Understanding and addressing pain: Thoughts for therapists
By
Renee Kinder
Feb 01, 2024
In my continued endeavor to win Mother of the Year, I really racked up some points this week. Isaac, my youngest son, took a nice spill last Friday while skiing. He suffered what we thought...
Hurts all over: pain in dementia
By
Renee Kinder
Mar 29, 2018
“Mommy, I hurt all over.” Day 2 of the stomach virus last week and my sweet Isaac was seeing no relief. Day 3 of the stomach virus and Isaac realized how much he missed school.
Residents with cognitive impairment don’t feel pain
By
Steven Littlehale
May 19, 2017
Please, someone tell me why we are still challenged with identifying and treating pain in the elderly, particularly those with dementia.
Pain: An LTC rehab perspective
By
Tara Roberts
Apr 11, 2014
LTC therapists seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to patient pain. Pain management is at the forefront of surveyors and scrutinized as a CMS quality measure.
Reducing learned helplessness in LTC
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 11, 2013
John O’Connor’s recent post on the pain/depression cycle raised some interesting points about depression in long-term care. Reducing learned helplessness that is often seen in depression is...
Residents suffer and die as interventions go unused
By
John O'Connor
Jul 01, 2013
When providers consider the challenges residents face, it’s usually within the context of activity of daily living limits. Things like trouble with walking, dressing, bathing and eating tend to be...
Fixing the empathy gene, Part II
By
Mary Gustafson
Sep 13, 2012
If Bill Clinton added “M.D.” after his name, slung a stethoscope around his neck and started visiting the residents in your nursing facility, there’s a chance that your residents might...
Operate with an eye on quality, not the next survey cycle
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 16, 2012
The anxiety associated with an impending survey should be offset by the fact that the nursing facility holds the secret to its own success – the knowledge of its customers.
Fixing the empathy gene
By
Mary Gustafson
Feb 09, 2012
If you are reading this, you likely work in long-term care and probably are skilled at empathizing with others. But you might have a coworker who doesn’t seem to “get it” yet.
State, federal pain policies hurt
By
Liza Berger
Nov 13, 2009
A lot of Americans suffer from chronic pain. This group includes many nursing home residents. Which is why some new developments on the pain front are encouraging.