CDC Unveils New Website for Assisted Living
03/10/2014
CDC Long-Term Care Website
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently unveiled a new website that offers information to assisted living communities, nursing homes, and skilled nursing facilities. The new site at www.cdc.gov/longtermcare provides data about infections including urinary tract infections, diarrhea diseases, antibiotic-resistant staph infections and other information. The CDC site is divided into three categories that provide topical information for clinical staff and residents, along with prevention tools. It also includes additional resources such as guidelines for infection prevention and control in healthcare settings. According to the CDC long-term care site, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and assisted living facilities, (collectively known as long-term care facilities, LTCFs) provide a variety of services, both medical and personal care, to people who are unable to manage independently in the community. Over 3 million Americans receive care in U.S. nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities each year and nearly one million persons reside in assisted living facilities. Data about infections in LTCFs are limited, but it has been estimated in the medical literature that:- 1 to 3 million serious infections occur every year in these facilities.
- Infections include urinary tract infection, diarrhea diseases, antibiotic-resistant staph infections and many others.
- Infections are a major cause of hospitalization and death; as many as 380,000 people die of the infections in LTCFs every year.