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All posts tagged with “Clinical News | Dementia Care News.”



How Lower Cape Fear LifeCare built its Memory Care affiliate

04/23/25 at 03:00 AM

How Lower Cape Fear LifeCare built its Memory Care affiliate Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/22/25 Lower Cape Fear LifeCare built from the ground up a program dedicated to serving dementia patients. A growing number of operators have developed programs tailored to patients with specific diagnoses, providing specialized care tailored to their specific needs. Examples include dementia, heart failure and other cardiac conditions, as well as diseases of the lungs. At Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, the program started small and rapidly expanded. The North Carolina-based hospice provider six years ago launched a support group for dementia caregivers, called Memory Partners. This over time bloomed into a full-fledged dementia services subsidiary called LifeCare Memory Partners, Evan Dressel, director of strategy, development and innovation at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare said at the Hospice News ELEVATE conference in Orlando, Florida.

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When they don't recognize you anymore

04/23/25 at 02:30 AM

When they don't recognize you anymore The New York Times - The New Old Age; by Paula Span; 4/20/25 People with dementia often forget even close family members as the disease advances. "It can throw people into an existential crisis," one expert said. [Additional access may require subscription.]

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Appropriate deprescribing and payment in hospice dementia care

04/19/25 at 03:15 AM

Appropriate deprescribing and payment in hospice dementia careJAMA Internal Medicine; Nathan M. Stall, MD, PhD; Sharon K. Inouye, MD, MPH; Lona Mody, MD, MSc; 3/25People living with dementia are one of the largest growing users of hospice care in the US, with approximately 20% of enrollees having a terminal diagnosis of dementia. In the setting of advanced dementia specifically, guidelines recommend deprescribing cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine as there is insufficient evidence for benefit, and there are risks of adverse events including bradycardia, falls, and gastrointestinal adverse effects. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services specifies that hospices are responsible for covering all medications under the Medicare Part A hospice benefit, but audits have revealed that millions of dollars of prescription drug costs are being inappropriately shifted to Medicare Part D. The study by Hunt et al occurs within a context of growing concerns about shifts in US hospice care where more than 70% of hospice agencies serving patients with terminal illness across all settings now operate on a for-profit basis, with increasing acquisition of hospices by private equity firms and publicly traded corporations. Compared with nonprofit hospices, for-profit hospices have more acute care utilization, provide less direct care, and have poorer caregiver-reported care experiences. For-profit hospices also enroll a higher proportion of persons living with dementia, which may relate to their lower acuity and longer stays, as well as more profitable margins under the per-beneficiary daily payment.

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HHS cuts pose threat to older Americans' health and safety

04/18/25 at 03:00 AM

HHS cuts pose threat to older Americans' health and safety Newsweek; by Kristin Lees Haggerty and Scott Bane - The National Collaboratory to Address Elder Mistreatment at Education Development Center (EDC); The John A. Hartford Foundation; 4/17/2 On March 27, 2025, the federal government announced major cuts to the department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ... Sounding the Alarm for Elder Justice: The population of older adults is rapidly growing, and one in 10 experience abuse, neglect, and/or exploitation—a risk that is even higher for those living with dementia. ... Cutting services to older adults will increase these risks and costs. Moreover, ... 11.5 million family and friend caregivers provide over 80 percent of help needed for people living with dementia in the U.S. Without access to services like Meal on Wheels, adult day care, and respite care, we can expect caregiver burden and strain to increase significantly and with it, rates of elder abuse, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and nursing home placements. We know this because of the abuse spike seen clearly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which doubled to over 20 percent of older adults, as services were limited, and older adults were socially isolated. HHS cuts are also likely to result in loss of specialized expertise in identifying and addressing elder mistreatment, so that when elder abuse does occur, we won't have the services to stop it and make sure it won't happen again.

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Alzheimer’s risk rises when amount of deep sleep falls, study suggests

04/11/25 at 03:05 AM

Alzheimer’s risk rises when amount of deep sleep falls, study suggests CNN Health; by Sandee LaMotte; 4/8/25 Need another reason to prioritize your sleep? Not spending enough time in the two deep stages of sleep — slow-wave and rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep — may hasten the deterioration of parts of the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study found. Deficits in slow-wave and REM sleep appear to shrink parts of the brain known to be early indicators of cognitive deterioration and Alzheimer’s disease, said lead study author Gawon Cho, a postdoctoral associate in internal medicine at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. [Continue reading ...] 

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Family Hospice partners with Alzheimer’s Association to expand educational outreach

04/10/25 at 03:10 AM

Family Hospice partners with Alzheimer’s Association to expand educational outreach EIN Presswire.com, Atlanta, GA; by Brittany Brown; 4/8/25 Family Hospice announces an official partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter, to enhance educational outreach and raise awareness of available resources for individuals facing Alzheimer’s or other dementia.This collaboration will provide families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals with critical information on hospice and Alzheimer’s and dementia-related support. As part of this effort, Family Hospice and the Alzheimer's Association are planning an upcoming statewide initiative in Georgia aimed at expanding awareness and support. Both organizations will share educational materials at community events and through social media to ensure families and caregivers have access to the guidance they need. [Continue reading ...]

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Global study finds 1 in 5 people with dementia receive no care

04/09/25 at 03:00 AM

Global study finds 1 in 5 people with dementia receive no care McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 4/7/25 A comprehensive global study led by Yale School of Public Health researchers has revealed that at least 20% of people living with dementia receive no care helping them with daily living, regardless of their country’s wealth or development status. As the world’s population rapidly ages, this alarming care gap has persisted for years, creating what researchers describe as “a public health crisis.” The study analyzed data from over 10,000 individuals across the United States, England, 18 European nations, Israel and China. [Continue reading ...]

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Shingles vaccine tied to lower dementia risk, study finds

04/04/25 at 02:00 AM

Shingles vaccine tied to lower dementia risk, study finds McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 4/2/25 Older adults who were vaccinated against shingles were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years compared with people who didn’t receive the shot, a study shows. The report was published Wednesday in Nature. [Continue reading ...] Editor's note: Related articles ...

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The most personal column I’ve ever written

04/03/25 at 03:00 AM

The most personal column I’ve ever written The Times, United Kingdom; by Professor Tanya Byron; 3/31/25 ... This column will be more personal than any other I have written in my now 20 years writing for The Times. I write it four days after my sister Katrina and I lost our beloved mum, Elfie, who ... had advanced end-stage dementia. Where do we start when trying to describe the many moments of heartbreak and the challenges that come with the long goodbye we have faced with our parents? Dementia is unpredictable. We say goodbye more than once and so the pain of bereavement does not begin at the time of death. Instead it is a prolonged pain marked by gradual losses. Watching a loved one slowly fade away over months or years brings grief, exhaustion and deep emotional turmoil. Amid all this is the experience of being on a rollercoaster of loss and hope, an experience that creates huge lurches between perceptions and emotions. There are moments of clarity and regression, ... [Continue reading ...]

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Study raises questions about GUIDE model’s helpfulness for caregivers of loved ones with dementia

04/02/25 at 03:00 AM

Study raises questions about GUIDE model’s helpfulness for caregivers of loved ones with dementia McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 4/1/25 The Guiding an Improve Dementia Experience may need to be fine-tuned to better serve caregivers of those living with dementia, according to a new study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. The researchers identified 565 older adults and 555 caregivers eligible for GUIDE using data from the 2022 National Health and Aging Trends Study and National Study of Caregiving. They found that approximately half of GUIDE-eligible people with dementia received care from two or more caregivers, and about a third of these caregivers reported experiencing high caregiving strain. [Continue reading ...] 

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Assisted Living vs. Memory Care: The key differences

04/01/25 at 03:00 AM

Assisted Living vs. Memory Care: The key differences U.S. News & World Report; by Elaine K. Howley; 3/17/25 Age brings many challenges, among them a loss of independence that means some seniors will need help taking care of themselves. There are many senior living options available for folks who need hands-on support, and two common ones can provide big benefits for residents: assisted living and memory care. While these two options are similar in many ways, they have some important differences. Here, we’ll unpack everything you need to know about these two senior living options so you can find the best type of care for your loved one. ... [Continue reading ...]

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Paint and sip event held to honor watercolorist Paul St. Denis

03/31/25 at 03:20 AM

Paint and sip event held to honor watercolorist Paul St. Denis The Gazette, Medina, OH; by Sara Crawford; 3/292/25 Easels, paint palettes and paintbrushes lined the activity room tables at the Echelon of Medina on Thursday as family, friends and staff members gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of watercolorist Paul St. Denis. St. Denis received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Cleveland Institute of Art and a Master of Arts from Kent State University. He then taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art for 27 years while also teaching at other schools. Now, St. Denis lives in the Spencer House Memory Care Neighborhood at the Echelon of Medina, where he also is cared for by Turas Hospice. Jessica Hine, Echelon’s activity director and Turas’ volunteer coordinator, said Turas Hospice held Thursday’s event with its sole focus on St. Denis and his watercoloring career. “Turas Hospice wants to stand out as a hospice company and do more special things for the hospice patients,” Hine said.  [Continue reading ...]

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The marginalizing and dehumanizing of our sickest and oldest Americans

03/26/25 at 03:00 AM

The marginalizing and dehumanizing of our sickest and oldest Americans ABA - The American Bar Association; by Charles P. Sabatino; 3/19/25 Being old and with a disability ranks high as a target for discrimination in American culture, where ageism and ableism often prevent the public from seeing marginalization as an aberration. ... Summary:

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Weinstein Hospice launches innovative VR initiative: : The program will allow residents to enjoy "bucket list" experiences

03/20/25 at 03:00 AM

Weinstein Hospice launches innovative VR initiative: The program will allow residents to enjoy "bucket list" experiences Atlanta Jewish Times; by AJT Staff; 3/12/25 Jewish HomeLife and Weinstein Hospice are pioneering a new way to bring joy, comfort, and meaningful experiences to hospice patients through the groundbreaking Weinstein Hospice VR Initiative. This transformative program harnesses the power of virtual reality (VR) to fulfill unforgettable “bucket list” experiences, offering patients moments of joy and cognitive stimulation that transcend their physical limitations. For Vicki and Ed A., this initiative has been nothing short of miraculous. ... One of the most profound moments for Ed came when he was able to experience Scuba diving again—virtually. ...

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Revamped tool can reliably assess pain symptoms in dementia patients: researchers

03/19/25 at 02:00 AM

Revamped tool can reliably assess pain symptoms in dementia patients: researchers McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Zee Johnson; 3/17/25 ... A team of researchers reconstructed the End-of-Life Dementia-Comfort Assessment in Dying, or EOLD-CAD, after a multifacility study showed that caregivers could adequately and reliably address a host of pain symptoms seen in end-of-life dementia patients. ... When clinicians working in the SNFs that were part of the trials used the EOLD-CAD, they were able to detect patterns in more than 600 residents that fell into four categories: physical distress, symptoms of dying, emotional distress, and well-being. Common symptoms observed across these categories were restlessness, shortness of breath, choking, gurgling, difficulty in swallowing, fear and anxiety. ...

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[Canada] Use of feeding tubes among hospitalized older adults with dementia

03/15/25 at 03:55 AM

[Canada] Use of feeding tubes among hospitalized older adults with dementiaJAMA Network Open; Anne-Marie Hartford, MSc; Wenshan Li, PhD; Danial Qureshi, MSc; Robert Talarico, MSc; Stephen G. Fung, MPH; Shirley H. Bush, MBBS; Genevieve Casey, MSc, MBBS; Sarina R. Isenberg, MA, PhD; Colleen Webber, PhD; Peter Tanuseputro, MHSc, MD; 2/25In this cohort study of hospitalized individuals with dementia, feeding tube insertion was not associated with improved survival or postdischarge outcomes. Being male or younger and having swallowing problems and greater functional impairments were associated with increased odds of feeding tube use, while having a do-not-resuscitate directive and living in rural settings were associated with reduced odds. Factors that were (or were not) associated with feeding tube placement were sometimes misaligned with best practice guidelines. Goals of care conversations, alternative intervention options, and improved clinical protocols are recommended. 

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Hospice use among Medicare beneficiaries with Parkinson Disease and Dementia with Lewy bodies

03/15/25 at 03:05 AM

Hospice use among Medicare beneficiaries with Parkinson Disease and Dementia with Lewy bodiesJAMA Network Open; Meredith Bock, MD; Siqi Gan, MPH; Melissa Aldridge, PhD; Krista L. Harrison, PhD; Kristine Yaffe, MD; Alexander K. Smith, MD; John Boscardin, PhD; Lauren J. Hunt, PhD; 3/25Lewy body disease (LBD)—an umbrella term that includes Parkinson disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)—describes progressive, incurable neurodegenerative disorders. Parkinson disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer disease (AD) and is the fastest growing neurologic disorder in the world.In this cohort study of ... Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in hospice between 2010 and 2020, hospice enrollees with both PD and DLB were less likely to be disenrolled due to extended prognosis than those with AD. Enrollees with PD—but not DLB–were more likely to have longer lengths of stay and revoke hospice. The findings of this study suggest a higher likelihood of revocation of hospice care in PD, raise important questions about their unmet needs in hospice, and highlight the need to disaggregate dementia subtypes for policy analysis. 

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2024 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures

03/14/25 at 03:00 AM

2024 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures: Mapping a better future for dementia care navigation Alzheimer's Association, Chicago, IL; www.alz.org; 2024 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures is a statistical resource for U.S. data related to Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia. Background and context for interpretation of the data are contained in the Overview. Additional sections address prevalence, mortality and morbidity, caregiving, the dementia care workforce, and the use and costs of health care and services. The Special Report provides a comprehensive look into dementia care navigation, revealing significant insights into the experiences and challenges faced by caregivers and health care workers in helping people living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia navigate the health care system. [Click on the title's link to access and download this 149-page PDF]

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Questions to ask when choosing a memory care facility

03/13/25 at 03:00 AM

Questions to ask when choosing a memory care facility The Kansas State Collegian; 3/10/25 ...  Your goal is to find a community where your family member can feel safe, truly cared for, and supported during this next chapter of their life. To help, we’ve put together a list of questions you should ask when touring memory care facilities. These questions will help you cut through the sales pitches and get to the heart of what each community offers. ...

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Assessing pain, anxiety and other symptoms of nursing home residents unable to speak for themselves

03/11/25 at 03:00 AM

Assessing pain, anxiety and other symptoms of nursing home residents unable to speak for themselves Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, IN; by Kathleen T. Unroe, MD, MHA; 3/10/25 Revamped tool reliably addresses physical and emotional distress, well-being and end-of-life symptoms. As many as half of nursing home residents are cognitively impaired and may be unable to communicate symptoms such as pain or anxiety to the staff and clinicians caring for them. Therefore, information needed for the evaluation of symptoms and subsequent treatment decisions typically does not reliably exist in nursing home electronic health records (EHRs). A new paper reports on the novel adaptation of a commonly used symptom assessment instrument to more comprehensively acquire this difficult-to-obtain data with the ultimate goal of enabling knowledge-based expansion of palliative care services in nursing homes to address residents’ symptoms. 

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J-Sei Home closes after 30 years, leaving Bay Area Japanese seniors in need

03/11/25 at 03:00 AM

J-Sei Home closes after 30 years, leaving Bay Area Japanese seniors in need KQED, San Francisco, CA; by Cecilia Lei; 3/10/25 ... For decades, Bay Area Japanese American families have sought culturally sensitive senior care facilities like J-Sei Home for aging loved ones. Community members said that about a decade ago, there were approximately 10 Japanese senior care homes in the region. Today, that number has declined by about half. The most recent closure came in January, when the last residents of J-Sei Home moved out, and the facility permanently closed its doors after 30 years of operation. A majority of the displaced residents were Japanese Americans in their 90s and had cognitive impairment. ... They had tender caregivers who spoke Japanese. They ate familiar comfort foods like miso soup and pickled vegetables, and they participated in daily activities such as drum circles and singing Japanese songs. ...

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Local care specialists launch first-ever ‘memory cafe’ in the Upstate

03/04/25 at 03:00 AM

Local care specialists launch first-ever ‘memory cafe’ in the Upstate WSPA Greenville, SC; by Simone Jameson; 3/3/25 Some Upstate care providers are bringing a new concept to the region they said will benefit families of adults with dementia. The Blake at Hollingsworth Park Assisted Living and Think Different Dementia are two partners behind a first of its kind ‘memory cafe’ in Greenville. ‘The Upstate Memory Cafe’ provides a community setting where people living with dementia and their caregivers can bond. ... Organizers told 7NEWS the ‘memory cafe’ offers a space where attendees play cards, make flowers and do other activities together. They said ten to twelve home health care and hospice representatives are present for each meeting and educate families on best dementia care practices, while offering them support and respite services.

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Breaking bad news: Guidance on disclosing a dementia diagnosis

03/04/25 at 03:00 AM

Breaking bad news: Guidance on disclosing a dementia diagnosis Medscape; by Megan Brooks; 3/3/25 As biomarker testing for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) evolves, timely and compassionate disclosure of a diagnosis is more complex than ever. Yet, clinicians may struggle with how — or in some cases whether — to disclose that a patient has mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. A recent perspective offers a practical roadmap to help clinicians navigate these challenging conversations. The authors from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, noted that disclosure of a dementia diagnosis “is particularly nuanced and requires a conscientious approach. Clinicians must assess patients’ understanding and appreciation of symptoms, goals for the evaluation, and desire for information.” 

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Hospice workers in Tampa experience what it feels like to live with dementia

02/24/25 at 03:00 AM

Hospice workers in Tampa experience what it feels like to live with dementiaFox 13 Tampa Bay, FL; by Kailey Tracy; 2/19/25 Keosha Simmons says her father, who died in 2018, was a hard worker and an amazing man. ... "He did live with dementia. It was an early onset of dementia. He ended up with cancer, and it was a later stage when we found out about it, and that's when he came under the care of Empath Health Suncoast Hospice," Simmons said. Simmons is now the Director of Empath’s Community Engagement team. On Wednesday, Simmons and her team did a different kind of training. It was a hands-on simulation to experience what someone with dementia feels. [From this article's "The Brief" Summary.]

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[UK] Efficacy of music-based intervention for people living with dementia in an inpatient setting: A pilot study

02/22/25 at 03:55 AM

[UK] Efficacy of music-based intervention for people living with dementia in an inpatient setting: A pilot studyJournal of Alzheimer's Disease; Neha Abeywickrama, Mel N Ellul Miraval, Hari Subramaniam, Qadeer Arshad, Stephanie Pollard, Geeta Chauhan, Shifa Jussab, Elizabeta B Mukaetova-Ladinska; 1/25Pharmacological treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia is of limited benefit. The addition of non-pharmacological interventions is often essential for optimal symptom control. Clinical professionals can successfully deliver music-based intervention to inpatients with advanced dementia to help manage their behavioral symptoms in the short term. Music-based interventions' use for inpatient wards must be further investigated as an economical and personalized non-pharmacological therapeutic tool for patients with dementia.

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