I spend a lot of time thinking about food every day, but with Thanksgiving feasts on our minds this week it’s a particularly good occasion to consider what and how we serve meals to residents and staff.
A hopeful day at LeadingAge 2018
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Nov 07, 2018
I headed to the 2018 LeadingAge convention last week looking for a fix of long-term care enthusiasm and that’s exactly what I got.
Relationships key to long-term care success
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Oct 23, 2018
Long-term care success is about steady, reliable relationships. That’s my takeaway after attending two recent conferences that echo my experiences in the field.
The sounds of LTC
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Oct 09, 2018
Observing the customary cacophony at the nursing station, I’d estimate that so-called “alarm fatigue” contributes to more than a few tragedies in long-term care.
A truly healing yarn
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Sep 25, 2018
An anecdote that touches on the impact of where residents are placed within the facility, the value of consistent staffing and the importance of “leaning in” to meet residents where they’re at emotionally.
How to support depressed workers and reduce absenteeism
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Sep 11, 2018
As a consulting psychologist, my official job is to provide psychological services to the residents of the nursing homes in which I work. Occasionally, though, I’m asked by a department head to informally...
9 reasons why it’s better to congregate than disperse short-term rehab residents
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Aug 28, 2018
In most of my long-term care career, I’ve witnessed short-term rehabilitation residents housed together. But not always. I don’t know the reasoning behind dispersing residents, but from my...
Dr. El’s ‘Quality of Life’ star ratings are the way to go
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Aug 14, 2018
After writing about turnover in my last column, I wondered what might happen if high marks were also awarded to facilities for strong staff retention, which has been positively correlated with better care....
The tumult of turnover
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 31, 2018
I once rode down a crowded afternoon elevator with the CEO of a managed care company. “It must be 5:01,” he commented wryly. I heard a measure of scorn for his employees’ lack of dedication...
Dr. El’s Theory of Angry Activities
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 17, 2018
There’s a lot of stress in our buildings. I’m not suggesting nightly “primal scream” sessions, but we could add into the rotation some activities where residents get to be “bad,”...