Long-Term Care Survey Alert
AROMATHERAPY MAY CALM RESIDENTS WITH DEMENTIA
PDF
The aroma of lemon balm may be just what the doctor ordered for agitated residents with dementia.
A recent British study showed that aromatherapy containing an essential oil from lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) not only helped calm people with dementia but also made nursing home residents isolate less and participate more in constructive activities. The research findings are reported in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. In the controlled study, researchers at Newcastle General Hospital in
Newcastle upon Tyne rubbed lemon balm lotion on patients’ faces and arms twice a day for four weeks. Sixty percent of those in the treatment group showed a 30 percent reduction in agitation, compared to only 15 percent of patients who received an inert placebo lotion.
Aromatherapy Requires Safety Precautions Some nursing facilities provide aromatherapy for their residents. Aromatic essential oils used to promote relaxation include lavender and rose geranium. Yet even this innocuous-seeming therapy can have its side effects, cautions Trudy Welker, a Northbrook, IL-based consultant who helps nursing homes use aromatherapy techniques.
“For example, lemon balm can provoke an allergic sensitization response when used in dermal applications, especially with the fragile elderly,” Welker tells Eli.
“Essential oils used in nursing homes should be accompanied by material safety data sheets in compliance with existing regulations,” Welker cautions.
Long-Term Care Survey Alert
- Survey Management:
OPPOSING STRATEGIES CAN TURN AROUND A LOSING SURVEY
Every survey is a gamble. That’s because no matter what kind of winning hand you [...] - Survey Appeals:
A SURVEY SUCCESS STORY AFTER THE FACT
No luck convincing surveyors to put up their citation pads during the exit conference? All [...] - Survey Data Management:
WHAT TO DO WHEN CMS' 'NURSING HOME COMPARE' SITE IS WRONG
It’s painful enough to see negative survey or quality performance information about your facility on [...] - Survey Reporting:
FORMER OPERATORS' SURVEY SINS AND DOT-COM SITES HAUNT NURSING FACILITIES
Providers and nursing home organizations are lobbying for a number of reforms to protect themselves [...] - Care Plan Management:
UNCAN 'CANNED' CARE PLANS TO AVOID QUALITY CITATIONS
Caveat care planners: If your facility uses a prefabricated or “canned” care plan, make sure [...] - Resident Assessment:
IMPROVE DIETARY ASSESSMENT -- BEFORE SURVEYORS FORCE YOU TO
Here’s food for thought: Nursing assistants in a recent study assessed resident meal intake accurately [...] - Survey Preparation:
HOW SURVEYORS CALCULATE FOOD AND FLUID INTAKE
Ready to do some math? If you really want to get inside the mind of [...] - Resident Nutrition:
3 TIPS FOR IMPROVING RESIDENT DIETARY INTAKE
Residents not eating or drinking enough? Try these simple strategies: 1. Check with the physician [...] - Quality Initiative:
PARTNERSHIPS KEY TO NURSING HOME QUALITY INITIATIVE
Providers recently got a heads up on the federal quality nursing home quality initiative set [...] - Quality Initiative:
CMS BROADCAST TO EXPLAIN QUALITY MEASURES
Mark your calendars: On Sept. 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plans to [...] - Clinical Research:
AROMATHERAPY MAY CALM RESIDENTS WITH DEMENTIA
The aroma of lemon balm may be just what the doctor ordered for agitated residents [...] - Survey Studies:
CMS SET TO STUDY SURVEY INCONSISTENCY
Wish someone would finally do something to improve the consistency and accuracy of surveys? The [...] - Medicare Reimbursement:
MEDICARE TO PAY FOR E-STIM WOUND TREATMENT
Wound coverage is about to improve for residents with difficult-to-treat ulcers. Under a new national [...]