Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Did you know? The MDS MDS 3.0 has a new implementation date. The revamped instrument is now set to roll out in October 2010, according to an announcement at the March 5, 2009 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' SNF/LTC Open Door Forum. "The revised timeline is being reviewed internally," said Tom Dudley, MS, RN, with CMS' Division of Post-Acute and Chronic Care, at the Open Door Forum. CMS will post the revised timeline on its website at www.cms.hhs.gov and send the notice through the ODF list serve, he said. The data sets and items due to be released in March 2009 will likely not be published until October 2009, Dudley added.

"The delay wasn't a surprise, as there has been a lot of concern about the timeline for case-mix states and software vendors," says Sandra Fitzler, RN, senior director of clinical services at the American Health Care Association.

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation may pay off in nursing homes. In a systematic review of the literature, researchers recently found that nine studies looking at osteoporosis medication effect showed that calcium (1,200 mg) and vitamin D (800 IU) supplementation reduce nursing home residents' fracture risk and improved bone mineral density. The research appeared in the February 2009 Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Gardening may help keep older hands strong and dexterous, according to research performed at Kansas State University. "One of the things we found is that older adults who are gardeners have better hand strength and pinch force, which is a big concern as you age," said Candice Shoemaker, Kansas State professor of horticulture, in a university press release.