California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog

Apathetic Residents Should Be Encouraged to Engage in Social Activities and Exercise

June 21, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

A critical issue that has long been a challenge to manage is apathy among older adult residents in long-term care settings, such as assisted living and nursing home facilities. Apathy is commonly seen in residents with neurodegenerative disorders. For those with Alzheimer’s disease, apathy is the primary behavioral syndrome. It also may occur in the early of stages of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and could act as an indicator for future development of dementia, especially in older adults with apolipoprotein E ε4. The progression of dementia exacerbates the severity of apathy, and apathy may represent a behavioral marker of a more serious form of dementia, indicated by a faster development of mental, functional, and emotional deterioration. Older adults with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease also express apathy, even if they do not have dementia. It is also a prominent syndrome in dementia related to alcohol.

Patients with High Blood Pressure Must be Carefully Monitored and Given the Best Appropriate Treatment

June 15, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

Known as the “silent killer” due to its lack of expressed symptoms, hypertension is one of the primary preventable causes of premature cardiovascular disease and mortality in the world. The elderly are particularly effected by this disease. More than 25% of all adults worldwide have hypertension and more than 50% of adults 60 years of age and older are hypertensive. Clinical management of hypertension takes up a significant part of the primary care clinical workload.

Physical Exercise Is Extremely Beneficial to Older Adult Residents in Long-Term Care

June 13, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

It is well known that physical exercise is beneficial for the body, no matter one’s age. Even an editorial published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association deemed exercise “the ultimate medicine.” Now, research has shown even more evidence that exercise is crucial for the human body, especially in older ages, when adults become more vulnerable to frailty and sarcopenia.

Frailty Is A Strong Indicator of Successful Aging

June 10, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

“Successful aging” is a term that is not well defined, but is constantly researched. The term immerged more than 20 years ago and constituted three primary domains: the avoidance of illness, physically and cognitively fit, and high engagement with life. Subsequent research placed strong emphasis on the absence or existence of disease, thereby classifying centenarians (older adults who live to 100 years of age or beyond) as “survivors,” “delayers,” and “escapers” according to the existence of diseases and the age at which the disease occurs preceding or following 80 years. Further studies addressed the importance of including elderly people’s perspectives so as to expand the primarily biomedical model to add social and psychological facets. Strong evidence showed that psychological factors of successful aging, including self-efficacy and resilience, were the sole indicators of future quality of life.

Physical Functional Status in Nursing Home Patients Must Be Monitored Regularly by Nursing Staff

June 8, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

Among the 1.4 million older adults in the United States who receive long term care in nursing home facilities, the prevalence of functional limitations is high. According to an article recently published in the Journal of American Medical Directors Association, the number of people with functional limitations is predicted to increase by about 120% worldwide, with those under the care of an institution rising by an estimated 130%. Functional decline is well known to be a strong indicator of long-term institutionalization and its regular evaluation after nursing home admission is deemed a primary measure indicating the quality of care provided. Not much is known about the functional status trajectory of older adults living in nursing home facilities where the facility environment, as well as individual factors, could exacerbate, accelerate, or lessen the decline based on the nursing care, rehabilitation, and medical services provided.

Incontinence is a Prevalent Health Problem Among Nursing Home Patients that Must be Addressed

June 6, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

Incontinence is a serious health problem that can affect both men and women at any stage of life. Although the likelihood of experiencing incontinence increases with age, incontinence is not a normal age-related health issue. Not only does incontinence pose critical psychological and social constraints, it also significantly diminishes an older adult’s quality of life and increases the need for nursing home care. Incontinence is defined as the uncontrollable loss of urine or feces or a combination of both. Urinary incontinence (UI) is described as “any involuntary loss of urine.” Staff in nursing home facilities are responsible for providing direct care to their residents. Thus, nurses are critically responsible for treating and caring for patients with incontinence.

Nursing Home Patients Should Not Be Given Psychotropic Drugs Without Increased Supervision by Staff

June 2, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

Research indicates that most falls experienced by older adults happen during the daytime and are often caused by slippery floors and irregular surfaces. An estimated 20% of falls occur during the night and are most commonly experienced by the elderly, with about 30% experiencing a fall incidence once every year. It is well known that when an older adult experiences a fall, their likelihood of getting injured, having a hip-fracture, and even dying are higher than those of younger adults.

CMS’ Final Rule for 2016 Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Payment Rates

May 24, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its final rule for 2016 Medicare skilled nursing facility payment rates on August 4, 2015.

Cancer Can Exacerbate Existing Health Problems and Accelerate Age-Related Functional Decline

May 17, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

How great the impact cancer has on exacerbating existing health problems or even creating new health problems in older adults is not well understood. It is estimated that by 2030, almost 1 in every 5 Americans will be over the age of 65. According to a recent report provided by the American Cancer Society, the number of older adults diagnosed with cancer will grow from 61% to 70% by 2030. It is common for older cancer survivors to experience additional age-related health conditions, including functional decline, joint problems, sensory impairment, and urinary incontinence. With the ever-growing older adult population, the need to investigate this unanswered question of how cancer effects health status and what strategies need to be developed to enhance health outcomes become more pertinent.

Older Adults with Stress Can Raise Their Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

April 29, 2016 | by Yeroushalmi Law

As the older adult population continues to rise worldwide, an increasing number of people are being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. For many, mild cognitive impairment is the initial sign. Mild cognitive impairment occurs prior to dementia and significantly increases one’s vulnerability of developing Alzheimer’s in the future months or years. Recent studies from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System (both located in New York) have explored the association between chronic stress and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), which is the most common form of mild cognitive impairment, the main characteristic of which is memory loss. 507 participants were enrolled in the Einstein Aging Study (EAS) in which they were tested for a wide variety of cognitive issues.
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