure VA in 80% of patients (of whom 80% had dementia). In that group 80% had normal or only mild visual impairment.........


Assessment of Visual Function in Institutionalized Elderly Patients

is the NHS ageist?

......it has been said that a test of a civilization is how it treats its sick and its elderly. In the west we prefer to forget or defer, perhaps future generations will discover the beauty of our elders?

Half of doctors say NHS is ageist

wow

$1.4BN


off-label

'alternate level of care'

is the jargon of management which continues to be dressed up as something manageable...30% of this hospital beds at any one time occupied by patients waiting placement. Is this not a system that has failed? Everyone needs to take notice of what's happening, we need to build communities of care that care to keep our elderly at home or in their own community. How hard is that?

Home in the hospital
With a long-term care bed crisis that's among the worst in the country, more and more seniors are forced to wait it out in the hospital

How to avoid LTC......

low-tech networks Seniors relying on web of care

hi-tech sensors High-tech sensors help seniors live independently

vitamin D

another reason to consider the celebratory vitamin.......

'Sunshine vitamin' link to cognitive problems in older people

severe weight loss

surely some mistake here......87lb in 19 days. Possibly the best and cheapest marker in advanced AD. Measuring it is one thing , acting on it is clearly another.

Nursing home patient lost 87 pounds in 19 days

assisted living knock on

Sunrise halts 54 projects nationwide, an ominous development as we move towards expanded AL capacity........


Economy squeezes assisted living
Two of the nation's biggest senior-care providers face staggering debt payments.

what makes people unhappy ?

....isn't it obvious ( and ridiculously simple)?

the largest number of complaints to her office or seven local long-term care ombudsmen focused on issues like lack of choices in daily activities, visiting restrictions placed on family members or friends, residents not being allowed to leave the facility, or lack of choice of medical care or treatment options.

Complaints to state about long-term care increase 39 percent

transitions

respect, kindness, caring, how hard is it?

The Bumpy Ride From Hospital to Home

a useful lexicon

.......for families requiring chronic care

Terms and Definitions
Expressions Frequently Heard in
Health Care Settings

survival to LTC ( Irish style)

median length of stay 30 months ( cf Calgary median 20 months )


Survival of Patients Discharged to Long Term Care

sudden death and antipsychotics

further safety evidence in the NEJM this week regarding atypical antipsychotics.Rate of sudden death was twice that of the control group equivalent to 3 deaths for every 1,000 patients taking the drugs for a year.....Jerry Avorn in the editorial recomending caution with use in children and the elderly.


Risk Found in Newer Antipsychotic Drugs

gizmos for geezers

my only anxiety is that technology could further marginalize the older patient by replacing human contact and touch, if , on the other hand, it supports independence then that's a different story.......

Gadgets for Growing Old at Home

nursing home death

I'm sorry Mr Wagamese, we get the system we deserve. Why is this issue only relevant to you now as you consider old age? It's this sort of pious rambling that holds us all back from progress in this area, don't you know we all share some responsibility for this poor woman's death?



Nursing home death made worse by lack of accountability

dementia

The problem is that long term care is mostly about dementia and dementia , especially end stage dementia, is perceived to be a social problem. It's a disease that is progressive and fatal. It is a medical problem no less deserving than any other. Until decision-makers understand this it will continue to be passed from pillar to post.


A future for long term care

case management

another plus for Intermountain Healthcare and case management.

Geriatric study finds team-based care saves lives, money