6 common problems a shrink on staff can solve (and your consultant can’t)
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Aug 22, 2013
As a psychologist consulting in long-term care facilities, I provided a lot more than I was paid for, because it was needed. But there was much more help that I didn’t offer, not only because I wasn’t...
Falling by the wayside
By
Steven Levenson
Oct 24, 2023
This month’s column invokes several previous columns, one about medications and the other about knowing if we know what we don’t know. A recent medical journal article concluded that falls in...
Frustrations of a persecuted provider boil over
By
Barry Bortz
Nov 01, 2011
What happens when a government and society create an evil enemy of the state? They begin by calling them monsters, a drain on society that is guilty of heinous crimes, and they use the legal system and...
Grandmother-level quality
By
Renee Kinder
Jun 21, 2018
My grandmother decided to have an elective knee replacement — at 89 years of age — followed by a stay for rehab in a skilled nursing facility. Quality matters to her and therefore I wanted to know...
HIPPS codes don’t lie
By
Renee Kinder
Sep 13, 2018
Beginning on 10-1-2019, with the implementation of PDPM, interdisciplinary data collection between therapy and nursing, and accuracy for entry in our current (i.e.Prior to 10-1-2018) Section GG items sets...
NYT: You are as much of the problem as the Five-Star system
By
Steven Littlehale
Apr 02, 2021
A recent New York Times article about nursing homes is shameful, lazy journalism. Coupled with the need to sell advertising space, it purposefully perpetuates misunderstandings about nursing homes, caregivers...
Rethinking quality care: A long-term care psychologist’s perspective
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Apr 13, 2021
At a time when there’s a greater push for community care over nursing and rehabilitation centers, it’s worth rethinking what quality means to the residents themselves. There are clear themes.
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.
More residents with opioid use disorder are coming. Are we ready?
By
Dina Besirevic
Aug 23, 2023
The 55-year-old female resident with multiple wounds on both of her arms wasn’t this nurse’s favorite. Yes, the nurse had provided wound care over the years to many people who were irritable...
Catch a falling star
By
Kim Lewis
Mar 14, 2016
It is time for all SNFs to embrace that if they are not actively moving forward with a plan to improve their stars, they will likely be find themselves falling behind.