There is a major need for improved non-pharmacological interventions for behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia (BPSD), which drastically impact caregiver burden and staff burnout. Medications commonly used to manage BPSD may have adverse...
Beginning in 2019, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in the US will be penalized under the SNF value-based purchasing program for excessive 30-day all-cause readmissions for a list of targeted conditions that includes chronic obstructive pulmonary...
The POLST form is designed to translate patient preferences for end-of-life care into actionable medical orders that are conveyed across different care settings. It has been proven effective in ensuring end-of-life preferences are honored. We...
The use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) in the elderly has increased over the last decade. PPI use showed strong age dependency, reaching more than 20% among those aged at least 80 years. The proportion of users maintaining treatment over time...
The convergence of rising post-acute health care costs and incomparable outcomes have made reform a priority resulting in the development of new models of care that often extend the scope of practice and job duties among health professionals. In...
The discussion of patient preferences (advance directives) for their health care in an important component of their care across all health care settings. The extent of documentation of this discussion may vary in the Electronic Medical Record (EMR...
Falls are a major quality, safety, reimbursement and regulatory concern for older nursing home (NH) residents. At least 50% of NH residents will experience a fall, of which 5-10% will require emergency department or hospital transfer. These risks...
Rapid growth of assisted living (AL) facilities has occurred as an alternative to nursing homes. Yet it is recognized that the care needs of these residents are higher than the AL was initially conceptualized. The determination of the baseline...
Hydration has been described among SNF residents, hospitalized, and community living older adults yet a description of the hydration levels of Assisted Living Memory Care (ALMC) residents is lacking. An understanding of the hydration levels of ALMC...
The Medical Director of a 165 bed Skilled Nursing Facility was faced with an outbreak of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). SNF residence and antibiotic use are established risk factors for CDI. The estimated risk of CDI increases 2% for every...
