My father died in February at the age of eighty-five. He had lived with severe cardiovascular and renal disease for the last six years of his life and underwent several medical procedures and treatments for what many individuals might view as a poor...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have set a goal of having every Medicare beneficiary in a value-based care (VBC) arrangement by 2030. Yet according to a recent PALTmed Foundation survey, many practitioners still aren’t working with...
Medication management in assisted living is clearly an area of interest to readers of Caring for the Ages. The winner of this year’s Carey Cowles Award is “Best Practices for Medication Management in Assisted Living: Pharmacy and Community Practices...
Maylene was a resident in my facility. She was in her late 70s, wheelchair-bound due to multiple sclerosis, and was cognitively intact. She loved the R&B music channel on her TV, and she was proud of her brightly manicured nails. With her type 2...
Post-acute and long-term care providers are preparing with renewed vigilance for the revisions made to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services State Operations Manual (SOM), Appendix PP, which become effective at the end of April 2025. I...
“My mom was never like this,” Hannah said to me in one of our many conversations. She was the daughter of Mary, who was one of my patients. Mary’s constant frown and arguing came as a shock for Hannah. I noticed that Hannah was always anxious and...
A workplace free of disruptive, disrespectful, and aggressive behaviors is important for the well-being of our health care professionals, staff, residents, and families. The prevention and management of behavioral challenges in skilled nursing...
“Glenda” has multiple comorbidities, lives in a long-term care facility, and sees six specialists besides me, her primary care physician in the facility. She takes 31 medications for a multitude of symptoms, many of which are likely caused by...
Sarcopenia — the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength — is a silent epidemic in post-acute and long-term care facilities. The prevalence of sarcopenia is about 50% in post-acute facilities and between 17.7% and 73.3% in long-term care...
