Palliative Care – Are We There?

Angie SzumlinskiNews

End-of-Life Care, Palliative Care, Hospice, different names, similar care delivery; however, are you aware that the settings where this care should be available don’t always have the resources to provide it? In a recent study published in JAMDA, it identified that despite caring for patients with serious illnesses and poor prognosis, only a minority of LTACHs in the U.S. have …

Dare to Compare

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Many conversations are being had regarding which of the COVID-19 vaccines is most effective. In the beginning of December, when the vaccine became available to the general public, the CDC told us to “take the first one available” and I honestly still agree with that. However, there has been some debate on the effectiveness and safety of specific vaccines. For …

PELI – QAPI

Angie SzumlinskiNews

As we begin to emerge (cautiously) out of the pandemic of 2020, the battle scars are evident. We have lost so much including caregivers, residents, quality of life, and individual, personalized care. However, all is not lost, the cup is half full and we have an opportunity to emerge triumphant if we access and use the resources made available to …

Semicolon with COVID virus

Suicide – Impact During Pandemic

Angie SzumlinskiNews

I was recently asked to assist in locating publications, literature, and/or studies on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the rate of suicide in the United States. I was really quite surprised to learn that in fact, the suicide rate actually went down by 6% last year. What really struck me as interesting was that study after study, interview after …

2 women walking for fitness

Steps Per Day

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Everyone has a fitness tracker or some other device that measures how active you are, how many hours of sleep you enjoy, etc. If you don’t have some sort of fitness tracking device, you are among the few people I know who don’t! I travel with a coworker who doesn’t use a fitness tracking device but whenever we walk, she …

Statin Use and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Angie SzumlinskiNews

If you have ever had to use a statin medication for cholesterol control, you may have experienced muscle pain and overall weakness. These are a few of the side effects some people experience when taking statins and I have family members who have just these symptoms! So, when I read that a study was conducted to determine if there was …

Walnuts

Oh Nuts!

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Everyone I know loves nuts, peanuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, and macadamia seem to be the favorites! We all know the benefits of healthy fats and eating nuts, legumes, and vegetables but a recent study proves the “experts” might be right! In fact, the positive effects on a study group who ate walnuts (specifically walnuts) was sustained for more than 2 …

I Knew That!

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Hooray! Finally, some good news on coffee consumption! So many things today are labeled “bad for you” and coffee has historically been one of them! However, a recent study found that coffee consumption of 0.5 to 3 cups per day was associated with a 21% lower risk for stroke, a 17% lower risk for death from cardiovascular disease, and a …

Think About the Poor Hot Dog!

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie, what’s not to love, the all-American way? I grew up at the old Tiger stadium, watching the greatest players like Willie Horton, Lance Parish and Alan Trammel, while munching on a delicious hot dog (too young for the beer)! So, imagine my dismay when a study was published saying that you could lose 36 …

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Sleep. There really isn’t anything like it if you are a “long” sleeper. For those of us “short” sleepers, sleep is pretty much over-rated. During the pandemic, sleep took a back seat for most of us due to the additional anxiety of the unknown and lifestyle changes. In a recent Provider article, a geriatrician said it might be time to …