Nursing homes deserve a Category 5 round of applause. Three years after two major hurricanes walloped the Gulf Coast and exposed a disjointed evacuation system, nursing homes and government agencies proved...
Singing the baby boomer blues
By
Liza Berger
Aug 26, 2008
So you think you’re a baby boomer? Try these characteristics on for size: -Being a boomer means 60 is the new 40.-You’ll probably live longer than your parents, only you’ll still be on a diet in...
The caregiver king
By
Liza Berger
Aug 21, 2008
Be nice to your employees. You never know when there might be royalty in your midst. That’s a lesson a nursing home in Harrisburg, PA, is not apt to forget. A certified nursing aide named Charles Wesley...
Readers agree nursing home survey system needs help
By
Liza Berger
Aug 15, 2008
Sometimes words or gestures capture a collective feeling or sensibility. That happened for long-term care this week when the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging released a report calling...
Nursing-home evictions raise bigger questions
By
Liza Berger
Aug 11, 2008
Some disturbing news appeared last week in The Wall Street Journal. The highly respected newspaper found that nursing homes are evicting long-term, frail residents—many on Medicaid—to make room for...
Alzheimer’s and the magic pill
By
Liza Berger
Aug 07, 2008
They say there’s no such thing as a magic bullet, but could we have found it in the case of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease? Scientists in the field of aging were reportedly ecstatic last week when...
Future looks brighter without $770 million Medicare cut
By
Liza Berger
Aug 01, 2008
Talk about a (positive) reversal of fortune. This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shifted course and decided not to impose a $770 million reduction in Part A Medicare payments to skilled...
“How are we doing today, Sweetie?” How would you feel if somebody conversed with you in baby talk? Not very happy, I would assume. Alzheimer’s patients are no different. A new study finds...
U.S. seniors to compete in Geri Olympics
By
Liza Berger
Jul 25, 2008
Seven U.S. athletes are gearing up for the 2008 Olympics—the Geri Olympics, that is. This Oct. 9-12, Prague will play host to the fourth annual international games for the senior set. Seven residents...
Seniors housing holds strong in weak economy
By
Liza Berger
Jul 22, 2008
It’s a great time to be in seniors housing. I know that must sound pretty naive, given that “great” does not exactly evoke the current state of economic affairs. But considering the broader landscape,...