Just when I thought I had heard it all, I come across an article titled, “Toilet Seat Dermatitis Making a Comeback.” Really? I never knew it existed in the first place! According to the article, toilet seat dermatitis is one of those legendary conditions described in medical textbooks and seen in underdeveloped countries and is more common in young children. …
I remember growing up on a street lined with huge, beautiful trees, children running and playing, and just happiness everywhere. Then it happened, Jimmy got sick. Jimmy was my best friend and was sent away to a hospital where children were fitted with devices so they could walk. We used to run and jump and play, never worried about tomorrow …
Whew! What a journey we have been on the past 2 ½ years, and the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a crazy time warp for us now, thank goodness! That said, I read an interesting article on a study that was performed on how important hand washing and cell phone disinfecting can help reduce the spread of infection! Sure, we …
As post-acute care providers, many of us provide care to residents who have suffered a closed head injury/stroke. Many of these residents are being transferred to our centers for short-term rehabilitation services or long-term care after a stay in acute care. Sadly, healthcare facilities, including acute care centers, tend to harbor infectious organisms just by the nature of their care …
When my parents were young back in the early 1940s, tuberculosis (Tb) was a common disease. There were Tb sanitariums around the country and sadly, when my dad was 8 years old, his mother succumbed to the disease. The stories from that time are heartbreaking and unfortunately, we are seeing an increase in Tb cases again. The good news is …
Residents, visitors and staff of Colorado nursing homes will have to start wearing masks again under a new order from the state health department. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced Tuesday evening that it would reinstate the requirement for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
According to the New York Times, Chinese health officials confirmed the world’s first known human infection from a strain of bird flu called H10N3 on June 1, 2021. The 41-year-old man in China’s easter Jiangsu province contracted the virus and was hospitalized April 28. China’s CDC performed genome sequencing on a virus sample from the man on May 28 and …
In case you haven’t heard, regulatory surveys are back with a vengeance! Federal data indicates that the number of surveys conducted nationwide has risen 132% since 2020, leaving some wondering how fairly standards are being applied when COVID-19 is already forcing facilities to deal with staffing shortages, aging infrastructure, profit loss and increased scrutiny over everything from infection protocols to …
A New York Department of Health surveyor auditing a Bronx nursing home exposed residents and staff to COVID-19 per a source at Fox News. According to an employee at Pelham Parkway Nursing Home, a team of health department surveyors began auditing the facility on April 5. While department guidance “strongly encourages” all visitors to be tested before entering a nursing …
Summary of Recent Changes Updates as of April 27, 2021 Updated SARS-CoV-2 testing recommendations Updated visitation guidance to include recommendations for acute care facilities and to describe circumstances when source control and physical distancing are not required during visitation Added guidance for communal activities and dining in healthcare settings Key Points CDC has updated select healthcare infection prevention and control …
