The British research organization, Medical Research Council, recently released information compiled from 33 studies across the world, that included over 50,000 men and women over a period of 43 years. It was concluded that those participants in the study who had great grip strength and better performance on other physical tests were living longer than [...]
Nursing Home Residents Warned to Keep Medication From Grandchildren
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 [...]
Raise the Retirement Age or Tax the Rich to Fix Social Security?
Should we raise the retirement age in the U.S. or just modify how we tax the rich so that we can help extend Social Security benefits past 2037? In 2037 it is expected that the fund will deplete, so politicians are currently debating solutions to solve this dilemma. It is also the hot topic of [...]
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 [...]
