Sadly, there has been another active shooter situation, this time on the campus of Michigan State University. Three young lives lost and 5 in critical condition in a local hospital. The shooter, who left the campus shortly after the rampage, was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, dead. Apparently, the shooter had no connection to the university which makes this …
Two residents found dead in nursing home. Three women die during heatwave at senior living facility. Nursing home cited for resident’s death related to internal bleeding. Senior living deaths over holidays due to freezing temperatures! These are just a few of the articles published in local newspapers across the country since late fall. What’s going on? Are we experiencing an …
You are the administrator of a senior community. It is midnight. You are sound asleep. Your cell phone rings. Never a good thing at midnight. Your midnight supervisor is frantic, can’t stay on topic, and is obviously in distress. After a few minutes, you realize there is an active shooter on your campus. What do you do? We have all …
The devastating effects of COVID-19 among older adults residing in long-term care settings have been well documented. Although much attention has been paid to COVID-19-associated mortality in nursing homes, less is understood about its effects on assisted living residents. Most assisted living residents are aged 80 years or older and many have multiple chronic illnesses, making them highly susceptible to …
CMS updated their guidance related to emergency preparedness for exercise exemptions based on a facility’s activation of their Emergency Plan. The guidance applies to the below qualified facilities: CMS recognizes many facilities are still operating under disaster/emergency conditions during the PHE, i.e., under an activated emergency plan. We are therefore providing additional guidance for inpatient providers/suppliers, consistent with the exemption …
The right message at the right time from the right person can save lives. CDC’s Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) draws from lessons learned during past public health emergencies and research in the fields of public health, psychology, and emergency risk communication. CDC’s CERC program provides trainings, tools, and resources to help health communicators, emergency responders, and leaders of …
There has been great interest in the area of geriatric emergency care programs. The first geriatric emergency department was proposed in 2007 and the first accreditation program was created in 2018 by the American College of Emergency Physicians to recognize hospitals for higher levels of geriatric care; there are now more than 170 accredited GEDs around the world. In a …
The OIG is inspecting nursing facilities to identify whether they are in compliance with the Life Safety Code and Disaster Preparedness. In this article, the OIG discusses the 2016 updated life safety and emergency preparedness regulations aimed at improving care. The OIG made the decision to visit nursing facilities to ensure compliance with the regulations. The visits were conducted in …
