The urinary tract makes and stores urine, which is produced in the kidneys and travels down the ureters to the bladder. The bladder stores urine until it is emptied by urinating through the urethra. Normal urine is sterile and contains no...
Foster parents offer a home for a child to live in and parental care when the child has been removed from the birth home by the child welfare system. He lives with a foster family until the system finds him a permanent home. In 2006 there were...
Nursing homes typically offer specialized rehabilitative or disease/trauma/injury care to the elderly, though some serve the mentally ill or developmentally disabled. Nursing homes offer a variety of services, from specialized care for people with...
A meal equivalent is a statistical tool used in the food industry to understand food production costs based on a per unit expense. It is commonly used by food management professionals in long-term care facilities, hospitals and school lunch...
Dementia is a generalized term used to describe a variety of diseases--such as Alzheimer's--that affect a person's reasoning abilities, memory and ability function, and care for himself. The primary features of this condition are categorized into...
Hospice care is a concept that places emphasis on the quality of life rather than the quantity. Hospice care usually is provided to patients with life-threatening illnesses. In the final days, hospice patients are made to feel comfortable and...
Nutritional counselors work in a variety of settings, including schools, clinics, wellness centers, long-term care facilities, hospitals and private practices. Typically, nutritional counselors work with patients and the public to assist them in...
Infections resulting in diarrhea are common in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. In the May 2010 "Journal of the American Medical Directors Association," Dr. Laurie Archbald-Pannone and colleagues say, "Long-term...
Urinary catheters are often used in patients recovering from surgery or for those who can no longer control bladder function or have been diagnosed with a disease process that blocks the ureters or has damaged the urinary system. The catheter and...
When someone suffers with depression it is not only a serious mental condition, but can also be a financial problem. Clinical depression is one of the most common mental problems in America today. There are more than 9 million people who suffer...
Hospice is a philosophy of care that accepts dying as the final stage of life, according to the American Cancer Society. The term was first applied in 1967 to the specialized care provided to terminally ill patients and their families. Although...
The most infectious diseases can transmit from one person to the other. Residents of nursing homes present a higher risk for becoming ill from contagious diseases because congregate living places people in close proximity to one another, their...
As the population ages, the number of older Americans in nursing homes and assisted living facilities continues to increase. It is a difficult decision to place a loved one in any long-term-care facility. Many times a nursing home is understaffed,...
Medical coding specialists assign codes to patients' medical records for each diagnosis, procedure and treatment. The codes are industry-established identifiers and are used to bill insurance carriers. Salary is dependent on education,...
Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, is a bacteria that commonly affects older adults, according to the Mayo Clinic, as those in good health generally are not affected. Hospitalized older adults or those in long-term care facilities are especailly...
Blood sodium level is an important factor in electrolyte balance, which regulates your bodily fluids and plays a role in muscle functions and the transmission of nerve impulses. High blood sodium levels, or hypernatremia, can result from differing...
Nursing homes are required to provide nutritious, well-balanced meals and snacks that taste good and meet the specific dietary needs of each resident. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, publishes specific regulatory Requirements...
After a stay in a nursing home, special instructions will inevitably need to be followed as well as preparations made to continue care at home. Consultants at Medicare.gov report that caregivers and patients should participate in forming plans for...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend the annual flu vaccine as the first and most important step towards reducing the risk of seasonal influenza. The flu vaccine is available in two forms: the flu shot and a nasal spray....
Diarrhea can be dangerous and even life-threatening to elderly people, says gastroenterologist and author Anil Minocha, M.D., in his book, "The Encyclopedia of the Digestive System and Digestive Disorders." If untreated, diarrhea in an older...
The Merck Manual of Geriatrics suggests that those facing memory loss and their loved ones create a safe, comfortable, supportive, and sensory-filled environment that promotes independence. This may encompass providers of support services either...
A nursing home is a long-term care facility for people who do not require hospitalization, but are unable to care for themselves or have someone available to provide care for them at home, according to the National Institutes of Health. Most...
Juveniles guilty of serious crimes in Utah are sentenced to one of six secured facilities in the state. Offenders are retained in a secure facility until the Youth Parole Authority determines the young person is eligible for release to a less...
Providing home health care to aging parents or relatives is a growing trend in many American families, especially those striving to budget and deal with rising health care costs. Nursing home and long-term care facilities can be expensive, and...
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a spore-forming bacillus that produces two toxins capable of causing inflammation of the colon and colitis. The symptoms of C. difficile are mild to severe abdominal pain and watery diarrhea. Severe cases...
Assisted-living facilities and nursing homes are both considered long-term-care facilities. They provide meals and housing, promote dignity, assist with daily living and offer scheduled activities for the aged and disabled. So, what is the...
Alzheimer's disease is an incurable degenerative condition that is most notably characterized by memory loss. However, several behavioral issues may become more noticeable and problematic as the disease progresses. In many situations, the...
Magnesium plays several important roles in the body, such as regulating levels of other nutrients, keeping the bones and teeth healthy and activating enzymes, which allow the body to carry out its numerous functions. While many people do not get...
Swine flu--what scientists now call 2009 H1N1--represents a quadruple reassortment virus, a novel combination of four genes from flu viruses that infect birds, humans and pigs in Europe and Asia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
