Nursing Home Resurrects Communist East Germany to Battle Dementia

Creating a comfortable, familiar atmosphere for residents with dementia and other memory issues remains an ongoing challenge for many skilled nursing providers — but for one operator in Germany, the task required skills more typically associated with museum curators than health providers. The AlexA Residence for Senior Citizens in Dresden collected artifacts from the German […]

Program Helps Curb Costly SNF Infections, But Improvements Still Needed

A collaborative program has shown promise in reducing a common type of costly infection in nursing homes, though researchers note that some structural barriers to success remain. An initiative from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) received high marks from participants across the country, according to […]

SNF Apprenticeship Program Will Take CNAs Beyond Book Learning

Apprenticeship programs are often associated with skilled laborers, such as carpenters or electricians. Now Marion County, Indiana, is going to test the concept in skilled nursing and other long-term care settings. The Indiana Health Care Association/Indiana Center for Assisted Living (IHCA/INCAL), a trade association representing the state’s long-term care facilities, and EmployIndy, a workforce development nonprofit in […]

CMS-Backed Clinical Program Drastically Lowers Avoidable Hospitalizations at SNFs

Potentially avoidable hospitalizations for long-stay nursing facility residents can be significantly reduced by embedding nurses and nurse practitioners, according to a new analysis. In turn, the strategy could substantially slash Medicare spending. That’s according to an independent evaluation of the OPTIMISTIC program prepared at the request of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). OPTIMISTIC was developed […]

Saber Healthcare Makes Major Telehealth Push at 88 Facilities

Saber Healthcare Group has implemented its first telemedicine program, in partnership with TeleCare Partners Group (TPG). The program will be rolled out to Saber’s 88 skilled nursing facilities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia. The program launch started in the first week of October, with a total of 28 facilities folded into the program so […]

Green House Founder Bill Thomas Unveils MAGIC Concept

Dr. Bill Thomas is already well known for creating the Green House model of care as an alternative to institutional skilled nursing settings. Now, he is introducing a new concept for senior housing and care, which he has dubbed MAGIC. The acronym stands for multi-ability/multi-generational inclusive communities. The first MAGIC development is in the works, […]

Former Long-Term Care Exec Bets on Cannabis Demand in Canadian SNFs

Bruce Dawson-Scully spent years in the long-term care development and operations business in Canada, first in his family business and then as an executive with Sienna Senior Living in Ontario. In 2013, when the country overhauled its medical marijuana laws to allow commercial production and sales for the first time, Dawson-Scully decided to help launch […]

Care Collaboration-Focused Tech Company Raises $47.5M

Care collaboration between providers on the continuum remains a top priority for skilled nursing facilities and other providers, especially as new payment models such as bundled payments require operators to work together. One Utah-based firm sees potential in capturing emergency-room data that follows a patient outside the hospital — and investors have given the idea a $47.5 […]

Specialized SNF Rolls Out Red Carpet for Retired Actors, Writers

One niche senior living community is rolling out the red carpet for older adults from the performing arts and entertainment industries, debuting its new assisted living and skilled nursing facility (SNF). Located in Englewood, N.J., The Actors Fund Home—also known as The Lillian Booth Actors Home—recently opened the doors to its Shubert Pavilion by celebrating a […]

Signature, Kindred CEOs Help Create Louisville Health Care Group

On the heels of opening the industry’s first-ever technology innovation hub in Louisville, Kentucky, some of the health care leaders involved with the project are banding together with CEOs from other Louisville-based health care companies—including Signature HealthCARE, Humana and Hosporus. The group’s mission: to transform the city’s health care economy by establishing the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council, […]

Better SNF Design, Operations Can Engage Residents’ Senses

Though many older adults experience some kind of sensory impairment as they age, the problem doesn’t stop with vision and hearing. Taste, smell and touch can also dull as people age, and not every long-term care provider takes that into account. With that in mind, providers could do much more to help design “sense-sensitive” environments […]

Why Repetition is Critical to Treating Alzheimer’s Patients

Care plans that promote an active senior lifestyle, used in conjunction with current pharmaceuticals, can empower skilled nursing providers to make a tremendous impact in managing — and possibly delaying — Alzheimer’s disease. This is according to Maria Carrillo, chief science officer at the Chicago-based national non-profit Alzheimer’s Association. Carrillo spoke about the pervasiveness of Alzheimer’s […]

Genesis Tests Exoskeleton as Part of Innovation Push

The rehab-focused subsidiary of Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: GEN) is making an effort to study and pilot new technology—including futuristic innovations like an exoskeleton for rehab patients. The Kennett Square, Pennsylvania-based Genesis Rehab Services (GRS), which provides rehabilitation services at more than 1,700 locations across the U.S., is linking up with some forward-thinking startups to foster new […]

Can Music Therapy Help Improve Outcomes in Nursing Homes?

Three years ago, filmgoers were charmed by the story of a non-profit that helped nursing home residents relive their youths and improve their moods through music. Now, a team of Brown University researchers is setting out to discover whether the program could have concrete medical benefits for seniors — and operational opportunities for skilled nursing […]

From Buses to Putting Greens, SNFs Align Rehab with Everyday Life

As operators in the skilled nursing industry seek to offer higher-end services, some providers have turned to outside-the-box rehabilitation equipment geared toward residents’ lifestyles — from putting greens to throat-controlled video games to a decommissioned city bus. For Legacy Healthcare, that means branding one of its rehab units as a “penthouse.” The Lincolnwood, Ill.-based firm provides transitional, […]

How On-Site Dialysis in SNFs Could Improve Patient Outcomes

Improving patient outcomes remains a top priority for skilled nursing providers, and some have begun to see the potential benefits of offering specialized on-site services such as dialysis. Shelley Matthes, director of quality improvement at Ecumen, believes delivering hemodialysis treatments on site eases the overall process for the patient who would otherwise be required to travel […]

How Skilled Nursing Facilities Can Boost Rehab with Virtual Avatars

The senior care market has been invaded by robots aiming to assist patients at every level of care. And now one technology company is seeking to create avatars for seniors to recover after surgery at skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) or at home. Reflexion Health, a San Diego-based technology startup, aims to improve the health of […]