New $81M NIH grant will help U.S. answer urgent need for better dementia care

Fueled by new five-year funding expected to total $81 million from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging, a multi-institution team will work to improve understanding of the health care workforce that cares for people with dementia, through surveys and other methods that will produce data for clinicians, researchers, policymakers and others to use.

Major storm modeled to follow Fiona, possibly en route to Florida

The strongest hurricane of the Atlantic season caused death and destruction in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and other parts of the Caribbean and continues to pose a threat along the eastern seaboard. But now models are predicting a storm that…

COVID-19 isn’t over. How do we navigate life now?

With spring in the air and COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations far below where they were even a few weeks ago, a lot of Americans may have a sense that things are back to normal and the pandemic is in the rearview mirror.

But a panel of University of Michigan experts who spoke in a recent livestreamed event say that’s not quite the case.

New study: Nursing home residents, health care workers lose more than 80% of their COVID-19 immunity six months after Pfizer vaccine

A new, multi-institutional study led by Case Western Reserve University—in partnership with Brown University—found that COVID-19 antibodies produced by the Pfizer vaccine decreased sharply in senior nursing home residents and their caregivers six months after receiving their second shots.

Effects of Laughter Therapy on Life Satisfaction and Loneliness in Older Adults Living in Nursing Homes in Turkey: A Parallel Group Randomized Controlled Trial

Researchers sought to determine if laughter therapy could make a difference in the life satisfaction and loneliness of older adults in a nursing home in Turkey. Each laughter therapy session consisted of four parts: warm-up exercises, deep breathing exercises and…

Case Western Reserve University researchers to examine how COVID-19 ravaged America’s nursing homes

Within a few months, federal officials reported that one of every five nursing homes had experienced a death from the novel coronavirus. Not long after, several media outlets published independent analysis finding that an estimated 40% of the fatalities related to COVID-19 took place in nursing homes. Rather than surrender to the terrifying trend, Case Western Reserve researchers saw an opportunity to help.

Partnership Brings More Than 20,000 Onsite COVID-19 Tests to Senior Facilities, Other Vulnerable Populations in Detroit

A partnership among Altimetrik, a Southfield-based fast-growing global business transformation company, the 501(c)(3) Vattikuti Foundation, Henry Ford Health System and the City of Detroit has provided more than 20,000 onsite COVID-19 tests to residents in 163 of Detroit’s senior and congregate living facilities, as well as the city’s first responders and essential workers.

Sheria Robinson-Lane: Why have nursing homes been hit so hard by the coronavirus?

ANN ARBOR—Nursing home residents and workers account for about one-third of COVID-19 deaths in the United States, so far, according to media reports.Sheria Robinson-Lane, a gerontologist and assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, is an expert in palliative and long-term care and nursing administration.

COVID-19 Collaboration Reducing Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities

A collaborative program developed at UVA Health to work with local long-term care facilities to control COVID-19 is saving lives and offers a model for communities across the country, a new scientific paper reports.

Robotic Cats Are ‘Purr-fect’ Companions for Seniors Isolated Due to COVID-19

Researchers provide the “purr-fect” solution to comfort and engage older adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias (ADRD) during the pandemic – interactive robotic cats. Designed to respond to motion, touch and sound, these robotic pets offer an alternative to traditional pet therapy. Robotic pets are usually given to people with ADRD, but data has shown that using them to decrease social isolation for older adults is highly successful.

Why have nursing homes been hit harder by the coronavirus, and should you remove your relative?

ANN ARBOR—Nursing home residents and workers account for about one-third of COVID-19 deaths in the United States, so far, according to media reports.Sheria Robinson-Lane, a gerontologist and assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, is an expert in palliative and long-term care and nursing administration.

Rutgers Expert Available to Comment on COVID-19 Neurological Effects in Seniors

Dr. XinQi Dong, MD, MPH, director of the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, is available to comment on the importance of further research into neurological effects of COVID-19 that may be related…