Many an operator is now contemplating whether to remain in the long-term care field. Having just returned from an NIC conference on the future of skilled nursing, I can offer a definitive answer: It depends.

Michael Hargrave watches the eldercare field from a unique vantage point. He does it as the leader of NIC MAP. That's shorthand for the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry's (NIC) Market Area Profiles (MAP) service.

Many providers with Medicaid-covered residents seem to be wringing their hands these days. To understand why, consider what's happening in my home state.

It's very possible that as you are reading this, you have already abandoned those sincere New Year's promises you made to yourself as 2011 was ringing in. If so, you're hardly alone.

In the song "Red Shoes," Elvis Costello famously sings: "I used to be disgusted, but now I try to be amused." Although the lyrics were recorded back in 1976, they provide an appropriate framework for viewing our just-concluded election season.

I had the good fortune to speak with two uniquely qualified insiders during the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry conference.

In the months ahead, we'll be looking to offer continuing education in new and different ways.

Harry Houdini's got nothing on our governors' ability to escape their financial obligations

It's probably safe to say job demands partly explain the field's chronic staffing challenges. Simply put, long-term care is hard work.

When the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging meets in Los Angeles this fall, a major announcement will be made: The organization will officially unveil a new identity.