Alzheimer’s disease is expected to spike nationwide in future years, and according to new data released by the Alzheimer’s Association, there is a significant shortage in the dementia care workforce. Twenty states in the U.S. have been identified as neurology “deserts” by the Alzheimer’s Association, meaning they had a projected shortage of doctors and caregivers specializing in dementia. Carolyn Berry of Tennessee — one of the 20 “desert” states — says she’s aware of the challenges faced by families of those with cognitive diseases. Berry lost both her grandmother and mother to Alzheimer’s.
In all of her 75 years, Wanda Auer had never lived alone. That changed when her husband of 57 years went to live in a nursing home last summer. Auer had done her best to care for him after his 2019 dementia diagnosis but was no longer able to keep him safe and healthy at home. "Ours is a true love story," Auer told staff at the Region IV Area Agency on Aging, which serves Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties. "I met him when I was a teenager, and we’ve been connected at the hip since the first day we met."
A 43-year-old Houston woman has been charged for conspiracy to commit and committing health care fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Rose Davies is expected to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena H. Palermo at 2 p.m. A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment March 1 against Davies. The charges allege Davies owned Pri Home Healthcare in Houston from 2012 to 2020. During that time, she allegedly paid recruiters and doctors to bill Medicare for home health care services using Medicare beneficiary information regardless of whether they needed home health care services or not.
Cabell Huntington Hospital’s outpatient Surgery Center, located across Hal Greer Boulevard from the main hospital, will close, according to a release from parent company Mountain Health Network. It made the announcement Friday evening that the Surgery Center, located at 1201 Hal Greer Blvd., will close effective April 28. Mountain Health officials also say Cabell Huntington Hospital will phase out its home health services during the next 90 days. Mountain Health explained in a release that “it is implementing a pair of operational efficiencies to align its resources to better manage costs in the post-pandemic economic climate ... despite efforts to make these areas viable, prolonged decreased financial performance make the closures necessary.”
Workers at the Sanctuary at McAuley skilled nursing facility in Muskegon say they will start picketing next week amid a contract dispute with Trinity Health. Service Employees International Union, which represents the workers, says the nursing home is dealing with a staffing crisis and that employees are “overworked, understaffed and underpaid.” The union says wages, raises and benefits must improve to recruit and retain workers and support patients.
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the Windsor Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation facility, operated by Integritus Healthcare of Pittsfield. Since February 21, 75 residents have come down with Covid-19, as well as 20 staff members. Five of the infected residents did not survive. In recent days, the infection numbers have dropped significantly, said Lisa Gaudet, Vice-President of Communications for Integritus -- down to 21 resident cases and 15 staff cases as of Monday, March 6. The facility expects that, at this rate, Covid should be cleared from the nursing home by March 15.