Nearly 98% of nurses and physicians report witnessing behavior problems between colleagues, according to the results of a recent survey by the American College of Physician Executives. 13,000 nurse and physician executives were surveyed nationally. Respondents indicated that degrading comments and insults, and yelling were the most common behavioral problems...
Author Archives: anthony
Nursing Home Kickbacks and Why You Need to Pay Attention to Them
Pharmacy giant Omnicare recently agreed to pay a $98 million settlement in connection with allegations it engaged in an illegal kickback scheme with drug maker Ivax. The same day, officials filed an additional complaint against Omnicare and nursing home giants Mariner and SavaSenior Care in relation to other alleged kickback...
Alzheimer’s Association to Offer Comfort Zone, a web-based application that tracks the position of Alzheimer’s patients
One of the most widespread and potentially dangerous behaviors for persons with AlzheimerÛªs or other forms of dementia is the tendency to wander. As many as 60% of Americans affected by AlzheimerÛªs wander at some point, and are often unable to return safely without assistance. Nearly 70% of individuals that...
Nursing Homes Sometimes Wrongly Blamed in Medication Misuse
A recent article in the Chicago Tribune examines the roles physicians play in nursing home care, particularly when it comes to medication management. When physicians or psychiatrists prescribe a drug for a patient, facilities must administer it as long as the order is consistent with state and federal nursing home...
Boomers Less Healthy Than Their Parents
This study comes as absolutely no surprise to me because as a nation we do not take care of ourselves. We are a fast food nation that is getting fatter. More proof that boomers are less healthy than their parents-researchers at UCLA have found that seniors aged 60-69 exhibited 40%-70%...
Scripps Howard Analyzes Five Star Rating System
Scripps Howard conducted an analysis of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid ServicesÛª Nursing Home Compare after Five Star introduction. Some nuggets: For-profit corporations, which account for about two-thirds of all nursing homes, generally get lower scores than those run by nonprofits groups. Homes with more nursing staff per patient,...
Internet Use Reduces Depression in Elderly
Spending time online reduces depression by 20 percent for senior citizens, the Phoenix Center reports. In addition they report that reducing the incidence of depression by widespread Internet use among older Americans could trim the nationÛªs health care bill. ÛÏMaintaining relationships with friends and family at a time in life...
Depression Common in Older Cancer Patients
Depression is common in older cancer patients and could be treated in primary care according to a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine on cancer survivorship care. 55 percent of the patients who receive collaborative treatment, compared with 34 percent receiving the usual care, showed a 50 percent...
Causes You Adopt Can Come Back to Help You!
If I told an orthopedist he/she should adopt the cause of fall prevention, they might twitch, raise an eyebrow and say I am crazy. Likewise the nursing home administrator who can count many a hip and knee replacement patient as their resident might look at me funny. But the cause...
Walk Faster to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease
This is almost too logical! Researchers at the Universit̩ Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris measured the walking speed of more than 3,200 seniors aged 65 to 85 and followed their health status over the next five years. Seniors who walked slower were 44% more likely to die during the...