Advocates say the law has permitted homes to give anti-psychotic drugs, use restraints and withdraw treatment without allowing patients to object. But the industry warns the ruling will make it more challenging to provide routine care to such patients.
For Many Patients, Delirium Is A Surprising Side Effect Of Being In The Hospital
The problem, which is often preventable, is estimated to cost more than $143 billion annually and disproportionately affects people older than 65. It is often misdiagnosed as dementia.
Calming Dementia Patients Without Powerful Drugs
In California nursing homes, just over 15 percent of dementia patients are on antipsychotic drugs. That’s far more than advocates say is necessary. But that number is down from almost 22 percent just three years ago.
In Sunlit Paradise, Seniors Go Hungry
Even in what look like middle class enclaves in Florida, a growing number of seniors are having trouble keeping food on the table. The rate of food insecurity across the country more than doubled among seniors between the years 2001 to 2013.
Facing Death But Fighting The Aid-In-Dying Movement
A young mother with a grave lung disease worries that a California bill that would make assisted suicide legal could pressure terminally ill people to end their lives.
A Top-Rated Nursing Home Is Hard To Find In Texas, 10 Other States
Texas boasts the highest percentage of low-ranked nursing homes in the country, followed by Louisiana, Oklahoma, Georgia and West Virginia.
A Matter Of Faith And Trust: Why African-Americans Don’t Use Hospice
Even as end-of-life planning gains favor with more Americans, African-Americans, research shows, remain very skeptical of options like hospice and advance directives. The result can mean more aggressive, painful care at the end of life that prolongs suffering.
Running Out Of Money Is More Than Just A Worry For Many Seniors, Study Finds
About 12 percent of people 85 and older who died had no assets left and 20 percent had only their homes, according to the research. But even people who die much younger can face similar financial problems.
Officials Weigh Options To Hold Down Medicare Costs For Hospice
Under Medicare’s hospice benefit, patients agree to forgo curative treatment, but they can continue to receive coverage for health problems not related to their terminal illness. Federal officials suspect some of those expenses should be covered by hospice.
Hundreds Of Hospitals Struggle To Improve Patient Satisfaction
Pleasing patients has become more important to hospitals as Medicare takes consumers views into account when setting payments. Most hospitals are getting better, but others have not improved since the government started publishing ratings six years ago.
Obamacare, Private Medicare Plans Must Keep Updated Doctor Directories In 2016
New federal rules requiring current information apply to insurers selling plans on healthcare.gov and the private policies that are an alternative to Medicare.
Awake, And Safe, All Night Despite Dementia
A special “daycare at night” program in the Bronx cares for Alzheimer’s patients whose internal clocks mistake night for day.
Some Dementia Can Be Treated, But My Mother Waited 10 Years For A Diagnosis
For many physicians, normal pressure hydrocephalus, or NPH, doesn’t come to mind when they see people with cognitive and gait problems, although it is one of the few treatable causes of dementia.
The Extra Cost Of Extra Weight For Older Adults
Obese people are far more likely to become disabled as they age, and researchers say this burgeoning demographic will strain hospitals and nursing homes.
Few Seniors Benefiting From Medicare Obesity Counseling
A little known part of Obamacare pays primary care doctors to help overweight seniors drop pounds and improve their health. So why aren’t more seniors taking advantage of the free benefit?
Government To Grade Nursing Homes On Tougher Scale
Nursing homes now will be graded on their use of anti-psychotic drugs and will have to do more to get top ratings on the federal website Nursing Home Compare.
FRONTLINE CHAT: “How Would You Spend Your Final Days?”
Kaiser Health News staff writer Jenny Gold co-hosted a live chat,“How Would You Spend Your Final Days?” with Frontline documentary maker Tom Jennings. They discussed Being Mortal, the film based on the book by Atul Gawande. You can watch the documentary online and check out other KHN stories about end-of-life issues.
Study: Suffering At The End Of Life Getting Worse, Not Better
The percentage of Americans experiencing pain in the last year of life increased between 1998 and 2010, despite the growth of palliative care programs and hospice use, according to a study released Monday.
Medicare Offers Relief To 400,000 Caught In Aetna Pharmacy Network Mix-Ups
About 400,000 beneficiaries have until the end of this month to reconsider their Medicare Part D plan choices after Aetna incorrectly identified some pharmacies as being in-network, dropped others and removed some from “preferred” network status.
Learning About Hospice Should Begin Long Before You Are Sick
With the growth of the hospice industry, consumers have a number of choices for end-of-life care. Here’s a primer to help be prepared.
