The New York Times Magazine article “The Island Where People Forget to Die” describes a Greek island that has the healing properties of the island from the TV show “Lost” and all...
Hollywood rescues long-term care
By
Mary Gustafson
Oct 18, 2012
I’m being completely honest when I say that, in general, I do not have a problem with celebrities who crusade for charitable and humanitarian causes. I really don’t — Angelina Jolie, Sean...
The gift of gallows humor
By
Mary Gustafson
Oct 11, 2012
Comedienne Tig Notaro — from what I’ve been able to glean in my relatively brief history as a fan of her comedy — does not appear to have any connection with the long-term care industry. But...
Kittens for the weary long-term care soul
By
Mary Gustafson
Oct 04, 2012
At the start of the so-called Great Recession, I was fortunate enough to have what can only be described as a dream job. For about nine months I worked for a food industry trade magazine covering new product...
YouTube channel delivers with show about daughter’s wrenching decisions over aging mom
By
Mary Gustafson
Sep 27, 2012
My expectations were pretty low when I first saw a press release about “the #1 scripted drama series on YouTube” called “Ruth & Erica.” The Internet-only show follows a “woman...
Hometown girl, long-term care reflections
By
Mary Gustafson
Sep 20, 2012
Having grown up in what my fellow Chicagoland residents would classify as a rural community (or where locals can count their city’s traffic lights on one hand), I understand how frustrating it can...
Fixing the empathy gene, Part II
By
Mary Gustafson
Sep 13, 2012
If Bill Clinton added “M.D.” after his name, slung a stethoscope around his neck and started visiting the residents in your nursing facility, there’s a chance that your residents might...
A band of brothers — still
By
Mary Gustafson
Sep 06, 2012
I’ve promised myself only two things in life about my use of social and/or digital media. Readers, I’m about to break both of my own rules with this post.
Musings on moving
By
Mary Gustafson
Aug 30, 2012
For the last week I’ve tripping over cardboard boxes, but landing, safely, on mounds of bubble wrap. It’s the end of the month, and like many apartment- and office-building dwellers, I’m...
Are you ready for The Conversation?
By
Mary Gustafson
Aug 23, 2012
There are few things I loathe more in the world than ice-breaking, “getting-to-know-you games.” The problem is, though, I’m exactly the kind of person who often needs an icebreaker to...