Antipsychotics report will have severe side effects
By
John O'Connor
Jul 13, 2012
Antipsychotic drugs are often used to calm residents with dementia. This reality is common knowledge among most people who have spent more than a few minutes in a nursing facility. But it is apparently...
Dear, sweet stubborn grandmother!
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jul 09, 2012
I love my grandma dearly. She’s still going strong, living independently in a ranch-style house. But while her stubbornness may be the reason she lives such full and active lifestyle, it’s...
For East Coast nursing homes, things are heating up
By
Elizabeth Newman
Jul 03, 2012
For all the complaining about Chicago winters (which you are only allowed to do if you are a native), what generally gets missed is how lovely the summers here are compared to my home state of Virginia.
Volunteer has his ducks in a row
By
Mary Gustafson
Jun 28, 2012
Despite challenges, mailman Steve Score has found winged victory at Ecumen Emmanuel Community in Minnesota.
Eastern vs. Western standards of practice
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jun 26, 2012
The theory of improving function in China is overshadowed by the focus on comfort, reducing pain, and providing as much rest as possible. From a cultural standpoint, the family dynamics are very different...
A failure to communicate
By
Mary Gustafson
Jun 21, 2012
Basic communication is often overlooked for nursing home managers. Promoting leadership among team members and empowering staff is effective in building teamwork.
It’s time to drop the lone wolf routine
By
John O'Connor
Jun 18, 2012
For many, it appears that finding their own answers to long-term care’s challenges and opportunities is the first and only default option. But the future means finding some dance partners.
Maybe we can’t handle the truth
By
John O'Connor
Jun 15, 2012
The Supreme Court has decided that corporations and unions are really no different from regular folk when it comes to sponsoring elections. As a result, we’re about to see a spending spree that would...
Big challenges ahead for therapy
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jun 12, 2012
A few years ago, my consulting company had the opportunity to work with a facility to implement a bariatric unit within a skilled nursing facility. This would seem an easy task, but the facility ended...
Voters give providers something to worry about
By
John O'Connor
Jun 08, 2012
GOP and Democratic strategists were watching the Wisconsin governorship recall race earlier this week as a possible harbinger of this fall’s presidential election. But that’s a shortsighted...