Palliative care is specialized medical care for individuals who have been diagnosed with a serious illness, with the goal of providing them with a better quality of life. According to a study conducted by researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF), almost 70% of nursing home residents are eligible for palliative…
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The Dangers of Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving, which is also commonly referred to as road rage, encompasses driving behaviors that are motivated by anger, regardless of safety concerns. Some typical kinds of aggressive driving behaviors include tailgating, speeding, failing to use turn signals, flashing headlights, weaving through traffic, and cutting off other drivers. Aggressive drivers…
Elder Abuse in Native American Communities
Elder abuse in Native American communities, at least in some respects, does not differ from elder abuse in other communities. Physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial exploitation, neglect or abandonment, and spiritual abuse all can occur in Native American communities. While readers may be familiar with most of these types of…
FMCSA Withdraws Proposed Rule to Prevent Sleepy Truck Drivers
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has spent over two years working on a proposed rule that would address the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea among truck drivers, which is a significant cause of preventable truck accidents each year. This proposed rule is in line with FMCSA’s mission, which…
HHS Announces Effort to Fight Antibiotic Resistance in Nursing Homes
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a fourth phase of its National Action Plan to Prevent Health Care-Associated Infections: Road Map to Elimination. The goal of this plan is to prevent the emergency of antibiotic resistant bacteria and prevent the spread of health care-associated resistant…
OPTIMISTIC Project Cuts 1 in 3 Preventable Hospitalizations
In 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the OPTIMISTIC project, or “Optimizing Patient Transfers, Impacting Medical Quality and Improving Symptoms Transforming Institutional Care.” The purpose of this federally-funded program is to reduce rehospitalizations among nursing home residents. Under the OPTIMISTIC project, nurses and nurse practitioners were…
Social Isolation Increases Risk of Medical Problems
A new study by the AARP Public Policy Institute, Stanford University, and Harvard University reveals that socially isolated adults are more likely to get sicker and die sooner, and have higher health care expenses. Overall, the researchers estimate that Medicare spends $6.7 billion per year on seniors who are socially…
Waiting on Hospice Care Worsens Outcomes
The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society recently published the results of a study about the end of life and hospice care. The results of the study indicated that people toward the end of their lives tend to put off hospice care too long, which can add to their pain…
Safe Driving Tips
Thousands of motor vehicle crashes take place across the U.S. every year, and the state of Wisconsin is no exception. Although you cannot control the behavior and driving habits of other drivers, you can take some simple steps to help you avoid the potentially disastrous consequences of a serious accident.…
Internal Injuries and Wisconsin Auto Accidents
Serious auto accidents often result in internal injuries to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. The most common types of internal injuries include broken ribs, ruptured spleens, ruptures in the abdomen, generalized internal bleeding, and ruptures to other internal organs. The cause of these internal injuries typically is blunt force trauma resulting…