James M. Berklan, Editor

When is it going to end? Can we get some good news, please?

Usually it doesn’t seem to get this bad or stay that way this long. But it seems we’re being pushed to the limit now.
Day after day, it seems like the same thing: Get ready for another wave of bad news. Compounded with what’s already hit, it’s easy to get down, or at least anxiety-ridden.

And that’s just the weather. As of this writing, the snow is slashing sideways outside my window, it’s the second of two blizzard days that are a precursor to three days of sub-zero temperatures. It’s been a very tough winter even by our Midwestern standards, and it’s only just begun.

Extreme weather can hit just about every corner of America. But whether you’re being strafed by unusually snowy, bitter days, or torrential rains, or choking drought conditions, you can be confident it will end eventually.

That is how I feel about current economic conditions. They are currently brutal, and the reports seem to keep getting darker every day.

Even much of the senior care sector, which some not so long ago touted as insulated from most of the mess, is in the throes of recession-like—if not depression-like—symptoms.

Amid escalated fears of budget cutbacks, suppliers and others are also bringing bad news to the table. If you let yourself look around at the broader economic picture, the skies go from gloomy to downright dark. The hand wringing and stomach churning become real.

But here are the truest words you’ll read today: You still have to keep your eye on the ball.

What happens in Washington or your state capital is important, and you should be aware of it. But you can’t let that stop you from doing your best. Nobody is helped by shoddy care.

A line attributed to the great college basketball coach John Wooden sums it up best: Don’t let those things you can’t do prevent you from doing the things you can do.

Whenever this economic gloom lifts—be it in a few months, a year or longer—there’s still going to be a need for excellent caregivers and administrators.

If there is ever a time to stick to your knitting, now is it.

The storm will clear and things will get better. The issue then will become who made the best use of their time when things were really tough.