Long-term care operators tend to be a nervous lot. Rightfully so.
Nuns against the neighbors, and NIMBY takes the lead
By
John O'Connor
Sep 21, 2015
I first heard about the sisters of Fraternite Notre Dame last winter, when two boilers broke down at a church they were running on Chicago’s West Side. The public ultimately came to their rescue...
Don’t want to be replaced by a robot? Then you’d better read this
By
John O'Connor
Feb 09, 2015
We’re hearing more about technology’s growing role in the long-term care field. And to be sure, there are many positive things to be said about the shift. The bad news is that your job as a...
The skilled care sector may be doomed. What else is new?
By
John O'Connor
Mar 19, 2018
If this field had a mantra, it would be: We’ll find a way, no matter what.
Our government is a terrible thing — to hate (and a thank-you)
By
John O'Connor
Apr 17, 2015
Providers are finding their personal and professional relationships with the government tested these days. But before we all grab our torches and pitchforks, let’s take a deep breath.
For long-term operators, a growing list of ‘frenemies’
By
John O'Connor
Oct 06, 2014
Most of us are all too aware of our professional friends and enemies. But not so much when it comes to our “frenemies.” Given the many changes taking place in healthcare today, the frenemy...
Looks like insurance isn’t the only thing being exchanged here
By
John O'Connor
Sep 23, 2013
I have a friend who might be best described as a curmudgeon-in-training. He seems to live in a world where almost everything was better than it is now.
Frisky Alzheimer’s residents: ‘ew’ or ‘aw’?
By
John O'Connor
Mar 15, 2013
Alzheimer’s disease is very good at taking. It takes away memories. It takes away personalities. It can be argued that Alzheimer’s essentially takes away a person’s essence. And as almost...
A waste of time? Hardly
By
John O'Connor
May 10, 2024
Some might think it unnecessary or perhaps even unfair to honor women for the exceptional work they do in this field. To that, I have a simple question: What rock have you been living under?
Why the field’s biggest problem is not going away anytime soon
By
John O'Connor
Feb 08, 2016
There are many serious problems in long-term care: funding, regulations, legal concerns, staffing and more. But none of these is the biggest.