Supplies of the Covid-19 vaccination are still limited, but residents of long-term care facilities are receiving priority. In general, older people are at greater risk of serious illness or death if they contract the virus. They more often have underlying conditions and compromised immune systems, two factors increasing the odds of fatality or severe disease. Those in long-term care facilities, …
Bedsores in Nursing Home Residents Usually a Sign of Neglect
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), nursing home neglect is the failure to provide care for an older adult. One of the earliest and common signs of nursing home neglect is bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers. Bedsores are painful wounds caused by unrelieved pressure on the skin. Blood flow into the area decreases and the ulcer forms. …
Texas to Allow Limited Visitation in Nursing Homes With No Active Coronavirus Cases
As reported by the Texas Tribune and other Texas news outlets, here is some good news if a loved one of yours resides in a nursing home with “no active coronavirus cases.” Of course, the risk of infection in nursing homes remains substantial. Caution is still required. More aggressive testing in Texas ought to be one key to controlling entry …
Wound Care in Texas Nursing Homes
A high number of residents in nursing homes in the United States and in Texas suffer from wounds on an almost daily basis. According to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, nursing home residents today tend be older than those over a decade ago, and also tend to have more preexisting conditions that …
Blood Tests for Alzheimer’s Disease in Development
We read yesterday in the New York Times about an exciting development in the ability to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease via a mere blood test. In the past the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, as opposed to dementia or other form of brain disorder causing cognitive impairment, has been very difficult, expensive, and oftentimes inaccurate. This difficulty, inaccuracy, and cost have created …
AARP Answers: Nursing Homes and the Coronavirus
The AARP recently posted a good, general article about how to deal with loved ones in a nursing home during the Covid-19 pandemic. We especially like this excerpt from the article: “What can I do to support my loved one? “Stay connected. It’s crucial for your loved one’s well-being, physically and emotionally. Isolation “can have very real and serious health …
A Fall in a Nursing Home May Be a Life Sentence
People move their elderly loved ones into a nursing home with the hopes that trained medical staff can take proper care of them and provide for all of their needs. In reality, many of us are aware that a number of problems can arise in nursing home care, whether due to under-staffing, under-training, or abuse.
The Dark Side of Senior Care in Texas
Putting a family member into a nursing home is fraught enough with emotion. But for those in Texas, it is also imbued with a sense of concern. Why? While some facilities have demonstrated improvement, the fact remains that within the recent past, Texas has held the dubious honor of being ranked the single worst state for senior care.
Emotional Signs to Look for in Elder Abuse Cases
A beloved senior member of your family has started to behave differently. She is showing signs that seem out of character. How do you know when what you are seeing is a symptom of abusive or neglectful behavior? And if it is, what should you do about it? Elder abuse is a problem in our country because there are so …
How to Detect Nursing Home Financial Abuse in Dallas
Nursing home abuse is something that’s received more attention in the past few years than it ever has in the past. Nursing home abuse occurs when the nursing home staff abuses the residents, either physically or emotionally. But there’s another type of nursing home abuse that’s not given as much attention and so, many people aren’t even aware of it. …
