Read our Coronavirus Coverage Here

North Carolina Health News

News. Policy. Trends. North Carolina.

Donate Now

Additional Thanks

Advocates say the deaths highlight the critical need for reform of outdated state jail policies, which remain in limbo at the state legislature. #ncpol #nchealth northcarolinahealthnews.org/2…

Categories

assisted living

Hand of a senior in black and white

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

by

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 […]

Young man loads a medical needle from a bottle with a clear substance

What stories grabbed you in 2019? NC Health News most-read stories of the year

by

What stories grabbed you in 2019? NC Health News most-read stories of the year - North Carolina Health News

What piqued your interest this year? We review which stories grabbed peoples' attention, got passed around and shared widely.

By NC Health News Staff Lessons from Abroad: How Europeans tackled opioid addiction and what the U.S. could learn from them. For years, NC Health News has reported on the drug-related deaths, diseases and losses that have resulted from the opioid crisis. Life expectancy in the United States has dropped for two years in a […]

a fence is in the foreground, with a dozen men in jumpsuits beyond it, they're sitting on benches and seveal are playing basketball. More inmates with mental illness find themselves in solitary confinement following the 2017 deaths of prison officers in NC.

As NC inmate needs persist, a $6 million long-term care facility sits empty

by

As NC inmate needs persist, a $6 million long-term care facility sits empty - North Carolina Health News

Legislators voted in 2015 to turn a former mental-health treatment space in Central Prison into a long-term care facility for sick inmates. Renovations of the center ended in March, but it remains vacant.

By Thomas Goldsmith Clanking security doors, pristine cells, wide halls and private spaces for medical visits all stand ready at the new long-term care facility at Central Prison in Raleigh. The combined assisted-living and skilled nursing facility take up five floors and 32,930 square feet of former mental health care space, recently converted at a […]

shows a woman with a t shirt reading US PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE on the back leaning ovr a woman who is sitting

As Hurricane Dorian approaches, long-term care residents are moved to safer ground

by

As Hurricane Dorian approaches, long-term care residents are moved to safer ground - North Carolina Health News

Concerns about wind, rain and destruction brought by Hurricane Dorian meant that more than 380 people have been evacuated from North Carolina long-term care centers, state health officials said.

By Thomas Goldsmith More than 380 older and vulnerable North Carolinians have been evacuated from assisted living and skilled nursing centers in the path of Hurricane Dorian, state emergency and health and human services officials said Thursday. An NC Department of Health and Human Services spokesman said two nursing homes had evacuated 93 residents and […]

shows a street sign reading, "Watch for Senior Citizens"

Matthew & Florence taught NC lessons: Storms like Dorian threaten old people

by

Matthew & Florence taught NC lessons: Storms like Dorian threaten old people - North Carolina Health News

The serious perils that older people in North Carolina face during hurricanes are lurking again in the gales and rainy torrents of the powerful storm Dorian. Across the state, prepared professionals and private citizens are stepping up to minimize harm.

By Thomas Goldsmith The specters of catastrophic hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence last year are looming darkly over this week’s preparations for Hurricane Dorian, the latest unwanted newcomer to the Tar Heel State. Across North Carolina on Wednesday, older people and those charged with looking after them made preparations, checked registries of vulnerable residents, […]

shows a pile of different brands of adult incontinence products stuffed under a sink

Adult incontinence products: An undeniable, expensive need for many older people

by

Adult incontinence products: An undeniable, expensive need for many older people - North Carolina Health News

Adult incontinence comes as an unwelcome symptom of dementia & numerous other conditions, but they're pricey and often people don't want to admit the need.

By Thomas Goldsmith Cislyn Ricketts, 88, a retired radiology technician, had problems at first with wearing adult incontinence products. But she adapted, as the kinds of products and their use became more familiar. Her daughter and caregiver Carrie Taye, 72, says use of adult diapers and related items help to manage one of Ricketts’ many […]

shows the outside of the main building for DHHS in Raleigh

Bill to require generators in NC adult care homes faces funding questions

by

Bill to require generators in NC adult care homes faces funding questions - North Carolina Health News

It’s a good idea for long-term care homes to have generators, legislators agreed during a hearing Tuesday. But is it worth its estimated cost, in the tens of millions?

By Thomas Goldsmith Everyone at a General Assembly committee hearing Tuesday liked, in concept, legislation that would require North Carolina assisted living centers to have emergency electrical service on hand during power outages. After all, the residential centers known in North Carolina as adult care homes increasingly house people with debilitating illnesses and mobility problems […]

shows the back of a wheelchair, with an old and wizened hand on the arm of the chair

NC’s Star Rating System for Assisted Living Homes Gets Close Scrutiny

by

NC’s Star Rating System for Assisted Living Homes Gets Close Scrutiny - North Carolina Health News

A multi-disciplinary team mandated last year by the General Assembly is studying whether the state’s four-star system for assisted living centers should be modified or scrapped.

By Thomas Goldsmith With additional reporting by Rose Hoban Since 2009, North Carolinians looking for an adult care home have used a star rating system designed to show how well these assisted-living centers look after older residents and those with disabilities. Now a multi-disciplinary team mandated last year by the General Assembly is studying whether […]

a woman using a walker gets off a paratransit transport bus outside of a senior living center

Transport for Older People Tied to Health

by

Transport for Older People Tied to Health - North Carolina Health News

It turns out that the simple act of getting around is key to health for older people. But it's one of the hardest things for many of them to accomplish.

By Thomas Goldsmith Residents of the Wood Spring Apartments in Fuquay-Varina have cut a walking path across a field to a shopping center with a Food Lion, a pharmacy and a couple of restaurants. Now the people who live at the building serving people 55-and-older would like to see a bus stop at the center […]

NC General Assembly building

Hospitals, Adult Care Homes Big Losers in Budget

by

Hospitals, Adult Care Homes Big Losers in Budget - North Carolina Health News

As the North Carolina Senate approves the state budget for the upcoming year, some members of the health care community are smarting from further cuts that will bite into their ability to function. By Rose Hoban, with reporting from Jasmin Singh & Hyun Namkoong Hospital and adult care home operators are all reacting to the […]

[email]
[email]
[zip]
[zip]
[listGroups]
[listGroups]
[email]
[email]
[zip]
[zip]
[listGroups]
[listGroups]