Falls in Assisted Living

Angie SzumlinskiHealth

Did you know… Falls in assisted living communities account for 50% of liability claims 80% of falls go unwitnessed Falls can cost up to $50 billion/year 72% of falls occur in the resident’s bedroom 44% of residents indicate that their mobility aid was out of reach Interesting statistics, right? What is alarming is that 80% of falls go unwitnessed and …

COVID Related Lawsuits

Angie SzumlinskiLegal

The pandemic has already created a flurry of individual and class-action lawsuits against post-acute care providers. In fact, according to data collected through a national association for lawyers, it is estimated that approximately 80 COVID-related litigation cases have been filed in Massachusetts alone, and more than 5,000 across the country. These cases are expected to be very costly to defend. …

Illustration of medical staff in front of nursing home

Spotlight on HealthCap Heroes:

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured

Premier Estates of Toledo If this pandemic has shown us anything, it has proven that the long term care community is full of selfless individuals willing to step up and provide a light in the midst of uncertainty. Our next HealthCap Hero, Tanesha C., was recognized by management at Premier Estates of Toledo for rising to the challenge and demonstrating …

Work to Feed Your Family

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured, Health

A team of researchers from UCLA and Yale University decided to examine the people who continued to enter nursing homes during the beginning of the coronavirus in March 2020, the employees! Keith Chen, a behavioral economist and UCLA professor said the key question is this: “The people who, we can infer, work in this nursing home, what other nursing homes …

The New Normal

Angie SzumlinskiNews, Studies

We have all been affected by COVID-19 in some fashion; directly, with family members, residents, co-workers, and friends. Since our industry began restricting visitation, our residents have had to adapt to a new world in the center. There are restrictions on communal dining, activities, outside entertainment, family/friend visitation and so much more! Staff have also had to change the way …

Dispersion of Cough Droplets

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has spread worldwide progressively since it was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Although the transmission mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear, it is generally agreed that the airborne transmission route cannot be dismissed. In yet another study, the fluid flow and droplet dispersion from respiratory events, such as a cough, …

Cognitive Screening

Angie SzumlinskiHealth

There are a number of cognitive screening assessments that are used to assist in diagnosing early Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. These are quick screens and consist of tasks such as listing objects, recalling items that were provided at the beginning of the assessment, naming the current President, etc. Although there are inconsistencies in outcomes with these types of assessments as …

Communicate Openly

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Training

During this pandemic and beyond, we see that the stress put on our caregivers and staff has increased dramatically. We have added new policies, revised existing policies, and required staff to take on additional documentation and tasks throughout their shift. All of these changes can and have proven to increase their level of stress. As a leader, are you aware …

Blood Test – Alzheimer’s Diagnosis?

Angie SzumlinskiHealth

A number of research projects are underway to develop a sensitive blood test that could help screen people for Alzheimer’s disease in a less invasive and costly way than current imaging and biomarker tests. NIA-supported researchers at Washington University in St. Louis reported an advance in Neurology for their method of detecting amyloid protein in the blood. The researchers are …

Antibody Prevalence Falling

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

Tests on more than 365,000 people in England have shown that the antibody response to the virus that causes COVID-19 wanes over time. Led by Imperial College London, an analysis of finger-prick tests carried out at home between June 20th and September 28th found that the number of people testing positive dropped by 26.5% across the study period from almost …