Today’s teen is different than what many grandparents are used to, which can make some of their actions surprising and even unbelievable. While there are many great campaigns out there to keep children from smoking or doing drugs, there are few campaigns that deter these kids from taking drugs prescribed to a family member, and [...]
Care Quality is Improving in U.S. Nursing Homes
Each year the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (Alliance) release their annual report on the current state of care in U.S. nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. The most recent report is positive, in that the majority of quality indicators have improved between 2000 and 2009. There has [...]
New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Washington Awarded USDA Grants for SNAP
The USDA is working to increase access and participation among low-income seniors for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and they just award three states grants to help with the efforts. New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Washington, were all awarded USDA grants of $1 million or more, and each state has slightly different plans. One of [...]
Alabama Resident Wants State to Regulate CNA Ratio in Nursing Homes
In the majority of states in the U.S. there are regulations in place that dictate the ratio of Certified Nursing Assistants per patient in nursing homes. Regulations like this are in place so that the residents of nursing homes are well taken care of in the day, evening, and night. At one time, the state [...]
Seniors Urged to Get Flu Vaccinations Early
People over 65 have always been at the top of the list for being a high risk for serious flu complications, and with the flu season approaching, health officials are urging that seniors get their flu vaccination early. Last year was a bit hectic, as there were vaccine shortages and there were two separate vaccines. [...]
Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson to Become CEO of AHCA
Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Kathleen Sebelius after he leaves office in January of 2011, as he is headed to work in Washington, D.C. Sebelius was Governor of Kansas from 2003 – 2009, and left to work in President Obama’s Cabinet as the United States Secretary of Health [...]
Nursing Home Documentary Lands Filmmaker a Show on MTV
While attending college at NYU, amateur filmmaker Andrew Jenks was not happy with his experience at school, so he decided to do something completely different with his life. In 2005 19-year-old Jenks decided to move into a nursing home and film a documentary about what life is like for the seniors at Harbor Place retirement [...]
National Assisted Living Week 2010: Living Life
Start the Celebration! National Assisted Living Week is September 12 – 18, 2010. The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL), a division of the American Health Care Association (AHCA), helps Americans celebrate our aging citizens each year with an official National Assisted Living Week. From September twelfth through eighteenth, 2010, assisted living facilities and nursing [...]
Nursing Homes Prepare for Minimum Data Set 3.0 in October
In 1987 the U.S. government passed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA), which promoted the development of the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) and Minimum Data Set (MDS). The Minimum Data Set is the part of the federally mandated process which deals with the clinical assessment of all residents living in Medicare or Medicaid certified nursing [...]
