Spilled salt next to a salt shaker

Let Them Eat!

Angie SzumlinskiNews

We all know that too much sodium in our diet is not healthy, right? As caregivers we watch our residents who are on low sodium diets, push food away, refusing to eat, because there is no “flavor”. The physician comes in and orders a low sodium diet because that is what we have always done for residents with a diagnosis …

Delirium and Functional Recovery

Angie SzumlinskiNews

In a recent study of 20,495 patients from the US Department of Veterans Affairs health system discharged to skilled nursing facilities after heart failure hospitalization, delirium was associated with poor functional recovery. The baseline Activities of Daily Living score on admission to a skilled nursing facility was significantly worse among patients with delirium; patients with delirium also had significantly lower …

Delirium and Heart Failure

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Delirium is an acute reversible change in mental status characterized by fluctuations in awareness and attention, which often result in complications such as rehospitalization and delayed discharge from SNFs. Although delirium is modifiable and potentially preventable, it is common in patients with heart failure and associated with poor outcomes. In a recent study, patients with heart failure discharged to SNFs …

Study on the Transition from Skilled Nursing Facility to Home Following Heart Failure

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, News

Discharge to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) is common in patients with heart failure. SNFs are often used as a transition from hospital to home to regain strength, function, and independence, particularly for medically complex patients. Discharge home from SNF is often the ultimate goal, as the vast majority of these patients were residing at home prior to hospitalization. However, these …

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease discovered to be new risk factor for heart failure patients

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, News

A recent study finds that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging risk factor for incident heart failure (HF). Before this study, NAFLD was suspected to increase all-cause mortality in patients admitted for acute HF, but was never proven to do so. The study was conducted on 264 patients, of whom all were admitted for acute HF between 2013 …