YOUR LIFE.

• Position: Nursing home crisis, destressing tips from Simone Alicia and inflation effects to small businesses

NURSING HOME CRISIS GROWS MORE DIRE

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) has released a report highlighting data that shows the growing number of nursing home closures since 2015, as well as projected closings in the months ahead. The report reinforces urgent calls for solutions to address the devastating effects of the COV1D-19 pandemic and a historic workforce crisis.

Key findings include:

* More than 1,000 nursing homes have closed since 2015, including 776 closures before the pandemic and 327 closures during the pandemic.

* Since 2015, nearly 45,000 nursing home residents have been displaced due to closures.

* More than 400 nursing homes are projected to close in 2022 based on current financials.

Analyzing Federal data, the report found nursing homes that close tend to be smaller facilities in urban settings where the majority of residents rely on Medicaid. During the pandemic, nearly half of nursing homes that closed received 4- or 5-star ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), more than one-quarter were in rural communities, and an increasing proportion were not-for-profit.

Federal policymakers are considering potential cuts to nursing homes in 2022, such as a reduction to Medicare payments and ending the public health emergency, which offers enhanced Medicaid funding.

"Every closure is like a family being broken apart, with the lives of residents, staff, and their families impacted in the process," says Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL "With hundreds of nursing home closures looming now and thousands more anticipated if government funding is cut, state and Federal policymakers need to step up to support our social safety net. We need to do better than just keep nursing home doors open--we need to make significant investments to better support our frontline caregivers and transform facilities for a growing elderly population."

PHARMACISTS PREFERRED OVER MAIL ORDER

A large majority of U.S. adults prefer to get their prescription drugs from a local pharmacist instead of a mail order service, mainly because of the personal relationship, according to a survey released by the National Community Pharmacists Association, Alexandria, Va.

"Most Americans clearly are not willing to substitute personal care for the perception of convenience," says B. Douglas Hoey, CEO of NCPA. "When they need medicine, they want to talk to a health care provider who knows them."

According to a national survey by Public Policy Polling, 85% prefer getting prescription drugs from a local pharmacist instead of a mail order service. When asked why, 36% say their pharmacist knows them better than a mail order company. Thirty-two percent say their pharmacist answers questions and provides counsel on how to use the drugs. Another 15% worry their drugs will get lost in the mail, exposed to the elements, or stolen.

"Americans have been ordering many more things in the mail because of the pandemic, but they are still reluctant to get their prescriptions that way. COVID-19 has changed many consumer behaviors, but it doesn't seem to have changed the basic relationship between patients and local pharmacists," says Hoey. There's a trust factor that mail order companies can't replicate."

In fact, many Americans rely on pharmacists for more than prescription drugs. According to the survey, nearly half say they have consulted their local pharmacist for minor ailments, like bee stings, cold sores, or diaper rash.

"For many Americans, the local pharmacist is the only accessible health care provider, and it's now very common for pharmacists to provide a full range of health care services beyond filling prescriptions," concludes Hoey.

BODY SHAPE "WEIGHS" HEAVILY ON WOMEN

Body shape, not just weight, drives stigma related to being overweight and obese, and a study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science has shown that the location of fat also is linked to how women feel about their bodies.

"Body shape determines how society treats us," says lead author Michael Barlev, assistant research professor in the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University. "Perhaps because of this, it also determines how we treat ourselves. For women who carry more of their fat in their abdomen, additional fat is associated with more negative thoughts or feelings about themselves, such as lower self-esteem, but for women who carry more of their fat on their hips, buttocks, and thighs, the self-devaluation that many people assume comes with being overweight or obese is greatly reduced, and sometimes eliminated."

The researchers analyzed body composition data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and measured body composition and fat location in university student participants. Body shape was related to how women reported feeling about themselves and matched the social perception of their bodies.

Where fat is located on the body determines body shape but also is indicative of different biological functions and health outcomes. Gluteofemoral fat located on women's hips, buttocks, and thighs appears to contribute to offspring brain development and signals future success at having children. Gluteofemoral fat also is connected to fewer health problems than abdominal fat, which is associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

"Fat stigma can be quite psychologically costly," says senior author Steven Neuberg, chair of the Department of Psychology. "Understanding the nuanced ways people think about their own body fat is likely to lead to better approaches to reducing not only the costs of such stigma, but the stigma itself."

A HELPFUL TRAIT FOR GENERAL SUCCESS IN LIFE

Following a major study of the effects of personality on job performance, researchers zoomed in on one personality trait--agreeable-ness--and found that it has a desirable effect on hundreds of physical, psychological, and occupational metrics that impact not only job performance, but general life success.

Michael Wilmot, assistant professor of management at the University of Arkansas, and Deniz Ones, professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, examined a wide range of...