Literature Review

Breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research give cause for optimismKiplinger, by Elaine Silvestrini; 1/29/24... Finding a cure or even an effective treatment has been difficult. Now, after billions of dollars in research and more than 100 drug failures, advocates are celebrating breakthroughs, including drugs that for the first time treat the underlying causes of the disease. Experts are optimistic that we may be on the precipice of significant changes in how the disease is treated and potentially even prevented. 

Despite need, adequate dementia care severely lacking among adult day service providersMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 1/29/24... More than a quarter of adult day service patients have been diagnosed with dementia, including Alzheimer’s, according to a recent National Health Statistics Report by the HHS and CDC. ... Roughly 23% of adult day service center (ADSC) patients with dementia are enrolled in a center that lacks the capabilities to adequately care for their condition.

Haven Hospice receives $25k for dementia careThe Ponte Vedra Recorder, by Anthony Richards; 1/25/24Haven Hospice recently received a $25,000 grant from the Thomas A. Plein Foundation that will go toward supporting its dementia care program. The program is all about promoting education of dementia and what it entails for members of the Haven staff, patient caregivers and community partners. ... The grant will help in the creation of memory cafes and caregiver support groups, as well as helping fund additional tools designed to help dementia patients.

A psychologist offers advice on 'being there' for aging parentsForbes, by Mark Travers; 1/22/24As our parents age, we find ourselves on a challenging emotional journey, one that often remains unspoken but deeply felt. It’s the journey of anticipatory grief, a complex mix of emotions and thoughts that arise as we witness our parents becoming older, weaker and more frail. This concept, often overshadowed by post-loss grief, is equally devastating.

Increasing longevity, decreasing health quality: A close look at American health trendsBNN, by Ayesha Mumtaz; 1/16/24Recent data paints a concerning picture of Americans’ health despite an increase in longevity. While people are living longer, the quality of their health during these extended years is deteriorating. 

Hospital study on AI identifies undiagnosed dementia patients coming from LTCMcKnights Senior Living, by Aaron Dorman; 1/16/24A high number of senior living and care residents have dementia on admission, or develop it during their stay, despite never receiving a formal diagnosis. When these “secret” dementia patients, however, have an emergency – say, a fall – and are hospitalized, they can catch the new care team unaware and struggling to make appropriate clinical decisions. To avoid this pitfall, new research is looking at electronic health records to flag individuals who might have dementia, possibly undiagnosed, so that when they arrive at a hospital, the care team is ready. 

Remote staff training boosts quality of life, lowers sedative use in residents with dementiaMcKnights Senior Living, by Kristen Fischer; 1/3/24A digital training program significantly improved the quality of life for people with dementia who lived in assisted living communities and nursing homes in the United Kingdom. As a result, there was a 20% reduction in use of psychotropic medications, the authors noted in a report published Dec. 20 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. The goal of the 16-week program was to train staff members to deliver personalized care to residents. 

The dementia crisis is here. Better training can’t wait.EditorialWashington PostDecember 22, 2023... [A] rise in the number of older Americans also means a rise in the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. ... Recent years have brought a substantial increase in people with dementia residing in assisted-living homes. As a Post investigative series has revealed in appalling detail, these centers aren’t always equipped to provide the special care that people with dementia need. To be sure, assisted-living centers were not created as homes for people with dementia or any other serious health problems. ... The Post reporters found many instances in which assisted-living staff members, often overworked and poorly paid, neglected patients, missed giving them their medicines, skipped scheduled bed checks or ignored alarms. 

Home-delivered meals may delay nursing home placement, study findsMcKnight’s Long Term Care News, 12/21/23A new study comparing fresh versus frozen meal delivery programs for homebound older adults with dementia found that enrolling people in Meals on Wheels is feasible for helping them delay placement in nursing homes. The study also concluded that ready-to-eat meals beat out frozen meals in postponing nursing home placement. Home-delivered meals promote food security, socialization and independence in older adults who are homebound.

State tries to remove ‘veil of arbitration secrecy’ in memory care elder abuse caseMcKnights Senior Living, By Kimberly Bonvissuto, 12/19/23In a bid to remove a “veil of arbitration secrecy,” one state attorney general filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit alleging elder abuse at a memory care facility. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a motion to intervene on Friday in an abuse and neglect lawsuit against Senita Ridge, the memory care community on the campus of Ridges at Peoria in Peoria, AZ. A judge’s Oct. 31 order moved the case to arbitration, but Mayes charged that the secrecy of arbitration removes transparency in an elder abuse case, which violates the state’s Adult Protective Services Act. The act requires notification to the state’s top attorney when a lawsuit alleging elder abuse or neglect is filed, allowing the state to track and potentially join the case.

Washington Post Investigation on Elopements Puts Memory Care in the SpotlightSenior Housing NewsDecember 20, 2023A series of investigations from the Washington Post on resident elopement and staffing has shone a new light on memory care operators and the challenges they face keeping residents safe. One of the Post stories, published over the weekend, centered on residents who wandered away from memory care communities since 2018, almost 100 of which died. Most of the incidents involved residents of memory care communities, and among the struggles highlighted were staffing shortages and improper training. The story represents a new source of scrutiny for an industry that has intermittently struggled with bad press since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Memory Care Gap—GAO Report Shows Less than 2.5% of Medicare Beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s Receive Cognitive AssessmentSenior Housing NewsDecember 13, 2023Between 2018 and last year, use of cognitive assessment and care plan services tripled, but few Medicare beneficiaries who qualify received the service, according to a recent study by the Government Accountability Office. The GAO study found that, at most, 2.4% of Medicare beneficiaries with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder received this service.