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Complimentary NPUAP Webinars.

On February 20, 2018 NPUAP offered a free webinar presented by Scott Matthew Bolhack, MD, MBA, CMD, CWS, FACP, FAAP and Janet Cuddigan, PhD, RN, CWCN, FAAN and moderated by Joyce A. Pittman, PhD, ANP-BC, FNP-BC, CWOCN.

Dr. Bolhack’s and Dr. Cuddigans’s webinar, titled Frequently Asked Questions About Pressure Injury Staging  is now available for viewing  on  the NPUAP website. Handouts and course information are  also available.

To access this and other complimentary webinars, go to http://www.npuap.org/resources/educational-and-clinical-resources/complimentary-educational-webinars/

Wearable rehabilitation technology awarded $1.6 million grant.

APDM Wearable Technologies has been awarded a National Institute on Aging SBIR Phase II grant totaling $1.6 million to commercialize a real-time biofeedback system. With this funding, APDM will develop the industry’s first over-ground gait biofeedback rehabilitation system utilizing both visual and auditory biofeedback so patients can rehabilitate in a real-world setting, according to a recent press release.

Existing technology like instrumented treadmills have an entry price of $80,000, restrict patients to straight walking at a fixed speed, and alter biomechanics in a way that does not translate back to daily activity. Not only will this novel biofeedback system be a fraction of the cost, but patients will be able to walk in diverse, real-world settings at a self-selected pace, which is crucial for re-training gait for sustained results.

Over 300 patients with various types of gait disturbances will be recruited for a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the biofeedback system in a physical therapy clinic. Northwest Rehabilitation Associates will manage data collection throughout the clinical trial, Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) Balance Disorder Lab will conduct scientific validation, and APDM will concentrate on technological development and analytics.

Read the full story in the press release.

Seniors Slow to Embrace Online Access to Doctors

People over 65 were more likely than those in their 50s and early 60s to say they don’t like using the computer to communicate about their health. They were also more likely to voice discomfort with technology in general.

Read the whole article at https://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/behavior-health-news-56/seniors-slow-to-embrace-online-access-to-doctors-734329.html

Celebrate National Skilled Nursing Care Week: May 13-19, 2018

Established by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) in 1967 and always beginning on Mother’s Day, National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW) provides an opportunity to recognize the role of skilled nursing care centers in caring for America’s seniors and individuals with disabilities.

The 2018 NSNCW theme announced by AHCA, “Celebrating Life’s Stories”, serves as a tribute to life’s most significant events, relationships and experiences that shape the unique perspectives of residents, families, staff, and volunteers in long term and post-acute care. ​

From May 13-19, 2018, centers will be encouraged to collect individual narratives to cultivate a shared sense of purpose at the center and in the surrounding community.

Skilled nursing care centers and members of the public can now download the 2018 NSNCW toolkit, which includes promotional resources to help increase engagement and participation during the observance by going to  https://www.ahcancal.org/events/national_skilled_nursing_care_week/Pages/default.aspx

Additional promotional materials available include graphics and a one-page flyer, as well as a planning guide and product catalog focused on “Celebrating Life’s Stories”, which is available for download here. Skilled nursing care centers and members of the public may visit the AHCA store directly here to purchase 2018 products.

Please feel free to follow us on Facebook here​ and share activity ideas for the observance on social media with the hashtag, #NSNCW.

Prepared Nurses Improve Outcomes.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that having more nurses prepared with at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the bedside improved the likelihood of positive outcomes for all patients, but it had a much greater effect for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Dr. Elizabeth White and her colleagues from the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and the University of Pennsylvania Health System are the first to examine the effects of clinician education on surgical outcomes for patients with ADRD.

RNs with Strong Gerontological Nursing Skills Help Reduce Rehospitalizations.

Research conducted by AHCA/NCAL in 2016 found that the rehospitalization rates in nursing facilities with at least one RN certified in gerontological nursing by the ANCC consistently have run at least two percentage points lower than the national average since 2011. AHCA/NCAL believes that assisted living settings may experience similar results by increasing their RNs’ gerontological expertise.

Read more at: http://www.longtermcareleader.com/2018/04/rns-with-strong-gerontological-nursing.html

Time is running out on the highly popular spring sale on AHCA/NCAL Gero Nurse Prep. Save $100 off the regular registration fee now through April 30 by using promo code QUALITY18 (all caps).