On Thursday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke delivered some tough-love testimony about rising healthcare costs and our shrinking Treasury. This would be very sobering news indeed — if an easy answer weren't right at our fingertips. All we have to do is start a war ... and fight it with retirees.

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.

All we wanted was a nugget, a morsel, a few bread crumbs maybe. And this is what we got instead? Lord, help us.

A few months ago, I called up a nursing facility that was embroiled in a legal snafu. I'm not sure I was able to utter an audible response to its marketing representative since I was busy hitting my palm against my forehead.

All sides generally agree that the current nursing home survey system is flawed. But there's hardly consensus on how best to fix it. Here's something worth considering.

President Obama delivered his third State of the Union address Tuesday night. I'll let the professional scorekeepers decide whether his hour-long presentation was up to code. My take is that the evening showcased two missed opportunities.

In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama proposed the creation of a Veterans Job Corp to curb high unemployment rates for returning veterans. That's opportunity knocking for long-term care providers.

I believe there are good news stories around us all the time. Our eyes, and brains, often are just too conditioned and look past them. It's human nature. Consider this small-town long-term care story that earned scant attention, even in the local press.

For all the innuendos and images surrounding sex in our society, it's a topic that many long-term caregivers are reluctant to bring up with residents and their family members.

It was nearly four and a half years ago that The New York Times caused quite a stir in this sector. That's when the self-proclaimed newspaper of record ran a largely unflattering piece about private equity firms that own nursing homes.