It was my birthday yesterday — the same day I found out that Fernald, a World War II veteran and one of the wisest, bravest and most adorable people I’ve ever known, had passed away.
Are you a one-person rescue team?
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
May 15, 2018
I have heard nursing leaders refer to their nursing staff as their children. I think this can be good if it is in the context that your staff is like family. But I think it can be damaging if you feel...
What is therapy? It’s not as simple as it might seem
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Aug 13, 2013
“What is therapy?” sounds like a simple question, but it requires a separate and very complex answer for each discipline.
Holy lost childhood memories, Batman!
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jun 27, 2017
I am sure many of you heard that the first media Batman, Adam West, passed away on June 9. I feel like some of my childhood passed away with him. You see, he made an immense impact on pop culture at the...
9 things NOT to expect in a nursing home
By
Esther Heerema, MSW
Dec 17, 2014
Family members need to know what to expect when their loved one enters a nursing home: Falls may happen, medications may change, and a private room may not be an option.
Nursing home therapy dogs: courage givers, door openers and conversation starters
By
Kevin R. McMahon
May 11, 2009
A Labradoodle named Daisy has brought hours of love and affection to the residents of The Merriman in Akron, OH. Her impact has inspired a project to increase the presence of dogs and owners in institutional...
Lessons under anesthesia
By
Gary Tetz
Jul 12, 2018
Nothing ever makes me feel more empathy for those we care for than my own occasional reluctant forays into our American healthcare pseudo-system. I just walked a mile in somebody else’s figurative...
Eye contact or Angry Birds?
By
Gary Tetz
Jan 16, 2013
My wife’s a Realtor. And no, I’m not wondering if you or anyone you know would like to buy or sell a home in Walla Walla, WA. That would be a crass and brazen misuse of this forum. Though if...
Attracting new residents
By
Seymour H. Fine, Ph. D.
Feb 17, 2014
Despite the rapidly growing elderly population, senior living communities sometimes have empty apartments and the worry is that prospective residents will look askance at a facility having more than a...
The evolution of a pandemic
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Aug 12, 2022
As the pandemic becomes endemic, we can’t drop the push to vaccinate.