Hospice care in nursing homes
The chasm between the perceived need for hospice care and referral from nursing homes has grown due to lack of education and the knowledge that hospice is able to complement nursing home care. In conversations with social workers at various nursing homes, administrators are directing the preference that palliative care and hospice care be kept [...]
Help your parents to receive the care they need
If you talk with your parents, or are an older adult yourself, you’re likely to state that your wish is to remain in your home as long as possible. It’s no secret that this is usually the best situation for all involved. However staying at home becomes increasingly difficult as a person ages because of [...]
A report, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century
As time goes on we will continue to see more press in the news about healthcare and the lack of adequate provision of services. A report, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century discusses reinventing the health care system. Included are mentions of increasing patient safety, patient centered care, and [...]
Depression is the most common emotional disorder among older adults
Depression is the most common emotional disorder among older adults. Many of us, including those with parents, often miss the signs which are more obvious after the loss of a spouse. Increased sleep, weight loss, inactivity, a loss in desire for socialization are other signs. My own father who likely suffered from depression his entire [...]
Increased body weight impacts the environment
How many of us have considered how increased body weight impacts the environment? Statistically speaking, “a world of persons weighing 198 lbs has 29% more mass than a world of persons weighing 154 lbs; this extra 44 lbs per person results in proportionate increases in demand for resources and increased stress on the environment. In [...]
Is it too late to change the obesity epidemic?
Let’s continue the conversation from yesterday about the obesity epidemic in the U.S. It’s never too late to modify daily living habits in today’s world of over-eating and inactivity. According to the CDC, overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk for many diseases and health conditions, including the following: 1) Hypertension (high blood pressure), [...]
Are We Eating Ourselves to Death?
Can exercise and proper nutrition reduce risk factors of aging? A Kaiser Permanente television advertising campaign reports that 1 in 2 Coloradans are overweight or obese. It’s well known that obesity, now a national epidemic in the United States, is a risk factor for early death and is associated with an increase in inflammatory and chronic [...]
Returning to assisted living from hospital can lead to other declines
Where you live prior to a hospital admission can make a difference in the result of your treatment and your return home. According to the “Hazards of Hospitalization”, research indicates that individuals admitted to the hospital from an assisted living facility were more than 16 times as likely to fall and 5 times more likely [...]
Losing control of care possible when entering nursing home
Is the health of nursing home residents compromised due to the fact that they live in a nursing home whether short or long term? Whether you know it or not, the moment you enter a nursing home you are under the care of physicians who provide services to the particular nursing home and who in [...]
The number of nurses to patients in nursing homes determines quality of care
Further discussion regarding the quality of care in nursing homes indicates that staffing ratios, the number of nurses to patients etc. are the primary indicator of the quality of care. While it might be logical that more staffing is better, it is the quality of the staffing that is actually more important. Some care facilities [...]
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