While staffing shortages have plagued the long-term care industry for quite some time, the coronavirus pandemic has certainly shone a spotlight on the issue and worsened it. At the start of...
All by myself
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jun 29, 2021
When I am nervous about something, I hate being by myself. I want to know what to expect, what’s going to happen next, and most importantly, that there is somebody that’s got my back. I don’t think...
Managing transition-associated traumas: Making the move to long-term care a success
By
Lindsey Poeth
Mar 02, 2021
A move into an eldercare community can be stressful and sometimes traumatic. One unique phenomenon I observed while working with families during such moves was the collapse of the process in its final...
Ethical principles: Respect for those we serve
By
Mary Eleanor Wickersham
Feb 01, 2021
My mother’s name was called, and we left the waiting room to approach the hospital desk to complete paperwork for her outpatient procedure. The clerk immediately began to ask me questions. “What is...
Will the new mantra for nursing home operators be ‘quality over quantity’? Yes and no
By
John O'Connor
Apr 16, 2018
A new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation confirms a shift that most skilled care operators can relate to. While resident occupancy levels continue to bottom out, the new arrivals are in worse shape...
Enraged about an unfair playing field for nursing home admissions
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 21, 2017
It was not a good sign from the start. The “personal” email stiffly started “Dear Sir,” The first line only validated my gnawing feeling: “I can’t tell you how enraged...
At home from minute one
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jul 11, 2017
Let’s face it: While some of us may be great at welcoming new residents, most of us are checking off our regulatory boxes and inventories and documenting.
Moving on, moving in — different perspectives of life
By
Gary Tetz
May 18, 2017
That’s a difference between my father’s generation and mine — the way we value, or in my case, don’t value, our independence.
6 common problems a shrink on staff can solve (and your consultant can’t)
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Aug 22, 2013
As a psychologist consulting in long-term care facilities, I provided a lot more than I was paid for, because it was needed. But there was much more help that I didn’t offer, not only because I wasn’t...
When residents attack
By
Mary Gustafson
Feb 02, 2012
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.