Aging

As guidance on COVID-19 shifts, NC nursing homes and assisted living centers fight for residents’ safety

March 14, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith 8 Comments

As guidance on COVID-19 shifts, NC nursing homes and assisted living centers fight for residents’ safety - North Carolina Health News

Nowhere in North Carolina is there more at stake in the fight against COVID-19 than in nursing homes and assisted living centers. Residents are more likely to die from it if they contract the virus. Facilities are adopting new means of protection as the disease spreads worldwide.

By Thomas Goldsmith Like others around the globe who are battling the COVID-19 virus, residents and staffs of North Carolina’s long-term care centers are dealing with the threat of disease amid a shifting landscape of risks, guidelines, fears and hopes. However, the mostly older long-term care residents are more susceptible than the general population to […]

shows a purple light over the door of a hospital room to signify the presence of someone with dementia inside

NC hospital patients with dementia get support from new UNC Health Care initiative

March 11, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

NC hospital patients with dementia get support from new UNC Health Care initiative - North Carolina Health News

Hospital patients with dementia typically fare less well than those who are neurotypical, but help is arriving via new, dementia-friendly approaches that stress empathy and communication.

By Thomas Goldsmith In a Goldsboro hospital hallway, purple lights shine from about half the doorways to patients’ rooms. Each unusual glow informs staff and visitors that the person inside has dementia and will benefit from something other than the standard bedside manner. The lights are part of a health-care movement that focuses on the […]

Cohen talks about COVID-19 to the General Assembly on the same day Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency.

After more COVID-19 cases reported, NC declares state of emergency

March 10, 2020 by Anne Blythe

After more COVID-19 cases reported, NC declares state of emergency - North Carolina Health News

As the novel coronavirus spreads, Gov. Roy Cooper urges people 65 and older to avoid large crowds. He also pressed the CDC for more materials to test more prospective patients.

By Anne Blythe Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency in North Carolina on Tuesday to respond to COVID-19, the novel coronavirus spreading around the world and across the country. The announcement came a week after North Carolina reported its first case of the novel virus and the day after public health officials reported […]

A support group participant for people caring for loved ones with memory loss and dementia

With dementia at flood tide in NC, person-to-person support groups address problems

February 26, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

With dementia at flood tide in NC, person-to-person support groups address problems - North Carolina Health News

North Carolina faces a flood of people with dementia that will reach 300,000 by 2030. Responses as simple as person-to-person support groups address gaps that big medicine has yet to fill.

By Thomas Goldsmith Stan Eskridge learned about sundown syndrome not long ago when his wife of 54 years showed shocking anger toward him near the end of the day. Eskridge recalled his experiences last week as part of his check-in among a room of people in a Chapel Hill support group for dementia caregivers. Group […]

Millie Veasey stands in the doorway of her home, a smiling man in the doorway looks in. Some programs such as these are not getting as much support because of the budget standoff.

Some NC senior services left in the dust after budget feud between governor, legislature

February 19, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

Some NC senior services left in the dust after budget feud between governor, legislature - North Carolina Health News

Advocates for older people in North Carolina were looking forward to some long-sought victories in funding for aging services. But a budget standoff nixed some of those priorities.

By Thomas Goldsmith Brad Allen runs Senior Games events in 52 North Carolina locations on a little less than $500,000 a year, but last year, as the group’s CEO, he had every reason to think there was an extra $125,000 coming from state coffers. However, when the General Assembly and Gov. Roy Cooper butted heads […]

Masked male dentist and masked female hygienist drill inside a patients mouth

This dentist and his teams come to their patients. Their focus is special needs populations.

February 11, 2020 by Anne Blythe

This dentist and his teams come to their patients. Their focus is special needs populations. - North Carolina Health News

Bill Milner of Access Dental Care has a mobile dentistry fleet for the elderly, HIV patients, people with autism and other special needs.

By Anne Blythe As Bill Milner pulled disposable green medical gloves onto his hands, the man in the dental chair beside him offered a preview of what the dentist was about to see inside his mouth. A front tooth was gone, and it just might have been lost to an altercation, the patient said. “Did […]

Two women sit near a table and talk. One of them is a volunteer caregiver

Volunteer caregiving for seniors, already vital in NC, gets $19M push from feds

February 10, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

Volunteer caregiving for seniors, already vital in NC, gets $19M push from feds - North Carolina Health News

Cary’s Center for Volunteer Caregiving has built expertise during 28 years of recruiting, training and monitoring people who will volunteer to help seniors and people with disabilities. Now a federal push proposes spending millions to do the same thing with innovative methods.

By Thomas Goldsmith Regular help with household chores and an hour of friendly conversation can represent a gift beyond price for an older North Carolinian living alone. And for some isolated seniors and people with disabilities, that returning visitor or a dependable ride to a medical appointment can mean the difference between living independently and […]

Participants in a falls prevention workshop look at photos of common household hazards around a white table.

To prevent senior deaths from falls, NC providers turn to exercise and home-proofing

January 22, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

To prevent senior deaths from falls, NC providers turn to exercise and home-proofing - North Carolina Health News

Deaths following falls is on the rise among seniors. But keeping up strength and mobility can prevent falls, as can making homes safer for those at risk, say North Carolinians working to counter the trend.

By Thomas Goldsmith The family tragedy often unfolds something like this — Cousin Lily, who’s 88, falls at home in August and enters the hospital with a broken hip. By Thanksgiving, Lily is gone; dead following complications. People sometimes don’t realize that Lily could still be living and that older people, in general, can increase […]

shows a man sneezing. Flu symptoms include sneezing, cough, fever and aches.

Ahh-choo! Flu season hits hard in North Carolina

January 9, 2020 by Sarah Ovaska

Ahh-choo! Flu season hits hard in North Carolina - North Carolina Health News

N.C. confirms its first pediatric flu death, as preliminary reports point to a bad year across the nation. Older people, children and those already ill can be hit the hardest.

UPDATE: with new N.C. flu-death data from Thursday, Jan. 9 By Sarah Ovaska and Thomas Goldsmith Time to break out the hand sanitizer – flu season is officially underway with initial reports predicting it could be among the worst flu seasons to hit in a decade. Health officials in North Carolina and beyond are watching […]

Two women interact at an adult day care canter in Raleigh

NC Adult day care centers serve vital purpose, but face stagnant rates

January 7, 2020 by Thomas Goldsmith

NC Adult day care centers serve vital purpose, but face stagnant rates - North Carolina Health News

Adult day care centers don’t have as high a profile as assisted living and nursing homes, but provide a level of care that can allow an older person to stay at home instead of at a residential center.

By Thomas Goldsmith Time spent at an adult day care center can make major life differences for older North Carolinians who have trouble staying at home alone, and for those who look after them. For thousands of caregivers of an older person or someone with disabilities, such a center serves a place of safety and […]

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