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Study examines non-verbal cues in people with limited language ability

A new study examining how people with severe and profound intellectual disabilities resist activities while in care recommends that institutions improve training to help carers better understand non-verbal cues, as well as offer greater flexibility to allow individual preferences to take priority over institutional schedules.

31 Mar 2021

Inmates’ distrust of prison health care fuels distrust of Covid vaccines

One November night in a Missouri prison, Charles Graham woke his cellmate of more than a dozen years, Frank Flanders, saying he couldn't breathe. Flanders pressed the call button. No one answered, so he kicked the door until a guard came.

25 Mar 2021

COVID-19 lockdown restrictions reduced light activity related to socializing and work

A study which looked at activity levels before and during the COVID-19 pandemic has found lockdown restrictions significantly reduced light activity associated with socializing and work.

22 Mar 2021

Texas winter storm exposes gaps in senior living oversight

When the big, red and extremely loud fire alarm went off in Maria Skladzien's apartment, the 74-year-old ventured into the hallway with fellow residents of her Houston-area senior living community.

10 Mar 2021

Study: Battery storage can help protect medically vulnerable households

Extreme weather driven by climate change is making power outages more commonplace even as the need for electricity-dependent home health equipment grows.

25 Feb 2021

In search of the shot

Too little covid vaccine and too great a demand: That's what KHN readers from around the country detail in their often exasperating quest to snag a shot, although they are often clearly eligible under their local guidelines and priority system.

13 Feb 2021

Vaccine equity is ‘North Star,’ feds say, and clinics are key to fair distribution

Mary Barnett is one of about a dozen seniors who got a covid vaccine on a recent morning at Neighborhood Health, a clinic tucked in a sprawling public housing development on the south side of downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

11 Feb 2021

Kessler Foundation scientists receive three grants for spinal cord injury research

Kessler Foundation scientists received three spinal cord injury research grants from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, to ensure that they have the capacity to complete projects delayed by the pandemic.

5 Feb 2021

Spark Therapeutics launches gene therapy clinical trial for late-onset Pompe disease

Pompe disease is a hereditary genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of acid alpha-glucosidase leading to build-up of glycogen in the lyosomes, which then causes cell damage in various tissues, in particular the heart, the muscles, the liver and the nervous system.

3 Feb 2021

After a decade of lobbying, ALS patients gain faster access to disability payments

Anita Baron first noticed something was wrong in August 2018, when she began to drool. Her dentist chalked it up to a problem with her jaw.

21 Jan 2021

Assistive magnetic skin system supports freedom of movement for people with quadriplegia

An assistive technology uses magnetic skin to support freedom of movement for people with quadriplegia.

18 Jan 2021

Study could help develop new oral drugs for treating muscular dystrophy, heart failure

Cell-derived exosomes are effective in treating disease when mixed with the dominant protein in breast milk and given orally, a new Smidt Heart Institute study of laboratory mice shows.

12 Jan 2021

Pandemic-related paid sick days and leave to expire Dec. 31 — with no extension in sight

Like tens of millions of other parents nationwide, Jonathan and Sara Sadowski struggle to assist their four children, ages 5 to 11, with their online schooling at home. In addition, their eldest child, who has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair, needs special care.

18 Dec 2020

Researchers examine whether regenerative patch for spina bifida defect can promote healing

Researchers are investigating whether a human umbilical cord patch placed on the spina bifida defect could improve healing after minimally invasive fetoscopic surgery in a clinical trial at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

14 Dec 2020

Wearable exoskeletons could reduce physical strain in nurses

Wearable exoskeletons are increasingly being used in physically demanding jobs to support good ergonomics and augment muscular strength. In ground-breaking studies led by researchers at Tampere University and LUT University in Finland, exoskeleton vests were worn by nurses to discover how the new technology would suit the special requirements of patient care.

10 Nov 2020

Study summarizes treatment and management of glutaric acidemia type 1

A new study summarizes over 30 years of clinical experience in the treatment and management of glutaric acidemia type 1 (GA1), a rare and potentially devastating metabolic disorder caused by variants in the GCDH gene.

14 Oct 2020

UEA researchers put virtual reality rehabilitation for stroke survivors to the test

Researchers at the University of East Anglia have been putting virtual reality rehabilitation for stroke survivors to the test.

23 Sep 2020

New dental treatment helps fill cavities and insurance gaps for seniors

Dental hygienist Jennifer Geiselhofer often cleans the teeth of senior patients who can't easily get to a dentist's office. But until recently, if she found a cavity, there was little she could do.

15 Sep 2020

Facing COVID-19 patients on ventilators down may cause nerve damage

Some people are more likely to experience severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). These include the elderly, people who are obese and have underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, lung illness, and kidney disease, among others.

14 Sep 2020

Severely ill COVID-19 patients on ventilators can experience permanent nerve damage

Severely ill COVID-19 patients on ventilators are placed in a prone (face down) position because it's easier for them to breathe and reduces mortality.

12 Sep 2020