Activity Director Kristi Gard, wearing a poodle skirt for “40s Day,” walks resident Helen Werling back to her room after a small group gathered for a candy trivia game on Wednesday at Oak Hill in Waterloo. “We have a lot of costumes […]
Read Time : 16 Minutes
Mom’s advice after getting COVID-19, finishing nursing school
NEW YORK – As she struggled through yet another difficult class, Marleny Hernandez felt her dream of becoming a nurse slipping away – again. She was halfway through a two-year associate degree program at Borough of Manhattan Community College. Hernandez, a 33-year-old mother of four and high school dropout, already […]
Read Time : 11 Minutes
How will nursing home residents in N.J. get the coronavirus vaccine?
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel recommended the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine be approved for Emergency Use Authorization Thursday night, putting it a step closer to full approval and delivery to Americans within days. The federal government and the State of New Jersey have said the first doses will first be […]
Read Time : 8 Minutes
N.J. nursing homes must quarantine residents who visit family at the holidays for 2 weeks. Will it work?
Families who take their loved ones out of long-term care centers for Thanksgiving should prepare to keep them home longer if the facility does not have enough space to quarantine them for two weeks upon return, State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli announced Monday. That said, Persichilli once again strongly advised […]
Read Time : 7 Minutes
N.J. allows family visits in nursing homes, but some say they’re still banned from seeing loved ones
Frustrated that many nursing home operators appear to be ignoring a state memo in August permitting limited indoor visits, dozens of family members pleaded with the state Long-Term Care Ombudsman Wednesday night to help them end their loved ones’ isolation that began when the pandemic struck seven months ago. Ombudsman […]
Read Time : 9 Minutes
Pandemic erects barriers for prized bloc of voters in nursing homes, senior facilities
The convergence of the coronavirus pandemic and election season has complicated this year’s voting for residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care centers. Many seniors who need help to get or fill out their ballots may be stymied by shifting rules about family visits. Voting procedures […]