Admissions

Winter, especially in colder climates, can take a toll on anyone's mood. The cure for one upstate New York assisted living community is an unconventional one: a good old-fashioned snowball fight.

It must be my optimistic nature that makes me think, "Why use a pair of boxing gloves when a feather will do?" Those of you in social services know what I mean when I say, "Why go for the jugular?" You are just trying to help (schedule/resolve/plan/assess), right?

The past 24 hours have been surreal for the new 21-year old nursing home resident. She has signed reams of forms. She has become overwhelmed with questions and left trying to understand and remember everything she has been told. She eats a pureed dinner and is transferred to bed. She's not an accident victim and doesn't have a terminal illness. She's a student preparing to become a future long-term care administrator.

Annual admissions to pre-licensure nursing programs fell in 2008 for the first time in at least six years, according to a report from the National League of Nursing.