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All posts tagged with “Post-Acute Care News | ALF News.”
Leading Rural PACE Provider Coming to Northeast Ohio
12/20/23 at 03:33 AMLeading Rural PACE Provider Coming to Northeast OhioNews ReleaseDecember 18, 2023Erie, PA—One Senior Care, a leading PACE provider to rural and Appalachian communities, is proud to announce that its program, LIFE-Northwestern Pennsylvania, has been selected by the Ohio Department of Aging to bring the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to three counties—Ashtabula, Trumbull, and Mahoning—in Northeast Ohio.
Study uncovers racial, geographic disparities in LTSS access
12/20/23 at 03:30 AMStudy uncovers racial, geographic disparities in LTSS accessMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 19, 2023Disparities in access to long-term services and supports (LTSS) create greater financial and health-related challenges for people of color, according to new research by healthcare research firm ATI Advisory. Using data from a University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study, the ATI study sampled 6,232 people aged 55 years old and living in home- or community-based settings.
Staffing issues continue to drive reduced admissions in SNFs
12/19/23 at 03:45 AMStaffing issues continue to drive reduced admissions in SNFsMcKnight’s Senior LivingDecember 18, 2023Nursing home providers continue to struggle with staffing challenges as they aim to reboot admissions in the post-pandemic era, according to the newly released results of a recent Ziegler CFO Hotline survey. “The demand for our SNF services is rising at a rate significantly higher than our labor force allows,” said one respondent. ... Forty-six percent of the respondents to the November survey indicated that staffing issues have forced a reduction in SNF admissions.
Washington Post Reports Highlight Assisted Living Resident Elopements and Staffing Problems, Industry Pushes Back
12/19/23 at 03:42 AMWashington Post Reports Highlight Assisted Living Resident Elopements and Staffing Problems, Industry Pushes BackSenior Housing NewsDecember 17, 2023A new Washington Post investigation has detailed dozens of incidents where senior living residents have wandered away and died as well as “bare-bones” staffing levels at communities across the country. In one article published over the weekend, the Post examined thousands of cases since 2018 where senior living residents wandered away from their communities, resulting in nearly 100 deaths in that time. ... The articles underscore the challenges senior living operators will surely have in the coming years, in terms of both staffing and managing communities and maintaining positive perceptions among the public.
Senior homes left dangerously understaffed amid assisted-living boom
12/19/23 at 03:39 AMSenior homes left dangerously understaffed amid assisted-living boomWashington PostDecember 17, 2023Louisville, CO—Lavender Farms, an upscale assisted-living facility in the Boulder suburbs, promised “24/7 on-site care” in its marketing materials. But managers at its operating company, Balfour Senior Living, worried deeply about their ability to care for the elderly residents who roamed the farmhouse-chic corridors at odd hours and sometimes wandered outside unnoticed, documents and interviews show. ... Failures at Balfour facilities are symptoms of deeper problems in the $34 billion market for assisted living and memory care, a growing industry that now provides care and housing for more than a million Americans, according to industry estimates.
Dozens of assisted-living residents died after wandering away unnoticed
12/19/23 at 03:32 AMDozens of assisted-living residents died after wandering away unnoticedWashington PostDecember 17, 2023... Patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive problems walk away from assisted-living facilities just about every day in America, a pattern of neglect by an industry that charges families an average of $6,000 a month for the explicit promise of safeguarding their loved ones, a Washington Post investigation has found. Since 2018, more than 2,000 people have wandered away from assisted-living and dementia-care units or been left unattended outside, according to The Post’s exhaustive search of inspection results, incident reports and media accounts nationwide.
Greener nurses enter field as workforce demand continues to spike
12/16/23 at 03:41 AMGreener nurses enter field as workforce demand continues to spikeMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 15, 2023Job openings in healthcare and social services have risen sharply in the last several years, and healthcare providers are taking on less-experienced registered nurses to handle the pressure. At the beginning of 2018, the average nurse’s tenure was more than six years of experience, according to a recent workforce report by the ADP Research Institute. In the five years since, however, high turnover rates and a corresponding abundance of job opportunities deflated a nurse’s average tenure to about five years of experience.
22 states to increase minimum wage on Jan. 1
12/15/23 at 03:34 AM22 states to increase minimum wage on Jan. 1McKnight’s Senior LivingDecember 13, 2023Almost half of the states, along with 40 local jurisdictions, are set to ring in 2024 with increases to minimum wage, according to Polsinelli law firm. The 22 states with minimum wage increases coming in the new year: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Washington.
Occupancy on way to 10th consecutive quarter of growth
12/15/23 at 03:23 AMOccupancy on way to 10th consecutive quarter of growthMcKnight’s Senior LivingDecember 14, 2023Senior living occupancy is on its way to 10 consecutive quarters of positive growth, according to NIC MAP Vision’s November intra-quarterly snapshot report. The positive growth trend in senior living—independent living and assisted living combined—marks the longest period of uninterrupted gains since the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care and NIC MAP Vision began reporting data in 2005, Omar Zahraoui, principal at NIC, wrote in a blog.
Memory Care Gap—GAO Report Shows Less than 2.5% of Medicare Beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s Receive Cognitive Assessment
12/15/23 at 03:22 AMMemory 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.
Nursing Home and CCRC Spending Grew 5.6% to $191.3B in 2022—After Dropping 7.8% in 2021
12/15/23 at 03:20 AMNursing Home and CCRC Spending Grew 5.6% to $191.3B in 2022—After Dropping 7.8% in 2021Skilled Nursing NewsDecember 13, 2023Nursing homes and continuing care retirement communities made up $191.3 billion of national health expenditures in 2022, an increase from $181.1 billion in 2021, reaching levels close to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Pre-pandemic, such expenditures sat between $162 billion and $174.1 billion between 2016 and 2019, according to a survey published by Health Affairs.
LeadingAge CEO Calls Out Political Inaction on ‘Dangerously Broken’ Nursing Home Funding System
12/14/23 at 03:43 AMLeadingAge CEO Calls Out Political Inaction on ‘Dangerously Broken’ Nursing Home Funding SystemSkilled Nursing NewsDecember 12, 2023Decades-long underfunding of nursing homes continues to create unnecessary hardships for aging Americans as access issues deepen. And yet, attempts to change the current financial system have fallen on deaf ears. In an effort to get the attention of lawmakers in Washington, LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan took aim with this view at the long-term care financing system in an editorial for The Hill on Monday, calling reimbursement “dangerously broken.”
Unemployment rate dips to 3.7 percent in November
12/12/23 at 03:37 AMUnemployment rate dips to 3.7 percent in NovemberMcKnight’s Senior LivingDecember 11, 2023The national unemployment rate declined from 3.9% October to 3.7% in November, according to the monthly unemployment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. ... Additionally, the economy added 199,000 new jobs in November, with gains in healthcare, government and manufacturing. Healthcare added 77,000 jobs, which the BLS noted is above the average monthly gain of 54,000 over the prior 12 months. Nursing and residential care facilities added 17,000 jobs, ambulatory healthcare services gained 36,000 jobs and hospitals gained 24,000 jobs last month.
Home care largely unaffordable, especially for middle-class seniors, Harvard research shows
12/12/23 at 03:24 AMHome care largely unaffordable, especially for middle-class seniors, Harvard research showsMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 11, 2023The majority of people in need of long-term care in the home are unable to afford it, according to a new Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies report. The study, sponsored by the National Investment Center and released on Nov. 30, used census data to investigate seniors’ ability to keep up with the rising costs of home care. According to the data, only 14% of single person-households aged 75 years and older can afford daily home health visits. Meanwhile, alternatives like assisted living, are also largely out of reach to a majority of average-income seniors. “The median cost of a home health aide in the U.S. is $27 an hour, and services typically must be purchased in four-hour blocks—resulting in a minimum cost of over $100 per day,” the researchers explained in the study.
Summit County nursing homes testing robots to address staff shortages
12/09/23 at 04:00 AMSummit County nursing homes testing robots to address staff shortagesAkron (OH) Beacon JournalDecember 6, 2023Two Akron-area nursing homes—Copley Health Center and The Village of St. Edward—are turning to robots to help alleviate staffing shortages in their facilities. The robots are part of a pilot program facilitated by the Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities. Each facility has adopted different procedures for their robot to help with. Examples of tasks the robots perform include meal and package delivery, hydration carts and cleaning food trays and dining areas. ... So far during the pilot program, the two robots have traveled more than 163 miles and have made over 2,220 deliveries to residents. Though the robots are used daily and have been well received by staff and residents, they are not intended to replace human contact, according to the news release.
More people with dementia opting to age in place over senior living
12/08/23 at 03:59 AMMore people with dementia opting to age in place over senior livingMcKnight’s Senior LivingDecember 7, 2023People living with dementia are more likely to choose aging in place over an assisted living or a continuing care retirement community, according to a new study. A research letter in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reported that over the last two decades, a variety of factors have shifted where people with dementia live, including family caregiver availability, declining marriage and birth rates, alternative residential care arrangements, Medicaid expansion of home- and community-based services and the long-term care workforce crisis. Researchers said their study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic noticeably altered living arrangements for individuals living with dementia, increasing the number of those opting to age in place. ... What concerned researchers was increasing functional impairment and levels of unmet needs among those living alone or in a residential care setting, including assisted living and CCRCs, “given the limited regulatory oversight and lack of uniformity in services available in these settings.”