If one looks through a light microscope at a stained section of brain from a patient with Alzheimer’s disease, what one sees very much resembles a painting by the famous American abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock. Degenerating neuronal...
Music therapy for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia can provide a variety of benefits to both residents and nursing home staff. Although music therapy has to be provided by a board-certified clinician, many of the basic...
How often do you consider the surprise question when caring for patients with chronic, progressive diseases? The surprise question, “Would you be surprised if this person died in the next 12 months?” offers a quick, easy tool to timely identify...
Chronic itch, also known as chronic pruritus of unknown origin (CPUO), is common in the geriatric population, and without adequate recognition and management it impacts quality of life and can be debilitating. But is chronic itch afforded as much...
Everyone has heard about value-based care (VBC), but there are still questions about what it means to practitioners, how they can partner with health plans, providers, and others, and what they need to do to enter and succeed in the VBC world...
As the new year begins, the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association (PALTmed) will be addressing and following a number of issues impacting PALTC practitioners and their patients. More than ever, it will be important for you to have your...
In a 2024 regulation that is well-known in the post-acute and long-term care community, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services highlighted the indispensable role of registered nurses (RN) in skilled nursing facilities (Fed Regist 2024;89[...
Senior contributor Joanne Kaldy talks to Glenda Crellin, RN, Heidi Ranz, RN, and Cassandra Stephens, RN, about how CNAs can become medication aides and the benefits of taking on this role.
Studies have reported that 30% to 40% of people with dementia may experience clinically significant weight loss during the disease process (J Am Geriatr Soc 1996;44:265–272; Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71:637s–642s; Am J Clin Nutr 2005;82:435–441)...
Inviting and listening to the stories of people in the later stages of their lives offers them dignity and the opportunity to evaluate their goals for their final chapter of life. Narrative medicine provides important space for caregivers to be...
