Blogs, Guest Columns, Things I Think and Living Leadership
Ahhhhhhhh, there’s the rub
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 04, 2013
In all the tumult over the Time magazine expose of pervasive and obscene healthcare billing excesses, you might have missed the almost as exciting discovery that foot massages at work lower blood pressure...
Ask the nursing expert … about filling leadership positions
By
Anne Marie Barnett
Mar 02, 2013
I have three leadership positions open in my facility and I just can’t seem to find what I am looking for. Any suggestions?
Superior marketing success: It’s NOT about your community
By
Kevin M. Williams
Mar 04, 2013
Gaining a real understanding of your target market is more crucial today than it ever has been before. With increased competition and tighter budgets, you must know how to best spend your dollars and get...
Organizational issues to consider in disaster planning
By
Betty Norman
Mar 01, 2013
Just as Hurricane Katrina prompted discussion about emergency preparedness in 2005, Superstorm Sandy has re-ignited talks in the senior living communities about their ability to respond to disasters. When...
Facebook ‘relaxing’ … for whom??
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Feb 28, 2013
You may have read that spending time on Facebook has been shown to reduce stress levels but now new research suggests that learning to use Facebook may have the benefit of sharpening of mental abilities...
Senior living innovation in rural America
By
Eric Schubert
Feb 27, 2013
The United States’ rural population of 50 million people is larger than nearly all the world’s nations. How can rural communities rethink and repurpose their nursing home or other infrastructure...
Flu creates challenges, but staff can prepare effectively
By
Paula J. Fenza, M.A.
Feb 26, 2013
On average, roughly 24,000 Americans die each flu season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than half of those hospitalized are over age 65. This season’s influenza...
Old wine, new bottles: Increased scrutiny for antipsychotic drug use
By
Alan C. Horowitz, Esq., RN
Feb 22, 2013
The landmark legislation known as “OBRA ’87” (the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987) significantly limited the inappropriate use of antipsychotic drug use in long-term care facilities....
Do you know your P’s and Q’s of QAPI?
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Feb 21, 2013
The Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement system from CMS is on our doorsteps. As facilities have been training and educating themselves, the new QIS (Quality Indicator Surveys) are ready to roll....
A matter of policy: Increasing flu immunization compliance
By
Mary Flynn
Feb 21, 2013
Over the years we’ve tried a number of different approaches to incentivize employees, with varying success. The one thing we did not do was to make flu shots mandatory, as this wasn’t compatible...