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Dementia can arise from multiple conditions, and it is characterized by an array of symptoms including problems with memory, attention, communication, and physical coordination. The two most common causes of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease and white matter strokes, which are small strokes that accumulate in the connecting areas of the brain. “It’s a vicious cycle: the two leading causes of …
A MedPage Today article reports that as Great Britain continues to stretch out the interval between the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to 12 weeks, data out this week seems to support doing so, but concerns remain. A study published in The Lancet showed that the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine provides sustained protection of 76% during the 12-week interval …
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has posted a list of resources for providers to use as we look forward or take steps back during the pandemic. Times are uncertain, change is a “norm” and your resilience has been amazing. That said, it might be time to look at the systems you have in place to be sure …
An article published in QUOI talks about the “real heroes,” that being the one critical occupation that is routinely forgotten when we champion the heroes: nursing home care aides who stayed when even their own lives and the lives of their families were put in danger. These heroes are the largest workforce in long-term care homes, providing upwards of 90% …
On May 11, 2021, CMS issued a rule requiring long term care facilities to educate residents/resident representatives and staff about the COVID-19 vaccine. This rule is similar to existing requirements for influenza and pneumococcal vaccines in long term care facilities, and appropriate documentation of the vaccine education must be maintained. Additionally, the facility must offer the vaccine unless unless the …
Recent studies have suggested that to reach immunity, immunocompetent SARS-CoV-2 seropositive adults may only require 1 dose rather than 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine, however, these studies did not include older adults. Older adults living in nursing homes are at higher risk for severe COVID-19, and the immune response to the vaccine may differ from that of younger, healthier …
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent global health research center at the University of Washington, made predictions about the future of the pandemic, including that April would be a turning point for COVID-19 vaccines. That said, predicting future cases and deaths has been made even more difficult due to mutating variants of the virus, including the …
If you experience a needlestick from a used or contaminated needle, seek immediate evaluation and treatment. Call the PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) hotline at 1.888.448.4911 immediately for guidance on treating exposures. Sharps are objects that can pierce the skin (for example, contaminated syringes and needles, lancets, scalpels, infusion needle sets, connection needles, auto injectors), as defined in the Occupational Safety and …
The World Health Organization (WHO) report on the joint WHO-China study of COVID-19 origins was a “consensus” effort of a “sheer size” but it was too soon to provide definitive conclusions in a work that is still in progress, a member of the WHO research team said. Peter K. Ben Embarek, leader of the international team of experts to Wuhan, …
A study of about 200 COVID-19 patients last year found that nearly half reported a loss of taste or smell. While most of them regained their senses within four weeks, roughly 10% reported their condition had been unchanged or worse. Doctors are still learning about this COVID-19 related symptom and what possible treatments could be helpful. Some physicians have begun …
