Why LTC organizations should conduct end-of-life planning conversations
By
Kerry Shannon
Apr 07, 2014
Advance end-of-life planning can spare patients unwanted, aggressive treatments and it can help physicians calibrate care in more reasonable manner.
‘The Best Days’ — a best read
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 02, 2014
Where to start when discussing Jean Rene Champion’s engrossing memoir is a difficult question, rivaled only by the struggle of where to stop. His self-published “The Best Days of My Life: Memories...
Essential steps for treating those with COPD
By
John W. Walsh
Mar 05, 2014
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive, presently incurable respiratory illness that is characterized by airflow obstruction. For long-term care professionals, knowledge about every...
Defining tolerance in therapy
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Feb 12, 2014
How do you define tolerance? Is tolerance measurable? Is tolerance too subjective? What about activity tolerance? We love to document how patients are improving activity tolerance, but many times that’s...
Why nursing homes won’t be catching many breaks this year
By
John O'Connor
Feb 03, 2014
When you talk to experts in this field about the year ahead, an unsettling pattern soon emerges. Almost everyone seems fairly confident that regulators will be taking a much closer look at operators.
Feeling a bit run down? Blame the third shift
By
John O'Connor
Jan 31, 2014
Long-term care professionals must be on hand to work the dreaded third shift, given the 24/7 nature of the job. For some caregivers, that means extra difficulties getting through an overnight shift. New...
And now, some important reminders from a 94-year-old
By
John O'Connor
Jan 24, 2014
Conventional wisdom can be a reassuring thing. Especially when it reinforces our suspicions. But it has a fatal flaw: Sometimes it can be flat-out wrong. Consider 94-year-old Olga Kotelko.
Little Sisters are behind the curve in a changing church
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 14, 2014
Challenging the Affordable Care Act’s “contraception mandate” in court is a matter of conscience, according to The Little Sisters of the Poor. It’s hard to fault people for following...
Former nursing home aide writes powerful poems
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 07, 2014
Janice N. Harrington worked as a nursing home aide in college, and she drew on that experience to write “The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home.” This book-length collection of...
Top 5 news stories reveal varied interests among long-term care professionals
By
John O'Connor
Jan 03, 2014
What do neck abnormalities, dangerous bacteria, a murder-suicide, a defensive nursing home chain, and antipsychotic guidelines have in common? These five developments were voted the most popular news stories...