The results of a research study presented in an article in the October 2015 issue of The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine have sounded alarm bells for those living in nursing homes and for the friends and family…

A recent study, released by the New England Journal of Medicine, warns that the cost of caring for elderly patients with dementia could more than double, as the baby boomer generation grows older.  The study, led by the RAND Corporation…

A report recently released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) revealed that Medicare paid $5.1 billion in 2009 to skilled nursing facilities providing inexcusably poor-quality of care to the elderly and other…

In virtually every appearance he makes, presidential candidate and Texas Governor Rick Perry talks about how Texas has very restrictive laws preventing victims of malpractice from seeking justice in the court system. Unfortunately, the “Perry Experiment” in Texas is a…

It seems as though you cannot leave a physician’s office nowadays without a prescription for something.  It is easy to get medications confused or to become complacent (i.e. just doing whatever the physician tells you without considering that a mistake…

To ensure accurate and proper “med pass,” the nurse must adhere to the Ten Rights of Medication Administration. The ninth right, the right evaluation requires an observant nurse to recognize the resident’s response to medication and if the desired outcome…

What can I do to prevent and/or slow down the development of atherosclerosis? Life style changes to decrease the risk of the development of atherosclerosis are the best weapons in the fight against heart disease. Life style changes include the…

What are the risk factors for developing atherosclerosis? The presence of risk factors is known to accelerate the development of atherosclerosis. Risk factors are classified as modifiable or non-modifiable. The first step in initiating healthy changes is to learn which…

What is atherosclerosis? Atherosclerosis is the focal accumulation and hardening of lipid (also referred to as fatty build-up). Atherosclerosis within the arteries of the heart (coronary artery disease) impairs and/or obstructs normal blood flow and results in myocardial ischemia (insufficient…

As part of the effort to prevent severe injury from falls, a certain segment of the long-term care medical community advocates the use of hip protectors or padding devices. A recent article in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society…