How Hurricane Sandy Affected East Coast LTC Facilities

The American Health Care Association has been in contact with LTC facilities on the East Coast that were affected by Hurricane Sandy and has these preliminary findings to report:

• About 900 residents were evacuated from facilities in New Jersey 
• 180 nursing home residents were moved from a facility in Long Island to one in Nassau County that was unaffected by the storm 
• Nursing homes in Westerly, Rhode Island and Waterbury, Connecticut also chose to evacuate their residents

To learn more, click here. 

NY DOH Issues Guidance To LTC Facilities On Preparing for Hurricane Sandy

With Hurricane Sandy barreling toward the East Coast, the New York Department of Health (DOH) has issued storm guidelines for healthcare facilities in the state.

The agency emphasizes that facilities should focus on making plans for residents who are dependent upon electrical equipment, including ventilators, dialysis units and oxygen concentrators.

They also recommend the following:

• Check that generators are functioning properly 
• Ensure that your facility has adequate fuel
• Make sure that you have adequate food and water supplies 

To learn more, click here. 

Aspirin May Extend Survival for Colon Cancer Patients

Aspirin's benefits have long been touted, and now it appears that we can add another one to the list. A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that aspirin can help prolong the lives of colon cancer patients - specifically, patients whose tumors had a mutated form of the PIK3CA gene.

Of the patients with the mutated gene who took aspirin, 97 percent were alive five years after receiving their colon cancer diagnosis. Only 76 percent of those with the mutation who didn't take aspirin were alive.

Colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States when men and women are considered separately. When they are grouped together, it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths.

To learn more, click here.

Green Tea Tied to Reduced Digestive System Cancers in Older Women

A study of more than 69,000 Chinese women found that older women who regularly drink green tea might have slightly lower risks of developing digestive system cancers.

The women, who drank green tea at least three times a week, were 14 percent less likely to develop colon, stomach or throat cancer.

The researchers also refer to "strong evidence" from other animal and human studies that seemed to point to green tea having the potential to fight cancer.

Green tea is considered safe in moderate amounts, but the tea and its extracts do contain caffeine, which some people need to avoid. Green tea also contains small amounts of Vitamin K, which can interfere with warfarin and other drugs that prevent blood clots. Older people are encouraged to talk to their doctors before using green tea as a health tonic.

To learn more, click here.

Fight Infections with Hand Hygiene

Infections are a major problem in long-term care facilities, with an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 infections per resident occurring annually. These infections account for up to half of all nursing home resident transfers to hospitals.¹

Infectious organisms can be transmitted either through direct contact (e.g., skin to skin) or indirect contact (for example, through air, water or inanimate objects).¹ One of the easiest and most effective ways to halt infections is through proper hand hygiene. 

Depending on the situation, hand hygiene can include either washing the hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. According to the CDC, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are appropriate for use when hands are not visibly soiled and before having direct contact with residents.² 

In addition to establishing hand hygiene policies and procedures for your employees, you might also want to consider placing hand sanitizer in high-traffic areas of your facility, where interaction among staff, residents, family members and guests can increase the likelihood of germ transmission. Hand sanitizers are also now available in convenient touch-free dispensers, which can be mounted on stands and placed throughout the building. Touch-free dispensers have been shown to increase hand hygiene compliance by 20.8 percent.³ 

Your ProMed territory manager is ready to talk to you about creating a comprehensive hand hygiene program! Give us a call at (800) 648-5190 or visit us online at www.promedsupply.com.

References
1 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. State Operations Manual. Appendix PP – Guidance to Surveyors for Long Term Facilities (Rev. 70, 01-07-11). Available at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107ap_pp_guidelines_ltcf.pdf. Accessed August 16, 2012. 

2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings: Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. MMWR.2002;51(RR-16). 

3 Larson EL, Albrecht S, O'Keefe M. Hand hygiene behavior in a pediatric emergency department and a pediatric intensive care unit: comparison of use of 2 dispenser systems. Am J Crit Care. 2005 Jul;14:304-11; quiz 312. 

Falls: Which Residents Are At Risk?

Falls can happen in a split second. While they can’t always be prevented, it’s important to know which of your residents are at an increased fall risk.

According to the CDC, residents are more likely to fall if they have the following traits^1:

•   Have muscle weakness and walking or gait problems (these residents account for almost a quarter of all falls in nursing homes)
• Take medications, including sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs
• Have difficulty moving from one place to another
• Have poor foot care or poorly fitting shoes
• Use walking aids improperly or incorrectly

Environmental risks, including wet floors, poor lighting, incorrect bed heights and improperly fitted or maintained wheelchairs, can also contribute to falls.

The CDC recommends implementing a fall prevention strategy that includes a combination of medical treatment, rehabilitation and environmental interventions that should be undertaken at the organizational, staff and resident levels. To learn more, click here.

Reference

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Falls in Nursing Homes. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Falls/nursing.html. Accessed October 8, 2012. 

Study: Residents Successfully Taking Risperdal Should Stay On It

Despite a recent push by regulators and LTC groups to reduce the use of antipsychotics in nursing homes, researchers are cautioning that taking residents off Risperdal might actually do more harm than good.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, noted that when dementia care residents were switched from taking Risperdal to taking a placebo, they were twice as likely to relapse compared to residents who remained on the medication. Additionally, the researchers found that the rates of side effects or death were not any higher in those who continued taking Risperdal.

To learn more, click here.