I can still remember the clicking of needles and the feeling of chunky strands of cotton passing silently between my fingers. It was early in my elementary school epoch, and we tiny people sat cross-legged...
Be your own data defender
By
Steven Littlehale
Sep 15, 2023
“Well, it’s clear that you’ve never set foot into a nursing home.” I know you’ve thought that while reading a memo from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or your state agency, taking...
All the data points to … you tell me
By
Steven Littlehale
Jun 22, 2018
Returning from an early morning walk down to the harbor of this sleepy Cape Cod town, it’s hard not to feel hopeful. My geriatric pups Melvin and Theodore couldn’t get enough of the sea smells...
Who cares about Five-Star during a pandemic?
By
Steven Littlehale
Jun 15, 2020
Just as the sun continues to rise, the need to objectively monitor and evaluate care in nursing homes has not ceased, nor has the need for providers to continuously work on quality improvement initiatives.
Coordinated care: Recommendations to improve quality
By
Bruce Chernof, M.D.
Dec 11, 2017
Despite all of us having heard at least one story of good medicine gone wrong, coordinating care among skilled nursing facilities (SNF) and home- and community-based services (HCBS) can be a win-win situation.
Chitchat is your new favorite
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Oct 18, 2021
One of my favorite holiday movies is “Elf.” A movie about a human, who is raised at the North Pole as an elf. When Buddy, our main character, finds out he is human (an absolutely hysterical scene),...
Muse moments — engaging the hearts of those you lead
By
Martie Moore
Feb 08, 2017
The celebration of Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and connection. It also is statistically one of the highest dates for engagements to happen. When you translate that to the world of healthcare,...
What will it cost you to stay in the post-acute care game?
By
Steven Littlehale
Apr 22, 2015
More than just collecting data, providers need to use standardized, nationally recognized measures. Especially in this era of ACOs and alternative payment models. In the past, many individual providers...
The HERO project for Alzheimer’s
By
Deborah Shouse
Oct 31, 2013
As my mother drifted deeper into dementia, her friends started drifting away from her. Her grandchildren felt awkward around her and I sometimes didn’t know how to interact with her.
Overcoming the guilt and embracing the gifts of long-term care
By
Deborah Shouse
Sep 04, 2013
Sometimes it takes ones own family member going into long-term care to understand what the community provides. Deborah Shouse previews her new book, “Love in the Land of Dementia: Finding Hope in...