pandemic

Covid-19 May Have Increased Nursing Home Deaths By Nearly One-Third

How bad was the covid-19 pandemic for nursing homes residents? A new government study finds that 40 percent had the virus, or probably did. About 169,000 more Medicare residents died in the pandemic year of 2020 than in 2019, an increase in the overall death rate of about 32 percent.  And in April 2020, about 1,000 more Medicare residents were [...]

By |2021-06-22T17:09:31-04:00June 22nd, 2021|nursing homes|0 Comments

The High Cost of Loneliness: The Other Price Older Adults Are Paying For Covid-19

For months, families and operators of long-term care facilities have been telling me about the indirect toll the covid-19 pandemic has taken on residents. Not on those who have sickened or died from the virus, but on those whose quality of life has been severely harmed by the social isolation it caused. Now, we are beginning to learn more about [...]

By |2021-03-25T11:08:27-04:00March 25th, 2021|nursing homes|0 Comments

What The Divorce Of The Nation’s Biggest Nursing Home Operator And Owner Means

In a bombshell announcement, the real estate investment trust (REIT) Welltower—the biggest owner of nursing homes in the US-- is divorcing from Genesis Healthcare—the nation’s biggest operator of nursing facilities. At same the same, Genesis, whose share price has plummeted in recent years, announced it is delisting from the New York Stock Exchange. It is common for REITs to own [...]

By |2021-03-03T17:52:02-05:00March 3rd, 2021|nursing homes, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Is The Shift Of Medicaid Long-Term Care From Nursing Facilities To Home About To Accelerate?

The massive pandemic relief bill that the House is likely to approve by the end of this week includes billions of dollars in new funding for government long-term services and supports (LTSS) for frail older adults and young people with disabilities. But, paradoxically, the most far-reaching change may be from a temporary funding increase for Medicaid home and community-based services [...]

By |2021-02-24T15:04:09-05:00February 24th, 2021|Medicaid|8 Comments

How To Get Covid-19 Vaccine To Homebound Older Adults

In December, I wrote about how important it is to get the Covid-19 vaccine to millions of homebound older adults, younger people with disabilities,  and their caregivers.  It won’t be easy, but here are some ways to build on existing programs and housing arrangements. People with severe chronic disease and functional or cognitive limitations are extremely vulnerable to severe illness [...]

By |2021-02-01T11:28:59-05:00February 1st, 2021|aging in place|5 Comments

Covid-19 Cases Explode Again in Nursing Homes, But Some States Are Far Worse Than Others

As the Covid-19 pandemic explodes around the country, cases and deaths among nursing home residents increasing rapidly as well. A new analysis by AARP finds that the rate of facility-based cases doubled from mid-October to mid-November, from 2.8 cases per hundred residents to 5.7. Deaths also rose sharply--though at a lower rate than cases—from  0.48 deaths per 100 residents to [...]

By |2020-12-11T12:16:55-05:00December 11th, 2020|nursing homes|5 Comments