Dementia patients who have the same nurse for all of their home health care visits are a third less likely to be readmitted to the hospital, a new study finds. “While continuity of nursing care may benefit every home health care patient, it may be particularly critical for people with dementia,” said study co-author Chenjuan…  read on >  read on >

Hospitalized patients with diabetes who hadn’t been taking their medication had more severe cases of COVID-19, a new study shows. “Our results highlight the importance of assessing, monitoring and controlling blood glucose [sugar] in hospitalized COVID-19 patients from the start,” said study author Sudip Bajpeyi, associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas at…  read on >  read on >

You decide to take a popular colon cancer screening test that can be performed at home, and it comes back positive. A follow-up colonoscopy is scheduled, but then you suddenly receive a large and unexpected medical bill. That’s what happened to a Missouri woman who was hit with $1,900 in medical expenses after using the…  read on >  read on >

Researchers are reporting early success with a temporary heart pacemaker that simply disintegrates when it’s no longer needed. So far the work has been limited to animals and human heart tissue studied in the lab. But experts said the early findings are “exciting” and could eventually change the care of patients who need a pacemaker…  read on >  read on >

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines trigger an immune system response that could fend off the coronavirus for years to come, new research reveals. The latest study bolsters growing evidence that most people immunized with the mRNA vaccines may not need booster shots, with one key caveat: That the virus and its variants don’t evolve too…  read on >  read on >

Dog obedience trainer Cindy Leung has a very anxious client who loves a very anxious breed, the Shetland Sheepdog. “My [human] student startles at loud noises,” Leung said. “That’s just part of her personality. Loud, sudden noises startle her. Something weird that shows up in the environment startles her. She’s got a really strong startle…  read on >  read on >

Most Americans with dementia are undiagnosed, which shows how important it is to screen and assess seniors for the disease, researchers say. Their new analysis of data from a nationwide survey of about 6 million Americans aged 65 and older revealed that 91% of people with cognitive impairment consistent with dementia did not have a…  read on >  read on >