Specialty Seating Solutions

Optima Products’ healthcare chairs and accessories are designed to provide therapeutic benefits while meeting the unique needs of high-risk residents. The chairs are constructed to meet rigorous institutional standards but styled to complement a home-like environment.

Featured products include:

• The Dyn-Ergo Scoot Chair is a welcome alternative to a standard geri-chair, wheelchair or room chair. It provides safer foot propulsion for people who are at risk of falling in a conventional wheelchair.
• The Evolution Mobility Chair has center-mounted wheels and adjustable seat height and depth, making it easy to maneuver and propel with one’s arms, feet or both. 
• The Thera-Glide safety glider allows residents to benefit from the therapeutic effects of a rocking chair while minimizing the risk of falls during transfer. Its patented automatic-locking system prevents rocking while entering or exiting the chair. 
• The Comp-Position chair responds to the needs of individuals requiring support and positioning during periods of extended sitting. Its tilt action helps reduce pressure for better skin management. 

To learn more about any of these products or our complete line of equipment and furnishings, contact your ProMed territory manager, give us a call at (800) 648-5190 or visit us online at promedsupply.com.

Study: Blood Test Can Predict Alzheimer's Disease

Researchers have developed a blood test that is astonishingly accurate at predicting a healthy individual's likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease.

During the study, the researchers tested the blood of hundreds of healthy people for lipids, a byproduct of DNA and RNA. Five years into the study, 28 of the people they tested had developed Alzheimer's. The researchers examined the lipids of these 28 seniors and found that they had low levels of 10 particular lipids when compared with healthy seniors. To confirm their findings, they then looked at the blood of 54 other people who had Alzheimer's or mild cognitive impairment and found that those individuals also had low levels of the lipids in question.

The test was able to catch Alzheimer's disease before the individual was exhibiting any symptoms, suggesting that the disease begins to develop long before people's memories begin to fail. The lead researcher suggested that perhaps lipid levels start decreasing at the same time that brain cells start dying.

Although a great deal of work still needs to be done, the developers hope the test will one day be available in doctors' offices and replace current testing methods that are often expensive, unreliable, impractical and sometimes risks, such as PET scans and spinal taps. It will likely be quite a while before the test finds its way to physicians as it still needs to be validated by other labs and with larger groups of people.

To learn more, click here.

Drink To Your Health!

We keep hydration top-of-mind during the warm summer months, but it's just as important to stay hydrated once the weather turns cooler. According to CMS tag F327, facilities must "provide each resident with sufficient fluid intake to maintain proper hydration and health."1

To determine how much fluid a resident should consume on a daily basis, CMS recommends multiplying the resident’s body weight in kg (2.2 lbs = 1 kg) by 30 cc, except for residents with renal or cardiac distress (these individuals can be harmed by having an excess of fluids in their bodies). Using drinking cups with gradation marks can help you keep track of how much liquid a resident is consuming.

The following strategies from CMS can help residents stay hydrated throughout the day1: 

• Offer a variety of fluids (water, fruit juice, milk, etc.) between meals and encourage residents as appropriate
• Serve additional beverages with meals to help increase fluid intake
• Make sure filled water pitchers and drinking cups are easily accessible to residents
• Offer alternate fluid sources, such as popsicles, gelatin and ice cream

ProMed offers drinking cups and pitchers for use throughout your facility. To learn more, contact your ProMed territory manager, give us a call at 800.648.5190 or visit us online at promedsupply.com.

Reference

1 State Operations Manual. Appendix PP – Guidance to Surveyors for Long Term Care Facilities. Rev. 70, 01-07-11. Available at: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107ap_pp_guidelines_ltcf.pdf. Accessed Septmeber 25, 2013.

Study: Alzheimer's Deaths Rank Just Below Heart Disease, Cancer

A new study suggests that Alzheimer's disease may lead to half a million deaths a year, a figure that would put it right below heart disease and cancer.

Last year, 83,000 deaths were attributed to Alzheimer's, landing it at sixth place on the list of America's top killers. However, the researchers involved with the study found that death certificates commonly underreport deaths from Alzheimer's and dementia and instead tend to list the more immediate causes of death, such as pneumonia or heart attack. Alzheimer's, as an underlying cause of death, is frequently left off the death certificate.

Based on their findings, the researchers estimate that Alzheimer's could overtake cancer as a leading cause of death within the next 20 years.

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Click here to learn more.

DEA Proposes Additional Controls for Hydrocodone Medications

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has proposed moving hydrocodone combination drugs, such as Vicodin, from Schedule III to Schedule II classification, which would place tighter controls on prescription refills and make it possible to impose administrative, civil and criminal sanctions on people who mishandle the drugs.

According to the DEA, the action is prompted in part by too much of the medication being diverted away from the people who need it and because many people are endangering themselves by choosing to take the drugs on their own initiative rather than according to medical advice from their doctors.

Several long-term care groups have spoken out against the reclassification, arguing that it will make it more difficult for residents with chronic pain to receive the medications.

Click here to read the complete proposed rule.

Get Moving Into Spring

After an especially brutal winter, many of us are feeling the onset of spring fever and are yearning to spend some time outdoors. Now is the perfect time to ensure that your residents have the mobility aids they need to remain active and independent this spring and beyond.

Tag F246, Accommodation of Needs, requires facilities to provide “furniture and adaptive equipment that enable residents to stand independently, transfer without assistance, maintain body symmetry, participate in resident-preferred activities and promote mobility and independence for residents in going to the bathroom.”1

Of course, the benefits of enhancing resident mobility go far beyond ensuring compliance with F tags. According to the Advancing Excellence campaign, mobile residents have stronger muscles and bones, which make them less likely to suffer fractures in the event of a fall. They also have improved heart and lung function, sleep better and are more alert. Additionally, mobile residents are more independent during activities of daily living and are less likely to be socially isolated.2

ProMed offers a suite of mobility products from leading manufacturers, including the following innovative items:

• The Lumex Uprise Onyx Folding Walker, a combination folding walker and rising aid, has secondary handles that provide stability while residents move from a seated to standing position. 
• Our lightweight aluminum transfer chair weighs just 19 pounds but supports residents weighing up to 300 pounds. Its back folds down for easy storage and transport. 
• The Spitfire EX three-wheeled compact travel scooter includes interchangeable color panels in red, blue and silver. It has a top speed of 5 mph and can travel nine miles before needing to be recharged. 
• Our aluminum rollator features a fold-up removable back support, padded seat and 6” casters with loop locks. Its soft-grip tires are ideal for both indoor and outdoor use. 

To learn more about these products and our complete line of Equipment Solutions, contact your territory manager, give us a call at (800) 648-5190 or visit us online at promedsupply.com.

References 

1. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. State Operations Manual. Appendix PP – Guidance to Surveyors for Long Term Care Facilities (Rev. 70, 01-07-11). Available at: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/som107ap_pp_guidelines_ltcf.pdf. Accessed February 24, 2014. 
2. Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes. Mobility. Available at: https://www.nhqualitycampaign.org/star_index.aspx?controls=mobilityexploregoal. Accessed February 24, 2014. 

CMS Adds Quality Data to Physician Compare Site

On February 21, CMS announced that quality data has been added to the Physician Compare website. The site is designed to help consumers make informed choices regarding their physicians.

The data is reported at the group practice and ACO levels of Physician Compare. Quality measures that were added to the site are:

• Controlling blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes
• Controlling blood pressure in patients with diabetes
• Prescribing aspirin to patients with diabetes and heart disease
• Patients with diabetes who do not use tobacco
• Prescribing medicine to improve the pumping action of the heart in patients who have both heart disease and certain other conditions

The provider ratings are displayed using stars (the more stars, the better rating) as well as an actual percentage score. 

To learn more, click here.