Delirium doesn’t just harm vulnerable seniors. It prolongs hospital stays, ties up beds and clogs emergency rooms. Mandating senior-friendly hospital care protects patients and the health-care system.
Telling elders scary stories about online scammers is not the best way to keep them safe.
Olga Gavrilenko/EyeEm via Getty Images
Older Americans are often taught to be fearful of hackers and scammers in their midst while also being told to investigate potential threats. Better advice is to not engage.
If you’re worried about older loved ones’ ability to care for themselves, try starting a conversation with nonjudgmental questions.
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Nancy Kusmaul, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
COVID-19 hit long-term care facilities hard. Addressing the trauma that residents and staff endured is key to regaining trust in a space that may no longer feel safe.
In the absence of guidelines or training regarding sexual expression in long-term care homes, most staff are ‘just winging it’ on potentially sensitive issues.
(Shutterstock)
In the absence of guidelines or training regarding sexual expression in long-term care homes, most staff are ‘just winging it’ on potentially sensitive issues.
Professional home care for the elderly in Ghana has been ignored.
Kwame Amo/Shutterstock
Americans 65 and older are living longer. The change toward longer old age in the U.S. will have profound effects on health care needs, families and what it means to be old.
Cultural narratives, ableism and ageism dehumanize people with dementia, and present their lives as disposable.
(Pixabay)
The stigma that dehumanizes people living with dementia is reflected in the toll of COVID-19 in long-term care. Reforming long-term care must challenge this stigma with a new ethic of care.
Hip fractures are a common injury sustained in falls in long-term care.
(Shutterstock)
Every year, about 70 per cent of long-term care residents have at least one fall, and half of those result in injury. Wearable gear and changes to living spaces aim to prevent falls and limit injury.
The Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, had the first known COVID-19 outbreak in a U.S. nursing home. In Massachusetts, one-third of nursing homes now have more than 30 COVID-19 cases.
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The government doesn’t know how many people have died of COVID-19, in part because it didn’t require nursing homes to report cases to the CDC. In some states, over half of deaths are in nursing homes.
A new survey finds that, when it comes to medication, many older adults plan to keep going to the pharmacy as they always have.
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As coronavirus continues to spread, older adults face a challenge: how to get the medications they need without putting themselves at risk. A new national survey shows they aren’t prepared.
Some boomers are on multiple medications. Combinations of those drugs could have serious side effects.
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As the boomers age, many will have medication issues. That can be compounded by the number of drugs they take, both prescription and over-the-counter.
If family members are in a nursing home, it’s difficult to know if they’re getting the care they need. Here are some ways to find out.
Nancy Beijersbergen/from www.shutterstock.com
If you’ve read the headlines about poor standards in Australia’s nursing homes, it’s only natural to be concerned about your own family or friends in residential aged care.
The rising global prevalence of dementia, particularly in the nursing home population, means aggressive behaviours between residents will increasingly be an issue.
Agnes Nanyonjo, African Population and Health Research Center
Older people require both psychological and nutritional support during drought and famine. Kenya needs to implement a comprehensive public health response that assists during emergency situations.