Physical therapists have a tool belt loaded with testing and instrumentation used to determine fall risk. Some are simple and take a few seconds, some are complex and extremely expensive. We have...
Can Medicare Advantage be redeemed?
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Feb 06, 2024
I just got back from vacation and didn’t have to think about this for a whole week. But there’s no place like home. For a whole week, I didn’t have to worry about chores, obligations, or how Medicare...
A different perspective on dementia
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Jan 17, 2024
In the early 2000s I was called into a meeting at work that lasted two hours but changed my professional perspective on dementia care. At that meeting, our speaker was Naomi Feil. Mrs. Feil introduced...
Restart rehabilitation
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Dec 06, 2023
I’ve been a physical therapist for a very long time, and as I prepare to renew my license for the four millionth time, I reflect on how my profession has changed. All of our professions have changed...
Working through dementia with design
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Nov 14, 2023
My husband and I visit New York City once or twice a year. Love the shows, love the atmosphere, love the restaurants, can’t wait to get home to my relatively bucolic environment. The last time...
AI: Living in the future
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Oct 17, 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is a rapidly growing field that has the potential to revolutionize the way medical professionals diagnose and treat patients. The use of AI algorithms and machine...
Whose life is it anyway?
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Sep 21, 2023
My family is full of therapists, and most of us work in skilled nursing. My sister, an experienced speech language pathologist, called to commiserate about one of her patients who had difficulty swallowing. ...
Fingers crossed: Medicare Advantage may be turning around
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Aug 22, 2023
As a long-term care provider, what’s your favorite thing about Medicare Advantage? No three-day hospital stay. And not much else. As a beneficiary of Medicare Advantage (MA), there are plenty...
Are we done with COVID? Is COVID done with us?
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Jul 25, 2023
At last. I haven’t worn a mask in public in months, I’m starting to see friends again, I’m eating in restaurants again, and my new normal is the old normal. Life is good. There’s some hesitation...
Don’t let the sun go down on me
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Jun 27, 2023
Our residents living with Alzheimer’s or other dementias may find it difficult to control their behaviors at day’s end, which we know colloquially as “sundowning” because of the prevalence of the...