The researcher Goldstein, coined the term “catastrophic reaction” to describe the overreaction to minor stresses which occur in patients with advanced dementia. It is precipitated by fatigue, overstimulation, an inability to meet expectations, and persistent misinterpretations. According to Goldstein, “When the environment is misperceived and one feels threatened, the following signs are noted:

According to the researcher Mace, “Intervention becomes necessary to avert or minimize these reactions.” Any sudden deterioration in cognitive function with worsened behavior should be considered as a warning that the patient may be physically ill and will act out.

Case Mix reimbursement operates on a weighted scale, the more resources needed to provide resident care, results in a higher CMI score and a higher reimbursement level. The Minimum Data Set (MDS) Assessment is used by states to collect objective data regarding a resident within specific timeframes, across multiple disciplines. When an MDS assessment is completed, a clinical score that reflects resident acuity is assigned. This clinical score, known as a Resource Utilization Group (RUG) level, correlates with direct care costs in a Case Mix reimbursement system.

Implementing systems that strengthen documentation of care provided and data capture in the MDS assessment, can have a significant impact on a provider’s Medicaid revenue.

A legacy is one’s tangible and intangible assets that are transferred to another and may be treasured as a symbol of the individual who is bequeathing it. The elderly should be encouraged to identify that which they would like to leave and who they wish their recipients to be. This process has great significance and tends to prepare one to “leave” with a sense of meaning.

Legacies can provide a feeling of continuation and tangible ties to their survivors. Legacies may range from memories to material bequests that will live on in the minds of others. The researcher Erikson’s seventh stage of man identifies the generative function as the main concern of the adult years and the last stage, the eighth, as that of reviewing with integrity or despair what one has accomplished.

According to a report in 2016 by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), at least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are family caregivers of someone aged 65 and older who has a significant impairment.

The importance of being a home health care provider has risen in the past years – so much that in the next ten years, 1.1 million people will be working on it. Although it is assumed that only people in bed are cared for, homecare providers provide services to so many patients.

Accidents happen all the time, but in-home accidents are one of the major causes of death for seniors. While a slip and fall accident can happen anywhere around the house, the bathroom is by far the most dangerous room for them. Considering slippery floors, showers that don’t have slip-resistant tiles, and don’t have a grab bar installed.

Nurse staffing shortages have escalated nationwide to such an extreme level they are now labeled a staffing crisis. Skilled nursing facilities have implemented wait lists, declined new admissions, and even closed units as a result of the staffing crisis.

While the nation is currently gripped by the pandemic, long-term care providers will absorb the ripple effects of the staffing crisis for years to come. Industry experts anticipate providers will see declined reimbursement, as well as increased federal auditing due to use of PHE waivers. In addition, providers should expect to see Five Star rating reductions for survey non-compliance related to infection control surveys, with zero tolerance resulting in immediate jeopardy tags. Five Star ratings for staffing may see effects from burnout, vaccine mandates and other constraints placed on healthcare workers.

The elderly, because of reasons of pride or because of mental impairment may not always state their problem or problems directly. Tolerance and patience may be required in teasing out the issues. Often a great deal of trust must be present before a frail elder will confide in a professional who may be caring for them.

Working with this group of older individuals simply takes more time to form a strong relationship to be effective. That relationship must also include a sincere and caring attitude. The older individual in return for that care may worry and want to give “gifts” of some sort to staff and caretakers. It is their way at an attempt of feeling less dependent and an attempt to have greater control over their situation.

With Call a Doctor Plus’ exclusive programs for ACHCA administrators, you’ll create higher value for your employees by offering 24/7 access to virtual healthcare services, when and where your team needs them.

Better care for staff translates to better care for patients, and with Call a Doctor Plus’ offerings, administrators now have the key to stabilizing their workforce. With this new partnership, Call a Doctor Plus is offering two programs that ACHCA members can offer to their employees at a discounted rate:

COVID-19 Vaccination Federal Mandate for Staff

COVID-19 has certainly taken taking its toll on the nursing home industry where staffing was a challenge even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent directive by the federal government that is mandating that all employees of skilled nursing facilities to be COVID-19 vaccinated on or about October 18th, 2021, (the estimated last day for final COVID-19 Vaccine shot on October 4, 2021) further compounds the staffing crisis and could result in significant negative ramifications to the clinical, financial, and operational performance of nursing facilities.

This new federal mandate comes shortly after the May 11th, 2021 regulation requiring nursing homes to report weekly the status of completed COVID-19 vaccinations for both residents and staff to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

In this article, I will be examining the concept of belonging, i.e. relationships with family, friends, and community as it relates to the aged individual.

There is a classic study by the researchers Lowenthal and Haven who qualify the importance of a caring relationship as a buffer against, what they declare “age-linked social losses.”

HHI is fielding many questions regarding the calculations for Length of Stay (LOS). Skilled nursing facilities across the country track the Clinically Anticipated Stay (CAS), otherwise known as Length of Stay (LOS), to determine the amount of days a patient resides in the nursing home. Data collection is the foundation for monitoring progress, but, in itself is a daunting task. CMS uses LOS in the SNF QRP program, for patients discharged to the hospital and for patients who return to the Emergency Room or hospital within 30 days of discharge from the SNF. The accuracy and consistency of these figures is critical for care, operations, outcomes and analysis.

What calculations are being used?

The peak years of creativity has been a subject of inquiry among many developmental psychologists. Kastenbaum, a social scientist, believes “the end of life often stimulates that creativity. It’s then when people who are about to jump into the void can sometimes be more creative and most able to transform their situation. At times like this, people can be tense, actually more alive.” Creativity can, in fact, triumph over the debilitation of an aging body as it has with many individuals.

The researcher Simonton has studied the aged and their creative genius and concludes that, “Creative productions are not necessarily tied to chronology but to successive acts of self-actualization.” A definition of self-actualization is “the full realization of one’s creative intellectual and social potential through one’s internal drive versus external drive like money, status, power” (Merriam Webster’s Dictionary).

Music therapy is an established, evidence-based concept that promotes the health goals within a therapeutic setting. Its benefits are recorded in numerous studies that recommend a personalized approach to conditions that include autism, brain injury, Alzheimer’s, pain management and more.

Music therapy benefits people of all ages, but especially the aged individual.

The importance of the field of geriatric Nursing, relies on the ability of the college educator to encourage student interest in the care of the aged patient. Educational resources are readily available and can be found in professional journals, textbooks, audio-visuals, face to face seminars, webinars and approved college curriculums.

Educators depend on various teaching strategies and learning modules that benefit the learner. One particular teaching strategy has the student write a narrative that helps her explore the experiences and decisions that first led her to Nursing as a chosen profession.

For the aging individual, exercise is associated with an array of benefits that support a longer life span. A recent study supports its connection to protecting and enhancing brain function. In 2016 scientists released their findings of a controlled trial study that investigated the effects of resistance training on cognitive function in older adults.

Resistance training, also called strength training, is exercise that employs weights, machines, bands or other devices that work key muscle groups. The researchers wanted to determine whether cognitive improvement occurred as a result of either increased aerobic capacity or increased muscle strengthening.

In early December, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2021, reflecting significant cuts to a variety of providers. Physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and speech-language pathology (SLP) were initially going to be impacted by a reimbursement reduction of approximately 9%. In late December, in response to intense advocacy by organizations representing the 37 professions affected by the cuts, Congress approved a new omnibus and COVID-19 relief package that reduced the planned cuts to approximately 3% and put the 2% sequestration reduction on hold. The omnibus bill sets the payment rate for CY2021, but the sequestration hold expires on March 31, 2021. At that point, the 2% sequestration reduction will return for all Medicare claims. While this is certainly an improvement over the proposed 9% cut, the new cuts will still prove to be unsustainable for many providers.

So how can you mitigate these reductions in your Part B therapy billings? A key aspect of mitigating these losses is the overall management of your therapy operation. There are some obvious and some not-so-obvious areas where mitigation may be possible. In this article, we will discuss four of them: Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) Policy, the Medicare 8-Minute Rule, Productivity, and Staff Education.

The emergence of a population group identified as the well elderly is the result of social and demographic progress in the industrial world. More elderly people are living longer and poverty, frailty and dependence are not necessarily the common characteristics attributed to most old people.

The future portends a healthier well elderly population who are better educated and physically as well as emotionally prepared. Society has, at present, begun utilizing their capabilities for the foreseeable future, thus guaranteeing a potentially rich human resource.

A classic study by the researchers Lowenthal and Haven, demonstrated the importance of a caring relationship as a buffer against “age linked social losses”. The maintenance of a stable intimate relationship was more closely associated with good mental health and high morale than a high level of activity or elevated role status.

In other words, one appears to be able to manage stresses if relationships are close and sustaining, and if they are not, prestige and keeping busy may not always prevent depression.

Do you know how your community views you? Beginning in October 2020, certain Quality Reporting Programs (QRP) measures are being publicly reported on Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare site. How do you compare to your competitors in these QRP measures? Continual review, analysis and adjustment of your practices is the key to depicting the stellar services you provide.

Newly publicized QRP measures include: