Kat McGowan
@mcgowankat.bsky.social
Journalist reporting on caregiving. Also, pictures of owls, crows and Mr. Peanut. www.katmcgowan.com.
I always thought the emails I write to myself are pretty weird. Until today.
>>beards and long hair , are meant to catch and hold smells. ?
>>beards and long hair , are meant to catch and hold smells. ?
November 13, 2025 at 3:03 AM
I always thought the emails I write to myself are pretty weird. Until today.
>>beards and long hair , are meant to catch and hold smells. ?
>>beards and long hair , are meant to catch and hold smells. ?
Massachusetts house passes a bill to require licensing for home care agencies.
Yep, that's right. Currently, no license required to hang a home care shingle. True in more than half of US states. No background checks required. Not even training.
www.mcknightshomecare.com/news/massach...
Yep, that's right. Currently, no license required to hang a home care shingle. True in more than half of US states. No background checks required. Not even training.
www.mcknightshomecare.com/news/massach...
November 11, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Massachusetts house passes a bill to require licensing for home care agencies.
Yep, that's right. Currently, no license required to hang a home care shingle. True in more than half of US states. No background checks required. Not even training.
www.mcknightshomecare.com/news/massach...
Yep, that's right. Currently, no license required to hang a home care shingle. True in more than half of US states. No background checks required. Not even training.
www.mcknightshomecare.com/news/massach...
Don't know what you all are complaining about. AI is terrific!
August 27, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Don't know what you all are complaining about. AI is terrific!
I love this time of year for the high levels of #bird derp—scruffy half-grown juveniles and molting adults that look like they were at the bar too late. Mr. Peanut is normally a dazzling fellow, but now he looks like a scrub
August 21, 2025 at 3:01 PM
I love this time of year for the high levels of #bird derp—scruffy half-grown juveniles and molting adults that look like they were at the bar too late. Mr. Peanut is normally a dazzling fellow, but now he looks like a scrub
Mr. Peanut emerges from his bath shining and triumphant. He’s considering mounting a primary challenge for our congressional district. He’s got my vote.
July 7, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Mr. Peanut emerges from his bath shining and triumphant. He’s considering mounting a primary challenge for our congressional district. He’s got my vote.
New undercover name: Bavferich Waldwinkel. AI spam generator is on one today
July 3, 2025 at 5:37 PM
New undercover name: Bavferich Waldwinkel. AI spam generator is on one today
I was messing around with some new-to-me AI tools yesterday. Between that and reports like this one from Pew, I just don't see how the business of news will survive. It's cratered since I started working as a journalist. It looks like it's gonna get worse!
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
June 25, 2025 at 6:12 PM
I was messing around with some new-to-me AI tools yesterday. Between that and reports like this one from Pew, I just don't see how the business of news will survive. It's cratered since I started working as a journalist. It looks like it's gonna get worse!
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Ugggh this drives me crazy. Elders fall, wind up in the ER, and get sent home without help from PT or OT a whopping 84% of the time. Yet somehow everybody's suprised when the person falls again, and hits their head or breaks a hip. So avoidable.
www.jacepopen.com/article/S268...
www.jacepopen.com/article/S268...
June 12, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Ugggh this drives me crazy. Elders fall, wind up in the ER, and get sent home without help from PT or OT a whopping 84% of the time. Yet somehow everybody's suprised when the person falls again, and hits their head or breaks a hip. So avoidable.
www.jacepopen.com/article/S268...
www.jacepopen.com/article/S268...
Employee head count in skilled nursing is still below pre-pandemic levels, says this report. Immigration crackdowns and policy changes aren't going to help solve that.
www.mcknights.com/news/660000-...
www.mcknights.com/news/660000-...
June 4, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Employee head count in skilled nursing is still below pre-pandemic levels, says this report. Immigration crackdowns and policy changes aren't going to help solve that.
www.mcknights.com/news/660000-...
www.mcknights.com/news/660000-...
This hasn't been talked about as much, but hospitals, doctors, clinics will also struggle if Medicaid and Medicare budgets are pared back. Many hospitals are rich, but rural/safety net hospitals aren't. Also, they'll have more uninsured pt who can't pay. RWJF: www.rwjf.org/en/insights/...
May 29, 2025 at 6:13 PM
This hasn't been talked about as much, but hospitals, doctors, clinics will also struggle if Medicaid and Medicare budgets are pared back. Many hospitals are rich, but rural/safety net hospitals aren't. Also, they'll have more uninsured pt who can't pay. RWJF: www.rwjf.org/en/insights/...
People are excited today about FDA approval of an Alzheimer's blood test. I don't quite get it. It's great for researchers, but what's the benefit in patients? The claim that early detection will motivate people to get healthy doesn't pan out. www.alz.org/news/2025/fd...
May 19, 2025 at 7:22 PM
People are excited today about FDA approval of an Alzheimer's blood test. I don't quite get it. It's great for researchers, but what's the benefit in patients? The claim that early detection will motivate people to get healthy doesn't pan out. www.alz.org/news/2025/fd...
This Care Economy resource from U Kansas +Sloan is fascinating. The data viz includes paid, unpaid, for children, adults, etc. This graphic displays developmental vs daily living vs health, for instance, cut across formal vs informal Beautiful! (thecareboard.org)
May 6, 2025 at 6:08 PM
This Care Economy resource from U Kansas +Sloan is fascinating. The data viz includes paid, unpaid, for children, adults, etc. This graphic displays developmental vs daily living vs health, for instance, cut across formal vs informal Beautiful! (thecareboard.org)
I love poppies and also I hate them so very much.
I live about a block from here and I have tended and nurtured and fussed over poppy seeds and seedlings in my yard. They all die. But these ones growing out of the actual street are thrilled. 🍃
I live about a block from here and I have tended and nurtured and fussed over poppy seeds and seedlings in my yard. They all die. But these ones growing out of the actual street are thrilled. 🍃
May 5, 2025 at 3:45 PM
I love poppies and also I hate them so very much.
I live about a block from here and I have tended and nurtured and fussed over poppy seeds and seedlings in my yard. They all die. But these ones growing out of the actual street are thrilled. 🍃
I live about a block from here and I have tended and nurtured and fussed over poppy seeds and seedlings in my yard. They all die. But these ones growing out of the actual street are thrilled. 🍃
This chart from @statnews.com is fascinating--yes, CMS and insurance companies aren't quite the same, but think about who gets what done and with what impacts.
March 3, 2025 at 5:48 PM
This chart from @statnews.com is fascinating--yes, CMS and insurance companies aren't quite the same, but think about who gets what done and with what impacts.
We don't hear about this much in the discourse about housing shortages: The number of new households is about to slow down, potentially dramatically--except for those headed by people over 80, which are due to increase 60% in 10 years!
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/new-pro...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/new-pro...
January 8, 2025 at 7:47 PM
We don't hear about this much in the discourse about housing shortages: The number of new households is about to slow down, potentially dramatically--except for those headed by people over 80, which are due to increase 60% in 10 years!
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/new-pro...
www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/new-pro...
New paper: Older prisoners (>55) have twice the rate of cognitive disability (15%!) as other older people. The older pop in prison is steadily growing, and one-third of those with life sentences are older than 55.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
January 2, 2025 at 11:03 PM
New paper: Older prisoners (>55) have twice the rate of cognitive disability (15%!) as other older people. The older pop in prison is steadily growing, and one-third of those with life sentences are older than 55.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
I'm puzzled by McKnights' survey of upper-level staff at nursing home/long-term care. People welcome the new administration & hope it will slash regs--but say their biggest worry is staffing. What do they think will happen when Trump admin goes after immigrants? www.mcknights.com/news/outlook...
January 2, 2025 at 10:02 PM
I'm puzzled by McKnights' survey of upper-level staff at nursing home/long-term care. People welcome the new administration & hope it will slash regs--but say their biggest worry is staffing. What do they think will happen when Trump admin goes after immigrants? www.mcknights.com/news/outlook...
Apparently, cat owners are cokeheads, while dog owners are tweakers.
Also--people, would you PLEASE keep your drugs away from your critters?
#cats #medsky
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Also--people, would you PLEASE keep your drugs away from your critters?
#cats #medsky
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
December 20, 2024 at 9:20 PM
Apparently, cat owners are cokeheads, while dog owners are tweakers.
Also--people, would you PLEASE keep your drugs away from your critters?
#cats #medsky
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Also--people, would you PLEASE keep your drugs away from your critters?
#cats #medsky
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
In the 80s and 90s, consensus was that modest drinking was good. The message swung around 180: Now, health authorities say all evidence is for strict abstinence. Is this influential review from Ntl Academies a sign it's turning again? nap.nationalacademies.org/read/28582/c...
December 18, 2024 at 6:42 PM
In the 80s and 90s, consensus was that modest drinking was good. The message swung around 180: Now, health authorities say all evidence is for strict abstinence. Is this influential review from Ntl Academies a sign it's turning again? nap.nationalacademies.org/read/28582/c...
With electronic health records, you'd think it'd be dead simple for doctors and nurses to add information about who is the caregiver--especially with dementia. Spoiler alert: It ain't. It's complicated, inefficient and confusing. New research: aging.jmir.org/2024/1/e59584
December 16, 2024 at 6:45 PM
With electronic health records, you'd think it'd be dead simple for doctors and nurses to add information about who is the caregiver--especially with dementia. Spoiler alert: It ain't. It's complicated, inefficient and confusing. New research: aging.jmir.org/2024/1/e59584
A bobcat kitten at Lindsay Wildlife Hospital where I volunteer. He was hit by a car that broke his jaw, so a veterinary dental surgeon was brought in to stabilize it. He's eating well now. They do great work on a tiny budget, if you want to donate to a good cause: lindsaywildlife.org/help-hospital/
December 13, 2024 at 11:09 PM
A bobcat kitten at Lindsay Wildlife Hospital where I volunteer. He was hit by a car that broke his jaw, so a veterinary dental surgeon was brought in to stabilize it. He's eating well now. They do great work on a tiny budget, if you want to donate to a good cause: lindsaywildlife.org/help-hospital/
We're living longer, and living sicker. Around the world, lifespan is growing, but people spend more years living with greater disability. Top prize goes to the US, with 12.4 avg years of non-healthy life, more than any other of the 183 WHO member nations.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
December 13, 2024 at 7:45 PM
We're living longer, and living sicker. Around the world, lifespan is growing, but people spend more years living with greater disability. Top prize goes to the US, with 12.4 avg years of non-healthy life, more than any other of the 183 WHO member nations.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Wisdom from Mr. Peanut: Life is short. Seize the peanut.
December 10, 2024 at 2:44 PM
Wisdom from Mr. Peanut: Life is short. Seize the peanut.
Here I go on my hobbyhorse. But. Have you ever once seen an article like this aimed at people caring for adults? No? Even tho there are 53 million + adult caregivers? No public recognition, no visibility. It’s a small thing, but contributes to the loneliness & isolation.
December 8, 2024 at 5:06 PM
Here I go on my hobbyhorse. But. Have you ever once seen an article like this aimed at people caring for adults? No? Even tho there are 53 million + adult caregivers? No public recognition, no visibility. It’s a small thing, but contributes to the loneliness & isolation.