An increasing number of individuals infected with HIV are living longer and are expected to need long-term care. Will nursing homes be ready to accommodate them?
When I was a young boy growing up in the suburbs of Baltimore, my father told me how he fell in love with birdwatching at an early age and would follow each new bird until he could get close enough for a good view of it. Then he’d run to the library...
In my last column, I discussed the elements necessary for the success of QAPI (quality assurance and performance improvement) and the importance of engaging all members of the health care team, particularly the direct-care workers. Now I want to...
PHOENIX — Conservative management and supportive care may offer elderly patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) the same survival as dialysis, as well as less functional decline, fewer hospitalizations, and better satisfaction with life, said...
Members of AMDA – the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, as well as other practitioners, were recently asked to participate in two job task surveys — one for medical directors, the other for attending physicians — to help shape the...
No matter how many times a physician or other practitioner has to break bad news to a patient or family member, it is never pleasant, and it never gets easier. However, instead of postponing these conversations or missing opportunities to address...
LOS ANGELES — Not long ago, the use of antipsychotics was common at one post-acute care facility near Los Angeles. Nearly 8% of the long-term residents were given these medications, often in a bid to control their behavior. This is a familiar tale...
SAN ANTONIO — Fatima Sheikh, MD, MPH, CMD, manages to balance her duties as the medical director for three nursing homes while teaching and mentoring geriatric fellows from Johns Hopkins, all within a 40-hour workweek, a schedule that leaves her...
The results of a study of nursing home residents with epilepsy showed that approximately two-thirds were taking at least one central nervous system (CNS) drug. Furthermore, the researchers found that a significant percentage of patients taking...
Antibiotics are the most common medication prescribed in post-acute and long-term care facilities, and suspected urinary tract infection is the most frequent indication for initiation of antibiotic therapy. However, there has been a growing...
