Contemporary Long Term Care articles from March 2005

Contemporary Long Term Care archives from March 2005

Divine inspiration for the coming spring.(PERSPECTIVE)(Editorial)
March 1, 2005... Has the daily Social Security reform debate, the ongoing Medicare prescription drug benefit battle, or the staggering Medicaid budget tussles all over the country left you feeling lost and befuddled? You re not alone. The new year has...

Exclusive CLTC research: Americans prefer faith-based facilities.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... No one doubts the prominence of quality care when a family determines which long term care facility is best for their loved one. For nearly three out of every five people (59 percent), however, a facility's faith-based connection--either in...

The disposable facility don't clean it, just replace it.(HOUSEKEEPING & MAINTENANCE)(using disposable items)
March 1, 2005... Larry Strawser used to dread "move-out" day at his assisted living facility. Such days always made any "accidents" on the carpet immediately apparent, as residents removed their belongings. That almost always meant a day spent tearing out...

FY'06 Medicare payments to LTCs could rise 3.1%.(THE NEWS)
March 1, 2005... Long term care facilities could receive a 3.1 percent increase in Medicare reimbursement payments for the 2006 fiscal year, pending a final ruling by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) later this spring. That's up from a zero...

Annual LTC costs top $72,000 in new survey.(THE NEWS)(long term care)
March 1, 2005... If you thought it was already tough convincing consumers to engage in away-from-home long term care, brace yourselves: a year's worth of long term care services anywhere cost a mere $72,240 in 2004, according to a new survey by Richmond,...

State tosses complaints against Arizona AL managers.(THE NEWS)(Arizona State Board of Examiners of Nursing Care Institution Administrators and Assisted Living Facility Managers)
March 1, 2005... An Arizona board responsible for handling complaints about assisted living (AL) facilities threw out more than 86 percent of the cases citing poor management during a three-year period. The reason: untimely investigations, according to a state...

View from the hill.(upcoming health care industry acts before congress)
March 1, 2005... NURSING HOMES Bill: H.R. 215 Title: Allied Health Professions Reinvestment Act of 2005 Summary: Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide for the education and training of health professionals in exchange for a service...

Second trial raises punitive award against Sunrise to $30m.(MARKET WATCH)(Sunrise Senior Living Inc. sued by CGB Occupational Therapy Inc.)
March 1, 2005... If at first you don't succeed, you might really get burned the next time. That's the case with Sunrise Senior Living Inc., which was hit with a $30 million judgment for punitive damages in a recent lawsuit by an occupational therapy...

Extendicare, ALC merge.(Transactions)(Assisted Living Concepts Inc)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Shareholders of Dallas-based Assisted Living Concepts Inc., (ALC) approved a $278 million merger with Markham, Ontario-headquartered Extendicare Inc., the companies reported in early February. Under the deal, Extendicare acquired all...

Sunrise Senior Living acquires The Fountains for $508 million.(Transactions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... McLean, Va.-based Sunrise Senior Living Inc., began 2005 by acquiring The Fountains Continuum of Care Inc., a Tucson, Ariz.-headquartered owner and operator of senior living communities. Purchase price was $508 million, Sunrise reported. ...

Cambridge closes $191.5m in senior housing loans in 2004.(Transactions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Chicago-based Cambridge Realty Capital Companies closed $191.5 million in senior housing and health-care loans in 2004, finishing just behind the firm's record-breaking $216.6 million volume of 2003, Chair Jeffrey Davis reported. Davis...

Aging in place challenges assistance in IL.(MARKETING)(independent living communities)
March 1, 2005... This is Part I of a two-part series on resident aging in place within independent living communities. Part I defines the situation, along with key opportunities and challenges. Part II will address some possible solutions to this serious...

Is that what your residents ordered?(NUTRITION)(food quality in long term care facilities)
March 1, 2005... Picture yourself in your favorite restaurant. You review the menu and settle on a choice, only to be disappointed when the meal arrives. The entree might not be what you interpreted it was from the name, or the food isn't the level of quality...