2021 Morley Awards

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, Featured

Two papers published last year in JAMA, one on sarcopenia and the other on visitors in the nursing home during the COVID-19 crisis, have won JAMDA’s 2021 Morley Award for their relevance and impact on policy and practice in post-acute and long-term care medicine. The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia’s “2019 Consensus Update on Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Treatment” published in …

Depression in Dementia with Lewy Body

Remember to Care

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, News

“As vaccination has allowed nursing homes to open up a little, thousands of family members are seeing older loved ones with a disturbing clarity not possible during FaceTime calls and window visits. Even under the best of circumstances, the oldest seniors tend to decline over a year. But experts on dementia and aging say there is little doubt that isolation …

CMS Press Release: CMS Updates Nursing Home Guidance with Revised Visitation Recommendations

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued updated guidance on March 10th for nursing homes to safely expand visitation options during the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency (PHE).  This latest guidance comes as more than three million doses of vaccines have been administered within nursing homes, thanks …

Welcoming Back Nursing Home Visitors

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Studies

Reopening America’s nursing homes to visitors is of critical importance as many residents continue to sustain severe and potentially irreversible consequences from lack of human contact, especially with family caregivers. The CDC nursing home guidelines published as of June 2020 are confusing and lack detail with respect to visitors and essential family caregivers. While the evidence concerning COVID-19 is still …

Remember the Relatives

Angie SzumlinskiHealth

During a period of visiting restrictions, it is important to strengthen the communication between nursing home staff and relatives of nursing home residents. Timely communicate information on what the visiting restrictions entail, and frequently inform relatives on health, well-being, and care planning of nursing home residents. Also, communication between nursing home residents and their relatives is vital. Facilitate regular communication …

Guiding Principles and Planning Assumptions – Visitor Policies and Access

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, Studies

In a recent publication in the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, there was a discussion regarding finding the right balance on opening visitation in nursing homes and distinguishing between family caregivers and social visitors. The information is interesting and summarized below for your reading pleasure. The link for the complete article is also included if you would like …

Memo- Nursing Home Visitation – COVID-19

Angie SzumlinskiNews

On September 17, 2020, CMS released a memorandum addressing visitation guidance and the use of Civil Money Penalty (CMP) funds. The visitation guidance emphasizes core principles regarding hygeine and screening of visitors consistent with the CDC, and outlines recommendations for both indoor and outdoor visitation. It also touches on compassionate care visits, access to the long -term care ombudsman, federal …