A recent article published in the Endocrine News identifies a new set of “quality measures” that outline key risk factors that raise an individual’s chances of developing hypoglycemia. Key risk factors include: Experiencing a hypoglycemic event where blood glucose levels dropped below 54 mg/dl and required immediate attention within the past year Experiencing altered mental or physical status requiring assistance …
In a recent publication of the Annals of Long Term Care, a research study regarding the impact of gait disturbances and hearing loss on predicting 6-month mortality in geriatric patients post-cardiac event was discussed. The study identified that while the traditional mortality risk factors remained important, the functional impairment measures resulted in significantly improved mortality risk prediction. This study can …
Many scholarly articles have been written regarding the incidence of frailty in the geriatric population and the negative outcomes related to frailty. In the post-acute care sector, we have just recently embraced the frailty idea and are working with different organizations, software companies, and assessment tools to assist in determining the level of frailty in our residents. A recent study …
We all have heard the joke “blame mom”, “it was mom’s fault”, but according to a recent study at the University of Michigan, you can blame mom for exposing you to stress as a child! Yep, the research (done on roundworms) found that experiencing stress early in life may make you better able to fight stress you might encounter later …
Depression has long been known to cause negative outcomes for our seniors and many suffer in silence, never seeking the support and assistance they need. As caregivers we often identify depression in our residents; however, many families will deny it is an issue and refuse psychiatric evaluations. Sure, depression is a mental illness however it is one of the most …
A recent article published in McKnights Long-Term Care News, referenced a study performed at the University of Michigan on the impact on resident outcomes with longer stays in post-acute care centers. The study indicates that The researcher recommends that post-acute care providers be “really judicious with the volume of services they provide and conclusive of which of the post-acute care …
Omissions of care (OOCs) in nursing homes contribute to nearly 60% of all adverse events experienced by residents. However, researchers and clinicians have yet to develop a concise definition of OOCs with a particular focus on their causes and consequences. Without such a definition, assessing and preventing OOCs in nursing homes to improve resident outcomes is challenging. The Agency for …
We have all heard about, talked about or participated in post-fall huddles hoping to improve outcomes for our residents. A recent study conducted by BMC Health Services has identified that post-fall huddles may reduce the risk of repeat falls. Staff who participate in post-fall huddles are likely to have positive perceptions of teamwork support for fall-risk reduction and safety culture …
Only 15.5 percent of adult patients with pneumonia received pneumococcal urinary antigen testing (UAT), a useful tool that, when it yields positive findings, can help physicians reduce the time that patients in stable condition need to take broad-spectrum antibiotics, according to an AHRQ study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The researchers used data from a national discharge hospital database over a …
Not too long ago, hip protectors were introduced to the post-acute care network. At first, everyone thought it was a novel idea and many of our centers purchased them for their at-risk residents. Unfortunately, they seemed to be “bulky”, “burdensome to put on”, expensive and staff tended to be non-compliant with using them. Well, all of this may be true …
