Dr. Joyce Black, Associate Professor at the UNMC College of Nursing, and faculty contributor to Gero Nurse Prep, was recently recognized for both clinical and advocacy expertise.
Objectives:
Compare and contrast the patient risk factors for pressure ulcer development that match support surface characteristics used for prevention
Explain the benefits to use of a low air loss or microclimate management surface, an alternating pressure surface and a continuous low pressure surface for the treatment of pressure ulcers
Describe how to determine if the support surface is working
Describe how to develop an algorithm for the facility to use support surfaces
We are engaged in a battle to reduce the unnecessary use of antipsychotics to control behavior in our long term care facilities, favoring the use of behavioral interventions instead. Turns out that our struggles in this effort are not unique to the United States.
Nearly two out every five European elders who suffer from dementia are being given antipsychotic drugs, a new study has found. Click HERE to read more.
2014 NNFA/NALA Fall Convention
September 16, 2014 | Booth #71
La Vista Conference Center
12520 Westport Parkway
I-80 Exit #442
La Vista, NE.
402-331-7400
Special Offer!
We are offering $100 off the course fee to people who will visit the GNP booth#71 and get the code at GNP booth#71 during the convention. The offer will be valid from September 16, 2014 and expires on December 31, 2014.
Geriatrics would be a good deal easier if every older person suffered from just one medical condition. But most elderly people have more than one chronic disease and the older they are, the more chronic conditions they are likely to have. Since “multiple chronic conditions” is a mouthful, researchers coined the term “multimorbidity,” an only slightly less awkward way of expressing what is probably one of the most critical features of geriatric existence. It’s so critical because the best medical treatment, known as “evidence-based medicine,” is founded on studies of patients who don’t have multimorbidity at all. They are generally perfectly healthy except for the single disease being studied. So when we tell a patient that “studies show’ that blood pressure should be below 140 and that the best medication to take if the blood pressure is elevated is a diuretic, we mean that if the only problem is high blood pressure, then taking the diuretic is the best way to lower the risk of bad outcomes such as strokes and heart attacks. But if the patient also has another chronic condition, say Parkinson’s disease, which is being treated with the medication L-dopa (Sinemet), then giving that patient a diuretic to lower blood pressure could backfire—long before any heart attacks or strokes were prevented, the patient might fall down (both L-dopa and diuretics contribute to sudden falls in blood pressure when a person stands up) and break a hip. Simply assuming it makes sense to apply multiple guidelines to a patient with multiple problems can result in medication lists a mile long that cost a fortune and that cause more problems than they solve. So multimorbidity is a big deal in geriatrics. Now, for the first time, multimorbidity is getting the attention it deserves.
Image Source: Google Images
A couple of years ago, the American Geriatrics Society set up a task force to develop an approach to multimorbidity for physicians. This group generated a report that lays out the basic principles that should underlie care for a patient with multiple chronic conditions. And a recent symposium brought together physicians and researchers from a variety of backgrounds to come up with strategies for generating a better evidence base, for designing new guidelines, and for carrying out appropriate systematic reviews for patients with multimorbidity. The results of the symposium are published as 3 articles along with an editorial in the April issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
According to WashingtonTimes.com- President Obama’s mendacious political promise, “If you like your health care plan, you can keep it,” continues to cast a long and disturbing shadow of doubt and confusion over millions of Americans who have lost coverage as a result of Obamacare. As 2014 unfolds, the most vulnerable senior citizens — those who receive home health care services — are about to learn they are out of luck. Obamacare opens a trap door under them, leaving this elderly population in freefall — with many citizens losing access to home health care.
Image source: Google Images
Add another compelling reason to reverse Obamacare. Whether by accident or intention, the “Affordable Care Act” empirically strips America’s oldest and poorest cohort, all part of the World War II generation, of this basic coverage. Here is how.
A major study has found that nursing fall offs is the cause of higher patient death rates in hospitals.26 February, 2014 | By The Press Association
According to the data from 300 European hospitals in nine countries the risk of death within a month of surgery is 7% for every extra patient added to a nurse workload. The research showed that poorly qualified nurse has made the situation even worse. According to the researchers the highest risk of death after surgery was found in hospitals where nurses with lower levels of education cared for the most patients.
The Lancet journal, included figures for 30 English hospitals showing that on average every one of their nurses looked after around nine patients. Increase in 10% of nurses who are holding bachelor degree is associated with 7% decrease in surgical death rates.
In some other countries the patient-to-nurse ratio was significantly smaller. Researchers considered number of factors such as nurse workload, education and patient outcomes which can impact the result. These included factors such as the age and sex of patients, types of surgical procedure, chronic conditions, and the kind of technology available in a hospital.
“This research comprehensively rebuts the myth that degree-level education for nurses is a retrograde step” Professor Ieuan Ellis
The “Using RN Continuing Education as a Weapon Against Rising Costs and Threats to Quality” webinar on Tuesday, March 18, from 2-3pm EST will focus on how the current LTC environment can be improved by an intentional, comprehensive continuing education program for RNs that prepares them to achieve Board Certification.
The modest investments LTC facility administrators have made in this program have had a positive impact on the LTC RN workforce, their effectiveness on the job, and their RN turnover rate in a LTC environment characterized by rising acuity of LTC patients, tighter reimbursements, and more stringent regulations. Administrators are finding that the benefits of this program to their residents and financial bottom line far outweigh its costs.
In 2010, 40 million Americans were age 65 or older. By 2050 that number is expected to jump to 88 million. Among these older citizens, only three in 10 will never receive long-term care services. The majority will get such care—though not necessarily in a nursing home or assisted living facility. The current definition of long-term care includes services provided in the home by family members or paid caregivers. Adult day-care is also considered a form of long-term care.
The cost will be huge. In addition to the increase in the number of people over 65, the number of people 85 and older is also predicted to jump dramatically. This is the “frail elderly” group most likely to need long-term care. In 2010 there were 5.5 million of these older people, but by 2050 there will likely be 19 million.
These demographic shifts raise two questions. How will the nation decide to pay for that care? Will it be given in different ways and settings?
66% of people 65 and older can’t pay for even a year in a nursing home.
The demand for long-term care services will explode as the population ages and more people live longer with chronic conditions. Who will pay for these services and how will they be delivered?
ANCC Board Certified Nurses get $200 off on registration rates. It gives you opportunity to connect with your peers, participate in expert-led, hands-on sessions and learn about the newest nursing standards and best practices in health care. You can also choose your educational track. Don’t miss this exceptionally precious offer. Register now and and get your $600 special registration rate!
