Contemporary Long Term Care articles from January 2005

Contemporary Long Term Care archives from January 2005

Ageless challenges in 2005 amid new year's resolutions.(Perspective)
January 1, 2005... Welcome to 2005, which promises to be a busy year for us all. My wife and I recently celebrated her birthday. I won't divulge her age, but none of us is getting younger. Still, I'm amazed at how many of the challenges facing the nation's...

California delays start of stricter nurse-patient ratio law.(Front Page)
January 1, 2005... As California's acute care hospitals start a three-year reprieve from implementation of a tougher nurse staffing law, their cousins in the long term care industry are watching from the sidelines to see if a trickledown effect reaches their...

TennCare program hangs in balance as governor threatens its elimination.(Front Page)
January 1, 2005... Nursing home owners in Tennessee are taking a "wait and see" attitude as sides have been chosen in the battle about whether to end TennCare, the state's enormous, controversial and costly health insurance program for the poor, disabled and...

Dementia common among Maryland AL residents, but treatment isn't.(Front Page)
January 1, 2005... Your resident in an assisted living facility has a good chance of developing develop dementia--and your staff may not properly handle it. That's the conclusion reached by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in their recent...

CLTC survey finds elderly are most likely to object to neighborhood facilities.(Contemporary Long Term Care telephone survey)
January 1, 2005... Consider this scenario: residents of a middle-class neighborhood hear about plans to build an assisted living facility near their homes. Almost everyone in the neighborhood thinks it's a great idea. Everyone, that is, except for the oldest...

Social Security reform: what it could mean for long term care.(Capital Beat)
January 1, 2005... The election was barely over when President Bush sounded a drumbeat on Social Security reform. Privatized accounts. Raising the retirement age. Gradual change. All these topics and others were bandied about as quickly as images in a movie...

Study: dental plaque can be fatal to nursing home residents.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Better make sure your nursing home residents brush their teeth: bad dental hygiene can lead to infected... lungs, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Buffalo in New York. What's worse is the disease--pneumonia--can...

Cost of staying in U.S. AL facility rises to $30,288 per year.(assisted living facilities)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Assisted living facilities now cost residents an average of $2,524 per month or $30,288 per year, according to the MetLife Mature Market Institute's latest annual market survey. The 2004 survey average reflects a 6.1 percent increase from...

Pressure ulcers and infection among chief concerns in 2005.(Centres for Medicare and Medicaid guidelines)
January 1, 2005... Samantha Deveraux had a challenging resident with a bit of a foul mouth, or at least he didn't mind putting a touch of color into his comments. When Deveraux, the director of nursing at United Methodist Home of Enid (Okla.) had begun to order...

A unit of young blood the industry faces aging leadership.(Management)
January 1, 2005... Jeremy Kiley still remembers his first day as a facility administrator, where he walked into the Alpina, Mich., nursing home's dining room, stood at the podium, greeted his staff and outlined his vision for the 152-bed long term care center....

Extendicare branches out, buying Assisted Living Concepts for $280m.(Market Watch)(Extendicare Health Services)
January 1, 2005... Extendicare Health Services Inc., one of the industry's largest nursing home providers, has decided to boost its profile in the assisted living sector by buying Assisted Living Concepts Inc., one of the nation's largest assisted living...

NeighborCare revenues jump $200 million in fiscal 2004.(Transactions)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... In its first year as a stand-alone company, Baltimore-based NeighborCare Inc. posted adjusted net revenue of $1.5 billion for fiscal year 2004. a 10.2 percent gain from the $1.3 billion earned in fiscal 2003 as part of Genesis HealthCare Corp....

Five Star Quality Care finalizes deal with LTA Holdings.(Transactions)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Newton, Mass.-based Five Star Quality Care Inc. has completed a $211 million acquisition of Nashville, Tenn.-headquartered LTA Holdings Inc., Five Star recently announced. The deal includes 47 senior living communities with 2,636...

National Senior Care wraps up merger with Mariner Health.(Transactions)(NCARE Acquisition Corp., the subsidiary of National Senior Care Inc. merges with Mariner Health Care Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Atlanta-based Mariner Health Care Inc.'s board of directors have approved a proposed merger between the company and NCARE Acquisition Corp., the subsidiary of National Senior Care Inc., Mariner officials announced. Completion of the merger...

Study: sedate seniors lack proper diet, exercise.(Research)
January 1, 2005... Older Americans are aware of the benefits of a healthy diet and a more active lifestyle. Yet, they're still eating too much and not exercising enough. That could mean an influx of people with health problems when the time comes for long term...

Feeding assistants: based on logic or way off base?(Nutrition)
January 1, 2005... A resident eats her meal with assistance at a skilled nursing facility in Wisconsin. At the same time, another eats hers in a nearby Michigan facility. What's the difference? Aside from the meal itself, the resident in Wisconsin could receive...

Do seniors spend more for IL? The true costs of retirement communities.(Marketing)(Living industry)
January 1, 2005... For years the senior living industry has been dealing with the perception that, while independent living monthly service fees were affordable to 30 to 40 percent of seniors age 75-plus, these residents paid a premium to enjoy the benefits of an...