CMS Fact Sheet

Interim guidance for persons who may have 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) to prevent spread in homes and residential communities

Holidays can be meaningful, enriching times for both the person with Alzheimer’s disease and his or her family. Help make holiday visits go more smoothly by preparing guests for what to expect during interactions with the person with Alzheimer’s. Explain to guests that the person with Alzheimer’s disease does not always remember what is expected and acceptable. Give examples of unusual behaviors that may take place such as incontinence, eating food with fingers, wandering, or hallucinations. If this is the first visit since the person with Alzheimer’s became severely impaired, tell guests that the visit may be painful. The memory-impaired person may not remember guests’ names or relationships but can still enjoy their company. Explain that memory loss is the result of the disease and is not intentional. Stress that the meaningfulness of the moment together matters more than what the person remembers. For more information, visit Helping Family and Friends Understand Alzheimer’s. Get more holiday hints for caregivers. Share this information with others on social media: #Caregivers: help make holiday visits go more smoothly for people with #Alzheimers disease by preparing guests for what to expect when they get there. Learn how: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/holiday-hints-alzheimers-caregivers

The CDC provides many informational resources and tools to help older adults and their caregivers prepare for emergencies and disasters.

The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) developed the Palliative Care: Conversations Matter® campaign to increase the use of palliative care for children and teens living with serious illnesses. The campaign includes materials to assist health care providers in starting and continuing conversations about pediatric palliative care with their patients and patients’ families.

New FREE Continuing Education from MMWR and Medscape for public health officials and clinicians who treat and manage patients with or at risk for HIV infection including infectious disease physicians, hematologists/oncologists, internists, and other physicians; nurses; and pharmacists.

United Hospital Fund (UHF) has released the first in a series of reports, Difficult Decisions About Post-Acute Care and Why They Matter, based on a year-long project to better understand why hospital discharge planning can fall short despite well-intentioned efforts by hospital staff. The report spotlights the many factors that can hinder informed decision-making by patients and their families and limit post-acute care choices.

The tips provided in this fact sheet will help older adults and their caregivers prepare for disasters.