March 2013 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
Top news stories from the March 2013 issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News.
Analysis
Wither the County Home?
With funding and philosophical challenges permeating their day-to-day operations, a dwindling number of county-run nursing homes find themselves at a perilous crossroads
News
Antipsychotics used too often, study says
More than one-fifth of U.S. nursing home residents took an antipsychotic drug as of 2010, according to research recently published in the Journal of the ...
_350775_350777.jpg?format=jpg&zoom=1&quality=70&anchor=middlecenter&height=80&width=80&mode=crop)
Medicare concessions possible, Obama says
President Obama touched on several issues that matter to long-term care operators during last month's State of the Union address. His most urgent message to ...
Urge focus on whole person
Long-term care providers should treat residents holistically, rather than narrowing in on an illness, to reduce rehospitalization rates, researchers recommended recently.
Settlement will expand therapy
It's official: A federal judge approved a settlement agreement the last week of January that will allow Medicare patients to continue receiving therapy services even ...
Biomarkers not the endpoint
The Food and Drug Administration issued guidance in February for clinical trials for early-stage Alzheimer's medications.
Feds change 'onerous' rules
Long-term care facilities that are undergoing a major renovation or are in the process of building a new structure may be eligible for a sprinkler ...
McKnight's Online Expo returns
An immediate jeopardy citation can throw a long-term care facility into a crisis, but providers can use the government's guidelines as a quality assessment tool. ...
Obama seeks bipartisanship, so long as it happens his way
In a State of the Union address that largely touted objectives favored by Democrats, President Obama called on Republicans to be less partisan.
Painkiller distribution could be curtailed
An advisory panel has recommended making it more difficult for long-term care residents and others to receive certain painkillers. Providers criticize the proposal, saying it ...
State News
State news
Virginia — State Sen. Bill Stanley (R) has introduced a bill requiring that nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other certified nursing facilities obtain minimum ...
Features
Wounds happen
Providers with proactive approaches to catching wound development early find the most success. Foresight and diligence are needed to make it all work
The invisible battle
Providers must keep caregiving environments impeccably clean — removing bugs and germs (both seen and unseen) and other threatening elements
60 Seconds with...
60 seconds with ... Neil L. Pruitt Jr.
Q: What are your goals as a member of the new national long-term care commission? A: My hope is we look at the whole system and ...
Ask the care expert
Ask the care expert ... about screening for sex offenders
Our facility has been doing more screening for new employees to protect our residents and current staff. We were thinking about checking potential employees to ...
Resident care
Two new good-mood payoffs: memories, decisions improve
Boosting the mood of seniors helps them do better on decision-making and working-memory tests, researchers have found. In the first study to demonstrate how a ...
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the treatment expert ... how to manage painful wounds
We continue this month on how to manage painful wounds.
Wound care
New skin-healing findings may benefit LTC residents
French researchers recently identified the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in maintaining skin cells and skin healing in advanced years. The discovery could lead to ...
Cells 'flock' to heal skin wounds: study
Rice University scientists have determined that skin cells coordinate their motions as they race to cover and ultimately heal wounds. Investigators compared this motion to ...
Nursing
Supervisor abuse has ripple effects in workplace: study
A bullying supervisor isn't hurting just a specific employee. He or she also is creating a negative workplace culture, researchers say.
New nurses need help with QI, study says
Newly registered nurses should be encouraged to participate in online modules to learn about quality improvement protocols, and healthcare providers should make sure staffing levels ...
Ask the nursing expert ... about filling leadership positions
I have three leadership positions open in my facility and I just can't seem to find what I am looking for. Any suggestions?
Ask the legal expert
Ask the legal expert ... how to deal with someone leaking information
Someone leaked sensitive patient information to the press after we had a recent fire here. What steps can/should we take to investigate or determine who ...
Legal Matters
High court puts arbitration agreements back into play
If the U.S. Supreme Court thought it had the final word on the validity of certain nursing home admissions arbitration agreements in 2012, well, it ...
IL whistleblower suit draws $28M fines
Two former nurses' complaints about alleged substandard care and inappropriate billing resulted in $28.1 million in penalties being levied against the former owner of an ...
Design
Memory-impaired focus
Facility features coax residents out of their rooms, emphasizing an enjoyable atmosphere and allowing wandering of the grounds.
How to do it…
How to do it ... IT hardware
Information technology today has become sophisticated and complex. With many long-term care facilities now facing looming mandates to adopt electronic medical records, security and reliability ...
A day in the life
Gold-medal intern wins fans
Fairhaven Manor's Amy Kotterman wasn't sure her incoming graduate student intern was the Katie Smith until receiving an unusual voicemail. Smith called to say she ...
I couldn't live without...
I couldn't live without ... COMS Interactive nursing assessments and data monitoring
Comprehensive nursing assessments and data monitoring tools from COMS Interactive provide critical help to the CommuniCare Family of Companies, according to Chief Medical Officer Matthew ...
Technology
Researchers say: IT systems are an 'unfulfilled promise'
The healthcare industry's deployment of information technology systems has fallen short of the expectations projected by the RAND Corporation in 2005.
IT Update
Timothy Bickmore, Ph.D., will address how computerized characters can provide support to providers during an upcoming free webinar. "Avatars in senior care settings" will begin ...
Resident care
Milk, yogurt best for bone health: study
Cream is not as effective as milk or yogurt in promoting bone health and combating osteoporosis, according to researchers. Low bone-density puts the elderly at ...
Company news
Native American nursing care group self-finances expansion
In a first for Native Nations in Arizona, the Tohono O'odham Nursing Care Authority (TONCA) has expanded the campus of an existing eldercare facility by ...
Ventas hikes NOI estimate
Ventas Inc. anticipates $386 million in 2012 net operating income after management fees from its private-pay senior housing communities managed by Atria Senior Living Inc. ...
Business briefs
Gulf Coast Healthcare, LLC will acquire 25 skilled nursing facilities in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, using a $168.8 million five-year term loan. After this acquisition, ...
Business & Marketing
The mythical standard
The Jimmo vs. Sebelius case, filed in January 2011 in federal district court in Vermont, has now been settled. The class action lawsuit challenged Medicare's ...
The big picture
A new way to save face
When is face-to-face contact with a resident not such a good idea? When an avatar can do better. That's just one lesson researchers like Timothy ...
Editor’s desk
Stereotypes predict the odds of rehab success
If you're like me, you're a big believer in the saying "Attitude determines altitude." Eldercare professionals should have this embedded in their minds — for ...
Profile
Ron Arrison, Executive Director, King's Daughters and Sons Home
Ron Arrison knows why he works at the interdenominational King's Daughters and Sons Home. "I believe God sent me here," he says. The former hospital ...
