Aging

We see a group of healthcare workers holding signs that say, "#CherrySpringsStrong" while wearing masks and scrubs in the hallway of the long-term care facility.

Concerns grow over COVID fatalities in NC assisted living facilities

January 22, 2021 by Thomas Goldsmith Leave a Comment

Concerns grow over COVID fatalities in NC assisted living facilities - North Carolina Health News

Assisted living centers in North Carolina and nationally notice growth in the numbers of COVID-related cases and deaths.

By Thomas Goldsmith It’s a statistic that could easily fly by at a time when the number of statewide COVID-related deaths have passed 8,300. But there are good reasons to take a deeper look at the 200 North Carolina residential-care residents who have been listed as COVID-related deaths each week beginning with Dec. 22 as […]

shows a hand holidng a small vial of COVID-19 vaccine

Vaccines arrive to NC’s prisons

January 21, 2021 by Hannah Critchfield 2 Comments

Vaccines arrive to NC’s prisons - North Carolina Health News

Incarcerated people and staff who are 75 or older began to receive the vaccine yesterday.

By Hannah Critchfield North Carolina began vaccinating state prisoners Wednesday after its prison agency received its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the state health department. Correctional staff who work with COVID-19-positive incarcerated people or in prison units with outbreaks, as well as the health care staff administering shots, are also receiving the vaccine. […]

We see Ester Amy Fischer hugging her mother while they take a selfie. Her mother Barbara, who wears a purple shirt with spotted patterns, is smiling with laughter.

For some long-term care residents, vaccine comes too late

January 20, 2021 by Hannah Critchfield 2 Comments

For some long-term care residents, vaccine comes too late - North Carolina Health News

What happens when an outbreak strikes a facility while residents inside wait for a vaccine?

By Hannah Critchfield Even as North Carolina enters the second phase of its vaccine plan, some long-term care residents are still waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine. For Barbara Fischer, an 83-year-old dementia patient at Brookdale Meadowmont, it could be coming too late. When the state announced that people in long-term care facilities would be among […]

We see Mark Newton sitting with his arm around his older mother on a brown corduroy couch in their home in Reidsville. Both smile, with closed teeth, and look at the camera.

Family health workers feel left behind by NC’s vaccination rollout

January 14, 2021 by Hannah Critchfield 8 Comments

Family health workers feel left behind by NC’s vaccination rollout - North Carolina Health News

People who work at long term care facilities were some of the first in line for the COVID-19 vaccine. Unpaid caregivers - those who care for their elderly parents or other relatives at home - aren’t being given the same priority.

By Hannah Critchfield For Mark Newton, each visit to the grocery store tempts fate. He arrives during early or late hours when the business is mostly empty, but he can’t control the checkout line – or the flood of fear that rushes in every time he finds himself surrounded by other too-close patrons, their noses […]

shows a man standing at a podium speaking to the camera, his arms spread wide as he talks about the COVID pandemic and vaccine response

Coronavirus Today – Jan 12 – Cooper calls out “dangerous rhetoric;” Lawmakers criticize vaccine rollout; Large vaccine events coming

January 12, 2021 by Rose Hoban Leave a Comment

Coronavirus Today – Jan 12 – Cooper calls out “dangerous rhetoric;” Lawmakers criticize vaccine rollout; Large vaccine events coming - North Carolina Health News

NC lawmakers grill Mandy Cohen, DHHS secretary, about slower than expected COVID vaccine administration, on a day when Gov. Cooper drew parallels between political violence and coronavirus denial.

By Anne Blythe Gov. Roy Cooper took time on Tuesday to draw parallels between what led to the assault on the nation’s Capitol almost a week ago and the continued effort by some to downplay the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19. It comes at a time when the […]

A cross stitched pattern of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19,a round shape with spikes coming out of it.

A look back at 2020’s biggest story: The COVID-19 pandemic

December 30, 2020 by Editor

A look back at 2020’s biggest story: The COVID-19 pandemic - North Carolina Health News

NC Health News staffers have published more than 350 stories about COVID in 2020. We take a look at the many ways, large and small, that COVID has affected North Carolina and its population and pull out some of the larger themes we saw emerge.

By North Carolina Health News staff COVID’s ascent in rural areas sheds light on longstanding disparities The pandemic may have begun in cities and population centers, but as the months wore on, it took hold in rural areas across the state in various ways. The first shockwaves of the pandemic in rural North Carolina began […]

Students are counting and stacking diapers outside

Rural areas see a rise in demand for adult diapers

December 22, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

Rural areas see a rise in demand for adult diapers - North Carolina Health News

The economic devastation of coronavirus has hit some older adults particularly hard, driving up demand for diapers and other sanitary products in social service agencies across the state.

By Liora Engel-Smith John Henry Jeter remembers a time when his agency’s adult diaper cache gathered dust on the shelf. But then the pandemic started, that’s when incontinence and hygiene products started flying off the shelves. Tarboro Community Outreach serves some of the neediest in Edgecombe County, an area that had the highest rates of […]

shows a yellowed image of a newlywed couple in vintage bridal attire in the back of a car

In the year of COVID, many older people fare best at a different kind of holiday celebration

December 11, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

In the year of COVID, many older people fare best at a different kind of holiday celebration - North Carolina Health News

Older people’s concerns about COVID-19 are bringing additional stress to a season that already held difficult realities along with happy memories. Changes in caregivers’ practices, expectations and attitudes can help smooth the holidays, say North Carolinians who provide care for seniors including those with dementia.

By Thomas Goldsmith From Thanksgiving to Hanukkah, through Christmas and beyond, this time of year can hold joy, but also holds peril for frail older people. Pitfalls could come in the form of too much or not enough company, overly rich food, departures from routine, and high expectations, North Carolina caregivers say. Especially as 2020 […]

Privately managed Medicare Advantage earns an increased share of beneficiaries, as annual sign-ups proceed.

December 2, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

Privately managed Medicare Advantage earns an increased share of beneficiaries, as annual sign-ups proceed. - North Carolina Health News

It’s time for older North Carolinians and some with disabilities to meet the Dec. 7 deadline for making choices about Medicare coverage for 2021. In this pandemic year, state counselors have had to make adjustments to meet beneficiaries’ needs.

By Thomas Goldsmith North Carolinians who are 65 or older face a Dec. 7 deadline for making sure their health insurance under Medicare is in order for 2021. Seniors need to learn the pros and cons of both original fee-for-service Medicare and the increasingly popular Medicare Advantage plans, say people who are knowledgeable about the […]

A skilled nursing facility sign is in the foreground and a building is in the background. The facility, A PruittHealth skilled-nursing facility for veterans in Orange County, is dealing with an outbreak of COVID-19, and has a history of poor staffing.

NC commission votes to extend deal for private management of state’s veterans nursing homes

November 20, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

NC commission votes to extend deal for private management of state’s veterans nursing homes - North Carolina Health News

The Georgia-based company that oversees NC’s state veterans nursing homes got approval Tuesday for a one-year contract renewal from the state Veterans Affairs Commission.

By Thomas Goldsmith For the first time, a significant public body had a discussion of North Carolina’s deal with the company that runs the NC State Veterans Homes, at which 38 residents contracted COVID-19 and died. In all, 87 veterans were diagnosed as having contracted the virus. A Tuesday vote by the state’s NC Veterans […]

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