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Health News Results - 71
Dental Issues Plague America's Nursing Home Residents
- Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- September 15, 2023
- Full Page
Good oral health is one of the keys to healthy aging, but a sobering new study shows that many U.S. nursing home residents have significant dental issues.
Close to two in every 10 residents have missing teeth, about 8% have broken teeth/cavities and another 11% report pa...
Federal Government to Regulate Staffing at Nursing Homes for First Time
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 1, 2023
- Full Page
Nursing homes will soon have to meet federal minimum staffing requirements, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Friday.
"Establishing minimum staffing standards for nursing homes will improve resident safety,” HHS Secretary
Nursing Homes Used COVID Meds Less Than Expected During Pandemic
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- July 18, 2023
- Full Page
While nursing home residents are at high risk for bad outcomes if they get COVID-19, use of antiviral treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies, was low through most of 2021 and 2022.
More Hospitalizations, ER Visits in Nursing Homes With Higher Levels of Black Residents
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- June 19, 2023
- Full Page
A new study finds that nursing homes that serve Black residents have more hospitalizations and emergency room visits.
This may be driven by differences in staffing levels from home to home, according to researchers.
For the study, they examined 2019 data from more ...
U.S. Nursing Homes Fail to Report Many Serious Falls, Bedsores: Study
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- May 25, 2023
- Full Page
A federal website intended to help people choose a nursing home not only contains inaccurate information, but those inaccuracies appear to be at least partially driven by race, a new study reports.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established the...
In an Aging America, a Looming Shortage of Home Health Care Workers
- Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
- April 26, 2023
- Full Page
Over the last decade, an aging American population has increasingly turned away from nursing homes in favor of trained caregivers who can provide critical help in the home with basic daily tasks.
But a new investigation warns the need for at-home care has vastly outpaced...
Falls Can Be More Dangerous for Older Men Than for Women
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- March 10, 2023
- Full Page
While older women are treated for falls more often than elderly males, men are more likely to sustain skull fractures when they topple over, new research suggests.
This is a serious concern because more than 3 million people aged 65 and older are treated in U.S. emergenc...
Feds to Investigate Overuse of Antipsychotic Drugs by Nursing Homes
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- January 18, 2023
- Full Page
U.S. health officials say they plan to investigate whether some nursing homes are falsely labeling patients as schizophrenic so they can administer sedating antipsychotic drugs to them.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) noted that evidence of this abus...
The 'Great Resignation' Is Taking a Toll on U.S. Health Care
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- December 1, 2022
- Full Page
The nationwide shortage of health care professionals -- a so-called "Great Resignation" of providers -- is impacting patient care in ways large and small, a new HealthDay/Harris Poll shows.
One in four Americans (25%) have noticed or personally experienced the i...
Tougher Federal Penalties to Come for Failing Nursing Homes
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- October 24, 2022
- Full Page
About 88 nursing homes in the United States are on a watch list for worrisome care that puts residents in danger, but now they will face tougher penalties for any ...
Surgery Holds Danger for Seniors. Who's Most at Risk?
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- October 21, 2022
- Full Page
Surgery can be a daunting prospect at any age. Now, researchers say they've spotted two key factors upping the odds of a poor surgical outcome in seniors.
Older adults who are either frail or suffering from dementia have high rates of death in the year following a major ...
Talking to a Loved One About a Move to Assisted Living
- By Sydney Murphy HealthDay Reporter
- September 24, 2022
- Full Page
It can be hard to talk to your loved ones about moving into assisted living, so don't push them too hard and make sure they feel safe and comfortable with the idea, one ...
Assisted Living Will Become Financially Out of Reach for Many Middle-Class Americans
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- September 7, 2022
- Full Page
America's middle-income seniors could face a time of financial reckoning within the next decade, with the rising costs of health care and assisted living overwhelming their meager savings, a new study reports.
The number of middle-income seniors in the United States is e...
Bedsores Can Cause Serious Harm — Are U.S. Nursing Homes Hiding Cases?
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 17, 2022
- Full Page
People might want to think twice before relying on federal quality ratings to help choose a nursing home for an elderly or frail relative, a new study warns.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established the Nursing Home Compare website in the 199...
U.S. Nursing Homes Are Understaffed, But Minority Communities Have It Worst
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 15, 2022
- Full Page
Staffing shortages at nursing homes across the United States are severe in disadvantaged areas where needs may be greatest, researchers say.
Helping Older Loved Ones in a Heat Wave
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- July 25, 2022
- Full Page
With much of the United States baking in extreme heat this summer, older adults and the people caring for them need to take extra precautions.
Seniors can decline rapidly, sometimes within minutes, when exposed to soaring temperatures, said Dr. Angela Catic, an assistant...
Black Nursing Home Residents More Likely to Need Hospital Care
- By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- July 22, 2022
- Full Page
Black residents in U.S. nursing homes are much more likely than white residents to be repeatedly transferred to hospital care, a new study reports.
Black nursing home residents are likely to be transferred to the hospital and back at least four times in a given year, acc...
Staffing Shortages Have U.S. Nursing Homes in Crisis
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 29, 2022
- Full Page
There's a shortage of nursing home beds for the elderly in America due to a severe staffing crisis that has caused long-term care facilities to cut back on new admissions, new research shows.
Three out of five nursing homes (61%) have limited new admissions due to staffi...
COVID Boosters Raise Antibody Levels by 85% in Nursing Home Residents
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- June 27, 2022
- Full Page
Getting a COVID-19 booster shot can significantly increase an at-risk person's immunity and protect against the contagious Omicron variant.
New research f...
Tough Choices: When It's Time to Move From Home to Assisted Living
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- June 26, 2022
- Full Page
While 8 in 10 Americans ages 65 and older say they want to age in their homes, it's not always possible when health declines.
Knowing when a loved one needs a more supportive environment, such as
Feds Warn of Bedrails That Can Entrap; 3 Deaths Reported
- By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
- June 3, 2022
- Full Page
At least three elderly Americans suffocated after getting trapped in Mobility Transfer Systems adult portable bedrails, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says anyone who has the rails should stop using them immediately.
Health Care Workers Were At Highest COVID Risk in Workplace
- By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
- April 18, 2022
- Full Page
U.S. health care workers were most likely to be infected with COVID-19 at work during the pandemic's first year, according to a new study that challenges previous research suggesting their risk was highest off the job.
Pandemic Is Leaving U.S. With Shortage of Long-Term Health Care Workers
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- April 11, 2022
- Full Page
The pandemic has worsened longstanding staffing shortages at U.S. nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Now, a new study shows that high employee turnover rates ha...
Report Says Nursing Home Industry Needs an Overhaul
- By Cara Murez and Robin Foster HealthDay Reporters
- April 7, 2022
- Full Page
The nursing home industry is awash in ineffective care and staffing shortages, claims a new report that calls for sweeping changes in an industry whose failures have only been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Experts from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and ...
U.S. Nursing Home Deaths Reach Lowest Levels Reported Since Pandemic Began
- By Cara Murez and Robin Foster HealthDay Reporters
- April 5, 2022
- Full Page
Fresh government data shows that COVID deaths among nursing home residents data have fallen to the lowest levels seen since the pandemic began.
Some 67 residents died nationwide of COVID during the week ending March 27, according to the latest
Good End-of-Life Care Out of Reach for Many Black Nursing Home Residents
- March 8, 2022
- Full Page
Palliative care can be a godsend in the final days of one's life, but new research shows that Black and Hispanic nursing home residents are far less likely to receive it than their white peers are.
Pandemic Caused Rise in Deaths of Alzheimer's Patients
- March 1, 2022
- Full Page
During the pandemic's first year, the risk of dying shot up nearly 26% among American seniors with Alzheimer's disease, a new study reveals.
Minorities faced even higher odds of de...
Biden to Propose Overhaul of U.S. Nursing Homes
- March 1, 2022
- Full Page
Minimum staffing levels will be a main feature of a major overhaul of U.S. nursing homes that President Joe Biden is expected to announce in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
Staffing levels are considered a critical marker for nursing home quality, but the pa...
COVID Cases Surge Again in U.S. Nursing Homes
- Cara Murez
- January 17, 2022
- Full Page
Residents of nursing homes have been a particularly at-risk group throughout the pandemic, and the advent of the fast-spreading Omicron variant has them facing another wave of infections and deaths, new data shows.
Quality of Home Health Care Varies Between Urban, Rural Areas
- Cara Murez
- January 10, 2022
- Full Page
Need in-home health care? Know this: The quality of your care may depend on where you live.
That's the takeaway from a new study from New York University that gave agencies in urban areas high marks for keeping patients out of the hospital. It found that home health agen...
Only Half of U.S. Nursing Home Residents Have Received Boosters: CDC
- Robert Preidt and Ernie Mundell
- December 14, 2021
- Full Page
As COVID-19 cases surge nationwide, only about half of fully vaccinated nursing home residents have received a vaccine booster dose, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
Research shows that the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines may decrease over ...
TV Remotes, Nurse Call Buttons: Where Coronavirus Lingers in Nursing Homes
- Cara Murez
- November 22, 2021
- Full Page
Though airborne exposure causes most cases of COVID-19, the virus lurks on objects near the beds of infected nursing home patients, according to a new study.
"Coronavirus is ubiquitous and persistent in the rooms of nursing home residents with COVID-19, and highlight the...
Want Fewer Fractures in Nursing Homes? Put More Dairy on the Menu
- Robert Preidt
- October 22, 2021
- Full Page
Serving more dairy products to nursing home residents could be a simple way to reduce their risk of falls and fractures, a new study suggests.
Many consume low levels of calcium and protein, which can result in weak bones that increase the likelihood of falls and fractur...
U.S. Nursing Home Deaths Rise as Delta Spreads
- Cara Murez
- October 4, 2021
- Full Page
There has been a significant increase in COVID-related deaths in nursing homes as the highly contagious Delta spreads across the country, a new analysis shows.
"While the vast majority of COVID-19 deaths happened outside of nursing homes in July and August, the high rate...
Most Older Americans Believe Health Care Workers Should Be Vaccinated: Poll
- Steven Reinberg
- September 14, 2021
- Full Page
Eight in 10 older Americans think health care workers should be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new poll.
Among 50- to 80-year-olds, 61% of respondents said the vaccine should be required for all health care workers. Another 19% said vaccination should probab...
New Tally Adds Extra 16,000 U.S. Nursing Home Residents Lost to COVID
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- September 10, 2021
- Full Page
The number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 in U.S. nursing homes appears to have been grossly underestimated.
According to a new study, that's because U.S. federal guidelines did not require nursing homes to report cases and deaths until May 24, 2020, months after...
Biden Puts Pressure on Nursing Homes to Vaccinate Staff Against COVID
- Ernie Mundell and Robin Foster HealthDay Reporters
- August 19, 2021
- Full Page
All U.S. nursing home staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or their employers will risk losing Medicare and Medicaid funding, President Joe Biden announced Wednesday.
"If you visit, live or work in a nursing home, you should not be at a high risk for contracting COV...
A Second 'Closet' for Some LGBTQ Seniors Entering Nursing Homes
- Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
- August 10, 2021
- Full Page
The Stonewall generation is entering old age, and a new study finds many LGBTQ+ seniors are fearful that the prejudices of staff and fellow residents at nursing homes could leave them vulnerable to continued misunderstanding, stigma and discrimination.
In fact, "LGBTQ+ e...
All Health Care, Long-Term Care Workers in California Must Get COVID Shots
- Robert Preidt
- August 6, 2021
- Full Page
All 2.2 million health care workers and long-term care workers in California will now have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 30, the California Department of Public Health said Thursday.
Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom said health care workers would have the...
Largest Operator of Nursing Homes in U.S. Issues Vaccine Mandate for All Workers
- Robert Preidt and Robin Foster
- August 5, 2021
- Full Page
The United States' largest operator of nursing homes said Wednesday that its workers must get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they want to keep their jobs.
The announcement from Pennsylvania-based Genesis Healthcare -- which has 70,000 employees at nearly 400 nursing home...
Nursing Home Staff Closest to Patients Are Least Likely to Get COVID Vaccines
- Robert Preidt and Ernie Mundell and Robin Foster
- July 30, 2021
- Full Page
Aides in long-term care facilities are less likely than other staff to be vaccinated, even though they have the most contact with vulnerable patients and could infect them with COVID-19, a new federal study shows.
Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...
Biden Reverses Trump Policy Limiting U.S. Nursing Home Fines
- Robert Preidt
- July 30, 2021
- Full Page
The Biden administration has reversed a Trump policy that limited the size of fines that U.S. nursing homes could be slapped with for violating safety standards.
The Trump policy was adopted in 2017 and prevented the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ...
Major Medical Groups Call for Mandatory COVID Vaccination for Health Workers
- Robert Preidt
- July 26, 2021
- Full Page
All health care workers should be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, dozens of major U.S. medical groups said in a joint statement released Monday.
"Due to the recent COVID-19 surge and the availability of safe and effective vaccines, our health care organizatio...
Prior COVID Infection May Shield You From Another for at Least 10 Months
- Robert Preidt
- June 4, 2021
- Full Page
In some good news for those who have already suffered through a bout of COVID-19, a new study finds they may have a much lower risk of reinfection for at least 10 months.
For the study, the researchers analyzed rates of SARS-CoV-2 infections between October 2020 and Febr...
COVID Vaccines Trigger Protective Immune Response in Nursing Home Residents: Study
- Steven Reinberg
- April 12, 2021
- Full Page
Older adults in long-term care develop detectible antibodies after COVID-19 vaccination, which may mean it's safe to reopen these facilities, according to a new study.
But because it's unclear how long the antibodies last, researchers from University of Pittsburgh Medica...
Assisted Living Centers Can Do More for Dementia Patients, Experts Say
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- April 8, 2021
- Full Page
U.S. assisted living facilities often have activities to keep seniors socially engaged -- but a new study says they need to ensure that residents with dementia are not left out.
Researchers observed residents and staff at four assisted living communities over the course ...
New Guidelines Mean Nursing Home Residents Can Hug Their Families Again
- Ernie Mundell and Robin Foster HealthDay Reporters
- March 11, 2021
- Full Page
After nearly a year of painful isolation, the U.S. government said Wednesday that vaccinated nursing home residents can hug their loved ones again and enjoy more indoor visits.
The new guidance, issued by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), co...
COVID Cases, Deaths Plummet in Nursing Homes After Vaccine Rollout
- Ernie Mundell and Robin Foster HealthDay Reporters
- February 25, 2021
- Full Page
In a hopeful turnaround during a long pandemic, U.S. nursing homes that were once the epicenter of coronavirus infections are now seeing both cases and deaths fall steeply as the country's vaccination rollout starts to take hold.
From late December to early February...
Blacks, Hispanics at Higher Risk of COVID Death in U.S. Nursing Homes
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- February 16, 2021
- Full Page
U.S. nursing homes have been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the toll on Black and Hispanic residents has been especially harsh, a new study confirms.
Researchers found that COVID-19 death rates were more than three times higher at U.S. nursing homes with the high...
If a Nursing Home Resident Gets a COVID Shot, Can Their Families Visit Them Now?
- Dennis Thompson
- January 19, 2021
- Full Page
People in nursing homes have been suffering in isolation during the coronavirus pandemic, with their institutions in constant lockdown to prevent potentially fatal outbreaks.
Now that they're some of the first in line to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, it would be natural...