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Federal regulations designed to protect residents in the nation's nursing homes are facing mounting pressure from Congress. A group of 146 lawmakers has urged federal government officials to re-evaluate revised standards in care centers, claiming some of the measures are excessive and are financial burdens for facility owners. (Caniglia and Corrigan, 11/26)

Anti-psychotics are contraindicated for people with dementia and include a U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning that they increase the risk of falls, stroke and other potentially fatal side effects. The federal government started tracking the off-label use of such medications in nursing homes in 2011. Since then, Kansas has always ranked at or near the top in percentage of medicated residents, suggesting there are thousands of residents in the state’s certified nursing facilities who have been given drugs that aren’t medically indicated for them, and could actually harm them. (Marso and Ryan, 11/26)

In Howard County, 16.2 percent of the population is Asian, including 4.2 percent who are Korean, according to 2015 U.S. Census estimates. That’s up 33 percent since 2010, when Asians made up 13.3 percent of the population. ... While there are religion-based retirement communities — think Catholic or Lutheran homes — nursing care is often less culturally focused. But more facilities are adapting to the nation’s growing ethnic diversity, hiring multilingual staff, serving multi-ethnic foods and in some cases devoting whole floors to one culture. The focus on culture and ethnicity is an example of how nursing homes are looking at innovative ways to better better serve the communities where they are located, those in the nursing home industry said. (McDaniels, 11/24)