Shingles (the same virus that causes the chicken pox) is a painful skin disease that occurs when the chicken pox virus reactivates. It is common among the senior population. In fact, 50 percent of people will have shingles by their 80th birthday, and it is estimated that 1 million cases of shingles occur in the United States each year. While the shingles vaccine can reduce your chances of getting shingles, it does not eliminate the chances completely. Symptoms that nurses caring for seniors should be on the lookout for are: […] Read Full Article »

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1.4 million people aged 65 and over currently reside in nursing homes. Although most of them receive adequate care, elder abuse is a common issue that many elders face in nursing homes and other settings. In fact, in research conducted by Laumann, it was determined that seniors whom reported elder abuse frequently “reported verbal mistreatment (9%), followed by financial mistreatment (3.5%) and lastly physical mistreatment (less than 1%).” It was also determined that seniors are often the target of […] Read Full Article »

Pressure ulcers, or bed sores as they are commonly called, are among the most common health conditions for seniors in the United States. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), more than 2.5 million individuals in the United States experience pressure ulcers every single year. A recent study indicated that 8% of all nursing home patients had experienced a pressure sore at one time or another. This research also suggested that over 28% of patients in a home care setting, also experience pressure sores. Scary, isn’t it? Even […] Read Full Article »

According to the January 2018 report by Nursing Home Abuse Center, up to 2 million elderly patients a year are victims of maltreatment, neglect, exploitation, and frequent injuries that could have been prevented had the caregiver or relative been more attentive. Maltreatment can be caused by lack of formal training to detect and prevent injuries or patient neglect. Sadly, not all cases are reported to authorities. This is one of the reasons why professional nursing home care has been gaining traction in the United States at a rate of 4% […] Read Full Article »

Aging in Place is a term used to describe individuals who prefer to grow old in a familiar place while remaining as healthy as possible physically, emotionally, and mentally – with or without assistance. In a nutshell, it is growing old in your own home, which is an idea that is favored by most Americans today. Aging in place stems from aging services dating back as far as the 1600s. Back then, relatives took over the care, and in the absence of relatives living close by, neighbors and local churches […] Read Full Article »