When I embarked upon the working world, it was no surprise to discover that a fair amount of newspaper reporters smoked like chimneys. It was, however, a shock to later work on the grounds of a hospital...
Nursing and stress
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Aug 13, 2012
Nurses continue to experience stress at higher rates than most other groups, according to the American Holistic Nurses Association. OK, so we know nurses get stressed — just walk into any nursing home...
Knowing when it’s time to go
By
Elizabeth Newman
Aug 07, 2012
Retirement is not for everyone. Exhibit A is my father, who enjoyed retirement from being a school superintendent for about five minutes before he became a part-time consultant. Exhibit B is a long-term...
Nursing: the happiest job in the world … or not
By
Mary Gustafson
Aug 02, 2012
Even if I hadn’t been raised by a nurse, and even if I didn’t write about the basic functions of their jobs on a daily basis for McKnight’s, I would probably still idolize them. That...
A tip of the cowboy hat to a fictional assisted living portrayal
By
Elizabeth Newman
Jul 31, 2012
I have found a positive portrayal of long-term care, and it’s in Dallas. Specifically, it’s in Dallas — in the pilot plot arc of J.R. Ewing.
Breaches of basic infection control practices — why?
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jul 30, 2012
Basic infection prevention and control isn’t rocket science. It is essentially following some general guidelines. Some of them pretty simplistic. Not too hard right? You would think, but …
Terminations without litigation in the long-term care industry
By
Howard Kurman and Julius Steiner
Jul 26, 2012
In today’s litigious work environment, nursing home employers face increasingly large monetary exposure when contemplating or effectuating terminations of employees. In this three part series, we...
ZPICs: Dangerous and ready to take down providers
By
Elizabeth Newman
Jul 24, 2012
Healthcare reform: No matter how much you may loathe it, there’s no way around how certain ideas, like pay for performance, aren’t going away.
The star treatment is here to stay
By
John O'Connor
Jul 20, 2012
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has just rolled out its latest version of Nursing Home Compare. If your facility garnered five stars, you probably love it. If you received one star, you surely...
A band for every nursing home
By
Mary Gustafson
Jul 19, 2012
Nursing home residents — especially long-term residents — deserve to have the best entertainment that money can buy. Gary Gamponia, the director of the Los Angeles-based Pay It Forward jazz band, has...