It’s the first command in the Biblical creation story — let there be light. But if you’re working a night shift in a long-term care facility, I need you to stop reading this right now and go turn…
The positive wake-up call
By
Gary Tetz
Nov 03, 2022
Generally, I’m a law-abiding citizen. If I have a good reason, I’ll occasionally violate a minor rule or two, but nothing significant. I don’t do much murder, for instance,
Things I Think: Save enough to get back home
By
Gary Tetz
Oct 07, 2022
I wanted so badly to keep going, to devote everything I had to my mission that day, and I felt like a complete failure when I turned around.
Breaking news: The pandemic was hard
By
Gary Tetz
Oct 06, 2022
That pandemic. Wow. While it was happening and people were dying and stuff, I remember thinking, “This is kind of a difficult time we’re going through. I feel a little stressed and anxious.” But…
Up from the ashes
By
Gary Tetz
Sep 08, 2022
With the president of AHCA predicting a difficult 2023, it confirmed just how tough a slog the road back from the darkest days of the pandemic will likely continue to be for long-term care. But if we’re…
Shouting time
By
Gary Tetz
Aug 25, 2022
Maybe it comes from working in the highly regulated long-term care profession for so many years, or maybe it’s just from being a subservient Canadian, but I’ve become quite a prolific rule follower….
I honestly love you
By
Gary Tetz
Aug 11, 2022
I know we have a lot on our minds these days. Little brain teasers like, how do we possibly replace the estimated 362,000 employees the long-term care profession has lost during the pandemic? A recent…
Walking on sunshine
By
Gary Tetz
Jul 28, 2022
A cheery good morning from Portland, OR — or as I affectionately call it, the surface of the sun. It’s a million degrees outside, day and night. The heat is constant and oppressive, and none…
Rolling out the red carpet for robots
By
Gary Tetz
Jul 14, 2022
Given recent news, award presentations at future long-term care conventions might have a new twist. “And now, please put your hands together for our Frontline Caregiver of the Year: Arti3000, a tireless…
Two sheets to the win
By
Gary Tetz
Jun 30, 2022
Infinite call-center wait times. Delivery mix-ups and delays. Rude responses to reasonable requests. Promises unfulfilled. I hear there’s a cutting-edge business principle called “the customer is always…
The ultimate antidote to long COVID of the soul
By
Gary Tetz
Jun 16, 2022
For a “recovering pessimist” like myself, few things are more annoying than being told that optimism is some sort of magic potion. But that’s exactly what recent research, reported by McKnight’s,…
Trail banter, long-term care style
By
Gary Tetz
Jun 02, 2022
For lots of good reasons, a long-term care facility hallway should not be the same as a hiking trail. Protruding rocks and exposed tree roots would create a fall hazard, and make med cart navigation…
The killer hiding on the porch
By
Gary Tetz
May 19, 2022
I’m not easily surprised these days, because…everything. But I just stumbled across an astonishing bit of data.
Every breath you take
By
Gary Tetz
May 05, 2022
As pandemic testing becomes more sophisticated, a creepy song from the ’80s takes on new and ominous relevance. “Every breath you take I’ll be watching you,” warned The Police, and now that an…
In a death-phobic nation, long-term care embraces the ultimate privilege
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 21, 2022
Some in long-term care wake up thinking of pay cuts, business survival or reform. Me? I awoke this morning thinking about cremation.
Whatever you’re doing to fight long-term care stress, stop it
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 07, 2022
With another possible COVID-19 wave on the way, and the Biden brain trust still eager to “wallop” the profession, long-term care people have plenty of reasons to continue aggressively seeking stress…
Hand-wringing about handshakes
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 24, 2022
Yesterday, I did something I haven’t done in more than two years. Something I said I’d never do again. Something I’m not proud of. Something I should probably bring up with my therapist, or in confession. …
Waiting for the wallop
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 10, 2022
Good news, bad news — it’s a cycle on perpetual repeat in the long-term care profession, and on this planet.
Don’t look left: Finding long-term care lessons in traffic
By
Gary Tetz
Feb 24, 2022
If you’ve read many of my McKnight’s columns over the years, you know I love to draw long-term care lessons from traffic experiences.
No more muddling along
By
Gary Tetz
Feb 10, 2022
It’s become a ritual, and I recently realized it probably needs to stop. Most every morning as I glide past our delightful receptionist on the way to my office, our daily dance of greeting goes something…
