October 2009 - Posts

Fighting off Germs
October 30, 2009 12:40 PM by Maureen Salera

We all know that washing our hands is the best way to guard against the spread of germs. But there are several other measures that can also help protect us from contamination. In this Washington Post article , health care professionals share some other Read More...

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Caught in the Middle
October 30, 2009 9:11 AM by Liz Rosto

A new study from PHI, a national non-profit organization working to strengthen the health care services workforce, reveals that less than one-fifth of Massachusetts direct-care workers (nursing home assistants, home health care aides and personal care Read More...

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Sex Differences in H1N1 Vaccines
October 28, 2009 12:42 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

Women's bodies generate a stronger antibody response to the H1N1 vaccine than men's do, so only half the vaccine may be needed to immunize them, according to an op ed piece in the N.Y. Times . "If we could give women a smaller dose, there would be more Read More...

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By the Time H1N1 Vaccine is Available, Will We Still Need it?
October 26, 2009 12:59 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

The CDC is just beginning to understand why so little H1N1 virus is available to Americans in need, reports National Public Radio. First, vaccine manufacturers didn't have the reagents to know how much active ingredient was in production. When they finally Read More...

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Six-year-old girl faces eviction from retirement community
October 22, 2009 12:52 PM by Maureen Salera

There's a debate raging in a Florida retirement community over evicting a six-year-old girl who lives there with her grandparents. Kimberly Broffman is the little girl at the center of it all. She lives in the retirement community with grandparents Jimmy Read More...

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Futile end-of-life care
October 16, 2009 1:42 PM by Maureen Salera

Two new studies from The New England Journal of Medicine indicate that nursing home residents may be receiving futile care measures at the end of their lives. In one study, doctors examined health records of 3,702 nursing-home residents across the nation Read More...

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Proper Handwashing Technique
October 16, 2009 10:44 AM by Liz Rosto

With the H1N1 virus lurking in our office (so far, one confirmed case), experts agree that aside from vaccination, the best defense is thorough handwashing. Check out this video from the Washington Post that shows proper handwashing technique. We hear Read More...

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Dialysis May Do More Harm Than Good
October 15, 2009 4:34 PM by Heather Simons

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine questions whether dialysis is the best treatment for nursing home patients. As reported by USA Today , more than half of older nursing home residents die within a year of starting dialysis and "nearly Read More...

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Nurses Against H1N1 Vaccination
October 9, 2009 1:41 PM by Maureen Salera

A letter to the editor in today's Philadelphia Inquirer details the reasons why two Philadelphia-area registered nurses are rejecting the swine flu vaccine after attending a conference on the subject. Read the letter to the editor here . Given the recent Read More...

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H1N1 Vaccination: My Experience
October 7, 2009 3:34 PM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

This morning, two of my three children got their first H1N1 vaccinations. Now that it's available to high-risk groups, I thought I'd give my doctor's office a call about getting mine. (I have asthma, so I'm in the high risk group.) Not only does my doctor's Read More...

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Strange Research
October 7, 2009 10:51 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie

I recently discovered a rather interesting awards ceremony, the IG Nobels. Hosted by the Harvard-based journal Annals of Improbable Research , the awards honor less-than-traditional research and are handed out by real Nobel laureates. Highlights from Read More...

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Leadership Models
October 5, 2009 10:45 AM by Liz Rosto

The following is a guest blog from Anthony Cirillo: Recent Harvard articles have been consistent in their insistence that a different mode of leadership will be required in all businesses going forward. Business as usual got us into the predicament we Read More...

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Recession May Spur Longevity
October 2, 2009 2:36 PM by Maureen Salera

Longevity actually flourishes in times of economic hardship, and that may be true for the current recession as well, according to research that appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . After examining life expectancy and mortality Read More...

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