Nursing Home Care

Many nursing home staff decline vaccine: frustrated families wait for news on visiting restrictions

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ARVADA, Colo. — It’s now been one year since Marie Nadeau has hugged, kissed or even held the hand of her 87-year-old mom.

“It’s extremely difficult,” Nadeau said. “I want to hold her, and she needs that, too.”

Although Nadeau’s mom, Fae, has now received both doses of the vaccine, residential care visits in Colorado are still limited, in Marie’s case, to visits through a window.

“We sit out in the cold when we do the window visits,” she said. “I don’t know why I can’t at least give her a hug.”

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says part of the problem is that while the vast majority of elderly residents are getting vaccinated, only about 50% of residential care staff are choosing to get the shot, even though they’re all eligible.

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Woman Suffering from Mental Health Issue

Has the pandemic really caused a ‘tsunami’ of mental health problems?

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How is the population of the UK coping with the continuing coronavirus crisis? According to some media reports and commentators in the mental health community, we are now facing “the greatest threat to mental health since the second world war” and a potential “tsunami” of psychological problems.

With a team of experts from the Universities of Sheffield, Ulster, Liverpool, UCL and Royal Holloway and Bedford College I have been monitoring the mental health of the UK population since the beginning of the crisis. Looking at our findings, we think that this tsunami narrative is misleading. If accepted uncritically, it could undermine efforts to protect the health of the population and also our ability as a nation to recover once the crisis is over. Here is why.

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Elder Man Using Tech

Home Health Tech You Need To Watch in 2021

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Some of the most interesting health tech trends at the outset of 2021 point to a future that merges healthcare with consumer electronics, two trends that have barely touched so far. At CES 2021, CNET’s Senior VP of Content & Strategy Lindsey Turrentine asked if they can provide better healthcare than in the doctor’s office when merged. Here are some of the most interesting health tech products that may bring us to that point.

Continuous monitoring

Health tech that knows you’re having an issue is just a tree falling in the forest unless there’s a connection to the healthcare system. Omron has taken an important step in that direction with its VitalSight connected blood-pressure monitoring system. It’s not a slick watch, nor does it take your readings passively, but when you do take a reading it automatically logs it into your electronic medical record and can notify your care provider if you need attention. Vitalsight is being made available through physicians.

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