Blogs, Guest Columns, Things I Think and Living Leadership
Mandatory vaccinations vs. voluntary — not for wimps!
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jul 03, 2012
Let’s talk about that controversial topic: mandatory healthcare worker influenza vaccination. I can hear the arguments for both sides already. But I say the case is clear.
How to have each other’s backs
By
Jennifer Jasper
Jul 02, 2012
When you become a nursing home administrator, you have to earn your staff’s respect. Whether it’s by walking the floors, or handling a hurricane, administrators have to be prepared for whatever...
Electronic health records and patient privacy go beyond technical security practices
By
Dennis Stufft
Jun 29, 2012
With the shift to electronic health records well underway at assisted living and long-term care communities, patients, clinical staff and administration alike have much to look forward to with the digitization...
Under the microscope: The ever-increasing scrutiny of antipsychotics in LTC
By
Jennifer L. Hardesty
Jun 28, 2012
Facilities need to prepare for the increased scrutiny that surveyors will have on dementia residents taking antipsychotics. While antipsychotics may be required for some residents, a full-fledged review...
Eastern vs. Western standards of practice
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jun 26, 2012
The theory of improving function in China is overshadowed by the focus on comfort, reducing pain, and providing as much rest as possible. From a cultural standpoint, the family dynamics are very different...
A plan for post-acute care providers looking to better coordinate care
By
Anne Tumlinson
Jun 26, 2012
Post-acute care providers must be proactive and initiate conversations with hospitals and other community provider partners to ensure they are at the table when strategic partnerships are developed. They...
Why managed care is good for long-term care
By
Joseph Healy, Ph.D.
Jun 21, 2012
Managed long-term care can provide a solution to many challenges facing providers. Coordinating patients’ care, working with family members, and focusing on the right type of treatment can lead to...
A life well lived
By
Gary Tetz
Jun 20, 2012
That’s a fashionable phrase we hear a lot these days—”life well lived.” A long-term care provider I hold in high esteem has even used it as a marketing tagline. I happen to know this...
Nursing home employees often suffer from compassion fatigue
By
Patricia Smith
Jun 19, 2012
Compassion fatigue and grief are the unrecognized downside to working in the nursing home industry. When sufferers are overburdened by emotions, they want to escape from work, end up feeling isolated from...
LTC LINKTank competition creates launchpad for innovation in aging
By
John Reinhart
Jun 15, 2012
Innovation in aging care has been talked about for years, but the opportunity has never been greater than right now. Desired solutions appropriate for this actively aging population are growing in mindshare,...