Nurse Practitioners Critical in Treating Older Adults as Ranks of Geriatricians Shrink
The number of nurse practitioners specializing in geriatrics has more than tripled since 2010.
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The number of nurse practitioners specializing in geriatrics has more than tripled since 2010.
Memory cafes are small social gatherings for individuals with memory loss and their caregivers. The events are cheap to run and can offer measurable benefits. Memory loss experts say they may become an even more important tool in the face of federal cuts to health programs.
More older people are using cannabis products regularly, but research suggests their cannabis-related health problems are also on the rise.
A new training program teaches workers to stop the baby talk and address older people as adults.
The Social Security Administration will now withhold 50% of many recipients’ monthly benefits to claw back alleged overpayments — down from the 100% it announced in March, but way up from the 10% cap imposed under former President Joe Biden.
Breakups between health providers and Advantage plans are increasingly common. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has allowed whole groups of patients to leave their plans.
Roughly 20 states now have laws permitting families to place cameras in the rooms of loved ones. Facility operators are often opposed.
A federal judge in Texas blocked a Biden administration rule to boost staffing at nursing homes. The decision comes even though many homes lack enough workers to maintain residents’ care.
Last year, the government stopped cutting off people’s monthly Social Security benefits to claw back overpayments. Last week, under President Donald Trump, it reversed that change.
The number of unhoused seniors in the U.S. is expected to triple by 2030. About half of this population is becoming homeless for the first time. Homeless services struggle to help. Finding affordable housing that’s also accessible for older Americans with medical conditions is an extra challenge.
A whistleblower suit alleged a health insurer bilked Medicare by exaggerating how sick patients were.
Last winter, only 4 in 10 nursing home residents got an updated covid vaccine. The low uptake leaves a fragile population vulnerable. Some industry watchdogs say it could be a sign of eroding trust between nursing home residents and providers.
A Biden administration rule that imposed minimum rules on nursing levels may not survive, even though many homes lack enough workers to maintain residents’ care.
With his term soon to expire, Social Security chief Martin O’Malley’s efforts to address the agency’s overpayments to beneficiaries remain incomplete.
Freedom of Information Act case targets HHS inspector general’s reviews of billions of dollars in health plan overpayments.
Medicare officials defend the use of home visits that often spot medical conditions that are never treated.
Democrats and conservatives are divided over whether the federal health program for people over 65 should be run almost entirely by the private sector. If Trump retakes the White House, the shift to Medicare Advantage may accelerate.
The company faces more than 2,000 lawsuits alleging it sold defective knee and hip implants.
Every year, Medicare officials encourage beneficiaries to shop around for their drug coverage. Few take the time. This year, it might be more important than ever.
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