Did You Know?

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Recently I asked my newsletter subscribers for suggestions as to topics they would like to see addressed on my blog. One reader requested that I write a post about dental care in nursing homes.

This reader expressed concern that the staff doesn’t help her mom brush her teeth as often as they should at the nursing home. She shared that her mom has taken excellent care of her teeth all of her life. Now she fears her mom could lose her beautiful smile.

[Read more…] about How To Help Your Resident Keep That Smile

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

Nursing homes often receive criticism in the media. Unfortunately, sometimes, this is well deserved.

We need to address these issues and make positive changes. However, I think it’s also essential to look at how far nursing homes have come over the past few decades.

I started as a candy striper (teen volunteers who wore red and white striped pinafores) in a nursing home when I was 14 years old. Later, I worked as a nursing assistant during the late 1970s and early 1980s as part of my journey to becoming an RN. Today, I want to share some of my memories from those good old days.

[Read more…] about Nursing Homes In The Good Old Days

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

According to the National Institute on Aging, 1 in 3 people between the ages of 65 and 74, and nearly half of all people over age 75 have difficulty hearing. This means you’ll encounter lots of people living with hearing loss when you volunteer at the nursing home.

Sadly, hearing loss can lead to many problems for our residents. These include social isolation, communication breakdown, frustration, and depression. Even more unsettling, several recent studies suggest that hearing loss can speed up the progression of dementia.

[Read more…] about 12 Tips When Your Resident Has Hearing Loss

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

Back in November, we looked at how we can encourage our residents to eat. Today let’s consider how we can encourage our memory care residents to drink more fluids to prevent dehydration. 

Why are people with dementia more prone to dehydration?

As we age, a variety of issues cause us to be more prone to dehydration. However, people living with dementia tend to be at even higher risk. These are several contributing factors:

• Inability to recognize the sense of thirst
• Forget how to obtain beverages
• Don’t remember the importance of fluid intake
• Acute illness such as diarrhea, vomiting, or fever
• Difficulty with the physical aspect of drinking due to shakiness, pain, or stiffness
• Inability to communicate that they feel thirsty
• Medications that promote the loss of fluid
• Difficulty with swallowing
• Fear of losing bladder control
• Excessive sweating because of hot temps

What happens when someone gets dehydrated?

[Read more…] about Top Tips To Prevent Dehydration In Dementia

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

People in healthcare love to talk in abbreviations. NPO, HOB, ADL, SOB (No, I didn’t just use a naughty word!), PRN, STAT. If listeners don’t know what these abbreviations mean, it can cause a lot of confusion.

One abbreviation you frequently hear in nursing homes is MDS. That’s because the MDS plays a considerable role in what goes on during a resident’s stay. Today I’ll attempt to explain what the MDS is all about.

What is an MDS?

The Minimum Data Set is part of a federally required clinical assessment for all residents of Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes in the United States.  It’s completed for all residents of these facilities, regardless of how they pay for their care.

[Read more…] about What On Earth Is An MDS?