I was scared, I’ll admit it. I had never used it before. It was all so intimidating and new. The old system worked fine for me, and I was comfortable with its inadequacies. You might think I’m...
Drawing a line for a balanced life
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 27, 2014
We hear a lot about drawing lines these days. And that’s what long-term care employees need to immediately do — stand up tall to your facility overlords, muster your courage and draw a big, bold...
Coming out old
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 12, 2015
Growing old is a choice. I realize that now. But it took some straight talk from neurosurgeon and likely Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson to help me see the light.
Stress helps wound care — at least if you’re a mouse
By
Gary Tetz
Aug 14, 2014
Lost in all the recent hubbub about the Ebola virus, Justin Bieber going to anger management class and a guy eating a nursing home resident’s pain patch, is breaking news from the exciting world...
LeavingAge
By
Gary Tetz
Feb 26, 2015
I’m feeling extremely unsettled lately. On edge. Anxious. It’s not the threat of rising sea levels, or the erosion of public confidence in the integrity of Nightly News anchors, or the possibility...
Long-term care in the land of ‘Sorry’
By
Gary Tetz
Aug 23, 2018
People often ask me what long-term care is like in Canada.* Trying to keep the peace, I usually answer, “Different.” I choose this passive path because a) I’m Canadian, so it’s...
Scattering seeds
By
Gary Tetz
Nov 15, 2018
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.
Poor, poor pitiful me
By
Gary Tetz
Sep 06, 2018
When I ask rehab patients about the precipitating event that brought them to therapy, they can at least answer the question. Maybe they tripped on a zucchini vine, slipped on a grape in the grocery store...
The great eclipse
By
Gary Tetz
Aug 11, 2017
We’ve seen many partial political eclipses over the years created by both parties, where selfish interests and ambitions seem to blind them to the possibility of solving actual challenges together.
Surefire warning signs that you’re living a long-term care nightmare
By
Gary Tetz
May 03, 2018
Have you ever had a long-term care nightmare? Not the waking kind, where some horrifying facility crisis leaves you muttering, “This is a nightmare.” I’m talking about a real one, the...