The healthcare industry in India– like in the rest of the world– finds itself at interesting cross-roads. While COVID-19 exposed the lack of preparedness of the industry, it also ushered in a new era of medical treatment and care where every home can be turned into a healthcare facility, if the need arises and where quality of care can be integrated into our daily lives! Indeed, shortage of manpower, medical equipment and general infrastructure in public and private hospitals turned out to be fatal for millions requiring immediate care during the pandemic. The high cost of quality medical treatment and continuity of care also makes it out of bounds for most even during normal times. On top of it, studies show that out-of-pocket expenditure for those seeking medical care goes over the roof for many requiring advanced treatment.
The Department of Health and Human Services awarded approximately $25 million in planning grants through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to five states and territories to expand home and community-based services access with Medicaid’s Money Follows the Person demonstration program, the HHS said Monday.
Few places were harder hit during the COVID-19 pandemic than nursing homes, whose residents were incredibly vulnerable because of their age and any chronic medical conditions they experienced, such as kidney disease, diabetes, heart disease and respiratory illness. According to updated data released on June 19, 2022, by the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), there have been a total of 1,082,240 confirmed COVID cases and 153,611 deaths among nursing home residents throughout the pandemic, and 1,150,305 confirmed cases and 2,416 deaths among nursing home staff.
In February 2020, just before covid hit, there were about 1.6 million people (pdf) employed in nursing homes in the US. By July of 2022, less than 1.4 million were, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. A sudden reduction of employment in healthcare affected all health sectors—from physicians’ offices to dentists to outpatient care services—as covid hit. But while most of these sectors recovered relatively swiftly, getting back to pre-pandemic levels, long-term care employment is still struggling to meet the needs of patients.
As demand for dementia and Alzheimer's-related care grows, a Des Moines-based long-term care facility is taking a unique step as it opens its new memory care unit this week.
Via Health Services is opening a female-only unit for dementia and Alzheimer's patients at the Fleur Heights senior living center. Company officials say this model of care is the first of its kind for long-term care facilities in Iowa, but a necessary step to better care for patients living with the neurological condition.
After more than two grueling years of serving as first responders during an ever-evolving global pandemic, our healthcare workers are in crisis. They’re frustrated, burned out and overwhelmed. And they’re almost all women. While it’s true that everyone in the healthcare system plays a role, it’s not an understatement to say that our entire healthcare system rests on the backs of women. Seventy-six percent of our 9 million-plus healthcare workers are women, making them the primary providers of hospital patient care, long-term care and home healthcare. We literally owe our lives to these women—not a single healthcare facility could operate without them.