A Senate panel Thursday unanimously passed separate bills that would move the state’s aging services into a new agency, and would track the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in Georgia. Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford), who chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, said the two bills and a related resolution…
Hospital readmissions are bad for everyone. They’re obviously bad for discharged patients. No one wants to leave the hospital, get worse instead of better and then have to be hospitalized again. Readmissions are also bad for the hospitals involved, because they can be penalized by Medicare for a high readmission rate within 30 days of…
More than 900 U.S. nursing homes, including six in Georgia, have been listed by federal officials as not fully complying with a regulation to have automatic fire sprinklers in every patient area. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a memo to state officials last week on the sprinkler rule compliance. It did…
“It’s about people,” said U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat. Johnson was referring to proposed legislation (H.R. 1507) to provide enhanced services for those affected by dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. It’s the Health Outcomes, Planning, and Education Act, also known as the HOPE Act. If passed, the bill would provide Medicare coverage for clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and…
Georgia is ranked 43rd in a first-of-its-kind state ranking of seniors’ health status. Overall, Southern states scored low in the report from the nonprofit United Health Foundation. Tennessee came in 41st, Alabama 44th, Kentucky 45th, Arkansas 46th, Louisiana 48th and Mississippi 50th. The report focuses on 34 measures of senior health, including physical inactivity, obesity, self-reported…
Georgia nursing homes have cut their “off-label’’ use of antipsychotic medications by 16 percent, the biggest reduction in the nation, industry officials say. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has pushed for a decrease in the use of antipsychotics in managing dementia patients in nursing homes. Prescribing these drugs for behavior problems is considered…
Dianna Massey of Norcross says respite care greatly helped her family when her mother had Alzheimer’s disease. For years, “she was aggressive and combative,’’ Massey said. Before her mother died four years ago, her father was able to afford respite care – short-term help so the caregiver can have time off. Concerned about those who…
A loved one is having memory problems. Often he is confused about where he is – and he’s having trouble completing familiar tasks. Is it Alzheimer’s disease? Currently, neurologists diagnose Alzheimer’s based mainly on clinical symptoms. Added information can come from brain imaging, which tends to be expensive, or analysis of a spinal tap, which can…
Which nursing home is best for my loved one? Where should I get my surgery? Consumers often have no clue on choosing a health care facility for themselves or a loved one. Sometimes they’re guided by a physician. But having more data about the quality of care at a hospital or nursing home can allow a…
A new report ranks Georgia 42nd in the nation for long-term care services for older people and adults with disabilities. The report — produced by AARP, the Commonwealth Fund and The Scan Foundation — ranked the states and the District of Columbia in 25 categories, including hospitalization of nursing home residents, percentage of patients getting home…