Nursing home residents are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. They are mostly older adults, often with medical conditions, who live in close quarters with many other people. To curb the impacts of the virus on this population, strict controls were implemented limiting visitors and oversight. Langlade County Healthy Aging in Rural Towns (HeART) Project member Paul …
University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing Assistant Professor Kristen Pecanac, PhD, RN studies interactions among healthcare practitioners, patients, and family members as they make treatment decisions in hospital settings. She says the peer review process has provided her with clear examples of ageism. “I did a study where I looked at conversations between physicians and …
“How can we address healthy aging within these communities in ways that are feasible, achievable, and relatively inexpensive, but also have a great impact?” asks Geana Shemak, MS, ATC, the community coordinator and educator for the Healthy Aging in Rural Towns (HeART) coalition in Iowa County, Wisconsin. For three years, HeART coalitions in Iowa County, Langlade County, and …
From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, long-term care staff knew they were facing multiple challenges. “When we closed the doors of nursing homes and visitors were no longer allowed, I went home, I packed my belongings, and I moved into the nursing home,” says Janelle Zacho, RN, DNS-CT, the Director of Nursing at Columbia …