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Long-Term Care Nursing Advisor

This bi-weekly e-mail newsletter features information and useful tips on assessing, treating, and preventing commonly-encountered nursing home problems.

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Long-Term Care Nursing Advisor

Issue 10, March 8, 2006

• CARE OF MOUTH AND TEETH

  CARE OF MOUTH AND TEETH

Issue 20, October 6, 2006

• Acetaminophen toxicity

  Acetaminophen toxicity is often asymptomatic. The resident may have anorexia and mild nausea that...

Issue 19, September 22, 2006

• Standard of care for monitoring residents with acute illness or infection

  Nurses and paraprofessional nursing personnel are responsible for regular, ongoing monitoring of...

Issue 18, September 8, 2006

• Reducing the risk of medication errors

  To reduce medication-related safety problems, consider the following:

Issue 17, August 25, 2006

• Reasons for inadequate fluid intake in the elderly

  Unfortunately, normal aging changes increase the risk for fluid imbalance and dehydration. The...

Issue 16, August 11, 2006

• Pseudomembranous colitis

  Pseudomembranous colitis is a serious condition in which diarrhea is caused by a bacterium called...

Issue 15, July 28, 2006

• Preventing medication errors

  To reduce the risk of medication errors, consider doing the following:

Issue 13, June 30, 2006

• Wound pain

  Many elderly residents have at least one painful, chronic medical condition. Immobility, improper...

Issue 12, June 16, 2006

• Changes in condition

  Nurses are responsible for identifying and acting upon changes in a resident’s condition. In...

Issue 10, May 19, 2006

• Procedures for residents who smoke

  Cigarette smoking presents a high risk for nursing home residents.

Issue 9, May 5, 2006

• Incontinence management and retraining

  Bowel and bladder retraining is an active program that involves teaching the resident to identify...

Issue 7, April 6, 2006

• Psychotropic medication dosage and contraindications

  The majority of residents in long-term care facilities take at least one psychotropic medication...

Issue 6, March 24, 2006

• Incontinence and medication use

  Urinary incontinence is the side effect of many types of medications.

Issue 5, March 10, 2006

• Level of consciousness

  The level of consciousness is always the most important indicator of a cerebral injury or other...

Issue 4, February 27, 2006

• Cultural barriers to pain relief

  Always consider culture and age when assessing pain. Culture affects the resident's beliefs and...

Issue 3, February 10, 2006

• Treating delirium

  Treatment for delirium begins with the identification of the causes. Keep in mind that there might...

Issue 2, January 27, 2006

• Transdermal fentanyl patches

  Transdermal fentanyl patches are generally well tolerated in older residents who need 24-hour...

Issue 1, January 13, 2006

• IV documentation

  Always document intravenous (IV) line insertion on nursing notes or an IV flowsheet.