A Glimmer of Hope for Celebrity Nursing Home in Danger of Closing

Supporters of the embattled Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, maintained by the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), are hoping that a change in leadership could help reverse the decision to close the facility, according to a report on hollywoodnews.com.

The MPTF was established in 1921 by stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks to assist their colleagues in the entertainment industry who had fallen upon hard times. The Motion Picture & Television Country House welcomes elderly individuals who worked in the entertainment industry, and fees are based solely on each person's ability to pay.

It was announced in January of 2009 that the facility would be closing because of operating deficits that it was estimated could bankrupt the MPTF in a few years. However, the leaders of Saving the Lives of Our Own, a group that has been fighting to keep the facility open, are hopeful that the election of a new MPTF chairman could help keep the facility open. Bob Pisano, who is currently the president and interim CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, has been elected to the chairman post.

Nancy Biederman, co-founder of Saving the Lives of Our Own, was quoted as saying "We look forward to working with Mr. Pisano for the good of the residents and the Motion Picture and Television Fund. We hope that he displays the leadership and vision that the Fund needs as well as an understanding of and appreciation for the historic mission of the MPTF."

To learn more, click here.

CMS Wants Nursing Home Feedback on Healthcare Reform

Have you felt like your voice has gone unheard during healthcare reform? If so, here's some welcome news - CMS is asking nursing homes for their feedback on any of the areas for which the Survey & Certification Group has full or partial responsibility.

On April 20, CMS sent letters out to nursing homes encouraging them to comment, make suggestions or express concerns on areas of healthcare reform legislation that will affect nursing homes, including:

• Section 6101: Disclosure of Ownership
• Section 6102: Ethics and Compliance Programs
• Section 6102: Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement Program
• Section 6103: Nursing Home Compare Website
• Section 6105: Standardized Complaint Form
• Section 6106: Ensuring Staffing Accountability
• Section 6111: Civil Money Penalties

Other areas of the healthcare reform law will require rule-making and will be addressed in a separate process managed primarily by the CMS Office of Clinical Standards and Quality.

CMS is requesting that feedback be sent to Jenny Filipovits at jenny.filipovits@cms.hhs.gov by Wednesday, May 5.

McKnight's Long-Term Care News obtained a copy of the letter and posted it on their website. You can download the letter here.

Home Health Care Costs Rising, But Not as Fast as Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities

A new study from Genworth Financial revealed that the costs of long-term care delivered in the home are rising, but not nearly as sharply as the costs of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

The study, titled "2010 Cost of Care Survey," contained the following key findings:

• For licensed homemaker services: The national median hourly rate is $18, which is an increase of 3.0% over 2009. There has been a five-year annual growth of 2.4%.
• For licensed home health aide services, the national median hourly rate is $19, and there was a 2.7% increase over 2009. The five-year annual growth rate is 1.7%.
• For adult day health care, the national median daily rate is $60, which represents a 12.0% increase over 2009. The five-year annual growth figure wasn't available.
• For a one-bedroom/single occupancy living area in an assisted-living facility, the national median monthly rate is $3,185, up 12.0% over 2009. There has been a five-year annual growth of 6.7%.
• For a semi-private room in a nursing home, the national median daily rate is $185, up 5.7% over 2009. The five-year annual growth is 4.6%.
• For a private room in a nursing home, the national median daily rate is $206, up 5.1% over 2009. The five-year annual growth is 4.5%.

To learn more about the study and review more in-depth findings, click here.

MRSA: It's Right Under (Or In) Our Noses

Research at Rhode Island Hospital revealed that one in five long-term care residents have MRSA colonized in their noses. This places those residents at a higher risk of developing an invasive MRSA infection, such as a bloodstream infection, pneumonia or a surgical site infection.

The study also found that the quantity of MRSA in individuals' noses varied widely, from three to 15 million colonies. A heavier colonization of MRSA is an independent risk factor for developing a surgical site infection.

Approximately 1 percent of the population carries some form of MRSA around in their noses. In addition to long-term care residents, rates also tend to be higher in HIV patients (16 percent), outpatient kidney dialysis patients (15 percent) and inpatient kidney dialysis patients (14 percent).

The researchers noted that the presence of MRSA in the nose does not necessarily indicate infection.

Census 2010: Have Your Residents Been Counted?

The deadline to return census information for your facility is fast approaching! Beginning May 1, census workers will pay a visit to those who have not returned their forms by mail.

Nursing home residents aren't expected to return forms for themselves. Instead, facilities should have been contacted by census workers to obtain the information they need from the facility's roster of residents.

Remember, the families of nursing home residents should leave the resident off their own census form, even if they believe the resident will later return to that address. Otherwise, the resident might be counted twice.

Seniors Should Steer Clear of 3D TVs

3D televisions are starting to hit the market, along with warnings that the TVs shouldn't find their way into seniors citizens' homes.

Samsung, one manufacturer of 3D TVs, released a list of individuals who should steer clear of watching television in 3D. In addition to the elderly, they also recommend that pregnant women, the sleep-deprived, people suffering from serious medical conditions and anyone under the influence of alcohol refrain from watching 3D TV. People who have a family history of epilepsy or strokes are also cautioned that exposure to flashing lights can cause seizures.

Samsung also recommends that viewers stop watching their televisions in 3D mode if they experience any of the following symptoms: altered vision, lightheadedness, dizziness, involuntary movements such as eye or muscle twitching, confusion, nausea, convulsions, cramps and disorientation.

Happy Earth Day! How Can You Help Your Facility "Go Green"?

In celebration of Earth Day, we've compiled a list of tips for "greening" your facility. These tips, and many more, can be found at at Health Care Without Harm's website.

Minimizing Waste

• Many long-term care facilities are surprisingly similar to office buildings - they produce a lot of paper, cardboard and food waste. Consider implementing programs that encourage employees to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Greening Your Cleaning Products

• Even though their job is to clean, a surprising number of cleaners and disinfectants can lead to poor indoor air quality and even negative effects on residents' health. Consider using less-toxic, environmentally friendly maintenance products.

Healthy Food That's Also Good for the Planet

• Many facilities are choosing to buy fresh food that is grown in the local community using sustainable methods.

Green Buildings

• Building a new facility or adding on to your current one? There are numerous ways to "green" a building. Health Care Without Harm provides tools and resources to get you started.

Buying Green

• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) encourages selecting products that are less toxic, minimally polluting, more energy efficient, higher in recycled content, packed in less packaging material, fragrance free and safer and healthier for residents, workers and the environment.

Obama: Hospitals Must Honor End-of-Life Wishes

President Obama has released a memo that protects the wishes of hospital patients on Medicare and Medicaid who are nearing the ends of their lives, according to an article that appeared on the online version of McKnight's Long-Term Care News.

Obama's memo, directed to the Department of Health and Human Services, asks the agency to "ensure that all hospitals participating in Medicare or Medicaid are in full compliance with regulations...to guarantee that all patients' advance directives, such as durable powers of attorney and health care proxies, are respected, and that patients' representatives otherwise have the right to make informed decisions regarding patients' care."

The memo also expands the rights of individuals to choose to see hospital visitors who are not family members.

ProMed Gets Dippy

On April 19, ProMed hosted our second employee cooking contest - Dip Day! We had 18 submissions, but in the end Customer Care Professional Team Leader Leanne Pavlich emerged the victor! The recipe for her scrumptious Reuben Dip will be featured in the next issue of Embrace. Make sure you pick up a copy and check it out! Haven't subscribed yet? It's easy and free! Simply visit http://www.embracethemagazine.com/ and click on the "Subscribe" link.

Study: Alzheimer's Patients Still Recall Emotions

Great news for caregivers and loved ones of people with Alzheimer's disease has come out of the University of Iowa. A new study found that even though patients might not be able to recall a joke or conversation, the warm feelings associated with those experiences can stick around and boost their mood.

These findings could have direct implications for the care that Alzheimer's patients receive, according to Justin Feinstein, the study's lead author. "A simple visit or or phone call from family members might have a lingering positive influence on a patient's happiness even though the patient may quickly forget the visit or phone call," said Feinstein. "On the other hand, routine neglect from staff at nursing homes may leave the patient feeling sad, frustrated and lonely even though the patient can't remember why."

During the study, researchers showed individuals with memory loss clips of happy and sad movies. Even though the participants couldn't recall what they had watched, they still retained the emotion that the clips stirred in them.

To learn more about the study, click here.

Bust a Move, Not a Hip: Dance Therapy Can Reduce Fall Risk for Seniors

It looks like Buzz Aldrin was on to something when he signed up for Dancing with the Stars! A recent study published in Nursing Administration Quarterly found that dance-based therapy can help improve gait and balance - two major fall risk factors - in the elderly.

The researchers, based at the University of Missouri, selected participants to take part in a dance-therapy program known as the Lebed Method three times a week for six weeks. The Lebed Method involves choreographed low-impact dance steps set to music.

More than half of the participants reported improvements in their gait and balance, suggesting that additional dance-based therapy would be useful in helping to decrease fall risk.

Can Hallucinogens Help Ease End-of-Life Anxiety? Some Researchers Just Say "Yes"

After years of "just say no" when it comes to drugs, it turns out that some scientists think it's not a bad idea to say "yes" - for people near their ends of their lives, that is.

According to an article posted on the online version of McKnight's Long-Term Care News, researchers are once again studying hallucinogens' ability to ease depression and anxiety, especially among hospice patients nearing death. Federal regulators put the kibosh on most legitimate clinical research on hallucinogens following the counter-culture movement of the '60s, but are now allowing it under very controlled circumstances.

One drug being researched is psilocybin, the psychotropic ingredient found in mushrooms. According to an article in The New York Times, subjects in a study on psilocybin reported that the drug created a "profound spiritual experience with lasting positive effects for most of them. None had had any previous experience with hallucinogens, and none were even sure what drug was being administered."

Many participants also felt "their egos and bodies vanishing as they felt part of some larger state of consciousness in which their personal worries and insecurities vanished," according to the Times article. Researchers think that this feeling of dissociation could help terminal patients overcome their fear of physical death and non-terminal depression sufferers reassess their attitudes and overcome anxieties.

To read the McKnight's article, click here. To read The New York Times article, click here.

Institute on Aging: Adult Day Health Care Helps Seniors Maintain Health, Independence

Since the '70s, adult day health care has been an alternative to nursing home care for seniors with chronic illnesses, disabilities or dementia - and a new study from the Institute on Aging (IOA) has found that it can play a vital role in helping seniors maintain their health and independence.

According to a press release from the IOA, "Adult day health care programs provide seniors living in the community with transportation to non-residential facilities where they receive health services, nutritious meals and social activities as many as five days per week, helping to prevent premature institutionalization and freeing family caregivers to work or attend to errands." These programs are also much less expensive than nursing home home care.

During the study, the IOA research team followed attendees of 16 San Francisco adult day health centers and comparable adults who didn't attend a day center. After a year, they found that day center attendees had significantly fewer problems with regular daily activities. The attendees also perceived an increase in their quality of life, which some researchers believe can result in better health and reduced health care utilization and mortality.

To learn more about the study, click here.

Mayo Clinic: Computer Use and Exercise Could Help Prevent Mild Cognitive Impairment

A team of researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that combining physical exercise and computer use could be beneficial in protecting against mild cognitive impairment, a brain disorder that affects the nerve cells involved in thinking abilities.

Earlier studies had established the value of exercise and computer use in helping to stave off cognitive impairment, but this new study found that combining the two creates even more beneficial results. In other words, study participants who both exercised and spent time on the computer saw greater benefits than participants who did just one or the other.

The study examined 926 individuals between the ages of 70 and 90. Of those, 109 had mild cognitive impairment and 817 were cognitively normal. The researchers used surveys to gather data on participants' physical exercise, cognitive activities (including computer use) and caloric intake over the course of a year. The results were then adjusted for age, sex, education, depression, other medical issues and caloric intake.

To learn more, click here.

Senate Ready to Vote on Bill Extending Medicare Physician Pay

The Senate is planning to vote this week on a bill - H.R. 4851 - that would again temporarily halt a 21.2% Medicare physician pay cut. The cut also has implications for Medicare Part B therapy rates for nursing homes.

On Monday night, senators voted to end debate and make their way toward a final vote on a package of bills that includes the Medicare physician pay cut freeze. If passed, higher payments would be extended through April 30. Medicare Part B therapy rates will remain in limbo until action is taken on physician pay.

To learn more, click here.

CMS Posts Revised MDS 3.0 Subsets, Additional Info

After remaining quiet on the MDS 3.0 front since January, CMS has released several MDS-related documents in the past few days. Head over to http://www.cms.gov/ to check out the following:

• On April 8, CMS posted an updated version of the MDS 3.0 subsets. You can download the zip file of these subsets here. The file lists the changes that have been made to each of the individual item subsets since the previously posted version.
• On April 9, CMS released a Q&A document to address questions that were asked during the March 2010 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Training in Baltimore. You can find that document (it's a savable PDF) here.
• On April 10, an updated MDS 3.0 implementation timeline was posted. You can download the PDF here.

Make a Wish!

We've all heard of organizations that step in to help grant wishes for terminally ill children - but did you know that there are also groups who do the same thing for senior citizens nearing life's end?

Jeremy Bloom's Wish of a Lifetime
One such organization, Jeremy Bloom's Wish of a Lifetime, makes wishes come true for low-income seniors. According to a letter from the group's founder, former NFL football player and two-time Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom, "Most elderly men and woman have something in their life that they have always wanted to do or see, but because the majority of their discretionary income and lifelong savings goes toward paying medical bills or other expenses, they are often not able to live out these dreams. The JBWOL foundation wish fulfillment program aims to change that, creating opportunities to ensure each of these very special wishes can come true."

The JWBOL has fulfilled wishes ranging from providing craft and scrapbooking supplies to sending a group of World War II and Korean War veterans to visit the war memorials in Washington, D.C.

Twilight Wish Foundation
The mission of the Twilight Wish Foundation is "to honor and enrich the lives of deserving seniors through wish granting celebrations that connect generations." Recently, the Twilight Wish Foundation has provided hearing aids to an elderly woman with profound hearing loss and organized a pregame tailgate party at a longtime Philadelphia Eagles fan's nursing home. The group grants wishes ranging from basic needs and comfort items to granting final wishes.

Forever Young
Founded in 2006, Forever Young's mission is to honor senior citizens by helping them fulfill their dreams and giving them hope for the future. Among granting other wishes, the organization has helped an elderly mother travel to meet her dying son, arranged for a WWII pilot to sit in a modern airplane and discuss technology changes, arranged a first-ever date for a 79-year-old paralyzed woman, provided an electronic wheelchair to a man with only one functioning arm and leg, granted a final romantic vacation to a husband and wife of 63 years and helped a Pearl Harbor survivor return to Hawaii to be reunited with his ship and fallen comrades.

Each organization's Web site - we've provided links to all of them - post wish applications online. We encourage you to visit each site to learn more about honoring a beloved senior citizen!

Seniors Who Delay Retirement Will Help Boost Medicare and Social Security

A new study from the nonprofit RAND Corporation revealed that the unprecedented increase in the number of older Americans who delay retirement will likely help ease the financial woes facing both Social Security and Medicare.

According to RAND researchers, older Americans began delaying retirement in the late 1990s, a trend that will likely continue and even accelerate over the next 20 years. This is great news for Social Security and Medicare because as more and more Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age, they're leaving proportionately fewer people in the workforce to pay taxes and support the social programs that help provide a safety net for older Americans.

So why are older Americans extending their stay in the workforce? RAND points out several reasons:

• American workers have gained more education, which has enabled them to find jobs that are more fulfilling, not as physically demanding and for which they are paid more.
• There are more dual-earner couples in the workplace, and couples tend to retire together. Since many men are the older half of a couple, they tend to stay in the workforce longer to accommodate their wives' careers.
• They want to earn additional income.
• They have improved health, which allows them to work longer.
• As life expectancy rises, many employees extend their work lives in order to accumulate enough wealth to provide for their needs during old age.

Because this trend could lead to massive benefits for the nation, lawmakers are now considering reforms that would dismantle barriers that discourage older people from remaining employed - for example, measures in some pension plans that penalize recipients who continue working. They're also examining changes that would encourage employers to hire older workers.

To learn more, click here.

Study: Intentional Weight Loss Not Harmful to Seniors After All

For years, it's been a widely held belief that intentional weight loss in seniors leads to an increased risk of death - but new research from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is turning that theory on its ear.

According to researchers, seniors who intentionally exercise and/or modify their diets to lose weight are actually half as likely to die within eight years as their peers who don't work toward weight loss. It's a finding that one of the study's authors describes as "unusually strong and surprising."

Overall, the intervention (weight loss) group in the study saw half as many deaths within eight years as the non-weight-loss group.

A seasoned gerontologist cautioned that the size of the study was relatively small and that the results should be confirmed in other trials, but added that the findings were sufficient enough to rule out significant excess risk due to intentional weight loss.

To learn more about the study, click here.

Study: Many Seniors Will Lose the Ability to Make Their Own Health Decisions, Would Benefit from Advance Directives

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a large proportion of seniors will eventually be unable to make their own healthcare decisions and might want to consider creating an advance directive to ensure that they receive care consistent with their wishes.

The study's authors, based at the University of Michigan, reviewed the records of 3,746 seniors (aged 60 or older) who died between 2000 and 2006. Of those subjects, 42.5 percent needed healthcare decisions made. Of that 42.5 percent, 70.3 percent lacked the capacity to make decisions for themselves. Of the 70.3 percent, 67.6 percent had advance directives. The seniors who prepared advance directives were more likely to want limited care or comfort care than aggressive life-prolonging care.

The authors found that patients who prepared advance directives received care that was strongly associated with their preferences, supporting the continued use of advance directives.

To view the study's abstract, click here.

FDA: Millions of Unapproved Nitroglycerin Tablets Distributed

According to an article in the New York Times, U.S. doctors wrote more than four million prescriptions for nitroglycerin tablets last year, but many of the drugs sold were not approved for sale, nor had their safety and effectiveness been determined by the FDA.

Nitroglycerin tablets are heart drugs that are placed under the tongue in order to reduce chest pain angina or to stop a heart attack. The tablets in question are manufactured by Glenmark Generics and Konec Inc. The only FDA-approved nitroglycerin tablet is marketed by Pfizer Inc.

The FDA sent letters to Glenmark Generics and Konec Inc. ordering them to stop marketing the unapproved tablets. The companies agreed to comply with the order, but argued that their tablets were safe.

According to the article, many doctors only recently discovered that pharmacies were giving their patients the unapproved nitroglycerin tablets and are concerned that patients might have suffered unnecessarily as a result. The FDA is urging patients who take the unapproved nitroglycerin tablets to continue taking them but consult their doctors about replacement prescriptions.

To view the original New York Times article, click here.

Happy Easter!

ProMed is closed today in observance of Good Friday. From our team to your family, we wish you a wonderful and blessed Easter!

Barnes Foundation Helps Local Families Have a Happy - and Tasty - Easter

On March 30, the Barnes Foundation helped ensure that hundreds of local families will have a happy – and delicious – Easter.

The foundation paired with MorningStar Mission of Joliet, a non-denominational organization that serves the less fortunate members of the community. MorningStar was preparing to distribute Easter baskets to needy local families, and the Barnes Foundation offered to purchase the centerpiece of the baskets – the hams. The foundation donated 300 hams, totaling nearly 5,000 pounds. The donation was generous enough to feed MorningStar patrons for another week beyond Easter.

Four members of the Barnes family – Janet, Matt and Chris Barnes and Amy Gollan – were on hand to help assemble and distribute the Easter baskets.

“We were very impressed by the organization and their focus on rehabilitating lives rather than just helping people in the moment,” said Barnes Foundation President Amy Gollan.