Denise B. Scott, president of Drive Consulting, posted an intriguing story on LinkedIn the other day about a Scottish supermarket that partners with Alzheimer Scotland to help those with memory loss. The...
Inside the mind of an LTC shrink
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Mar 08, 2013
I sat in morning report as the nursing supervisor announced the arrival of a new resident. An 80-year old woman was taken to the hospital after a fall at home, where she received a below-knee amputation...
‘Healthwear’ and other culture changes
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Aug 02, 2016
When it comes to assistive devices such as canes, walkers, and eyeglasses, it’s possible to convert something unappealing yet necessary into an item that bestows confidence, evinces a sense of humor...
Managing a bah humbug holiday season
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Dec 15, 2020
By now many of us have viewed the viral video of residents gleefully shooting soft foam balls at laughing staff members dressed as reindeer dodging through a pine-tree “forest.” It’s the kind...
New LTC resources from some of the best
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Dec 06, 2016
Over the past year, I’ve been involved with several exciting long-term care-related projects that I can now tell you about. In the spirit of the season, I wanted to spread some good cheer with them,...
Senior bullying: How to recognize it, how to handle it
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Mar 04, 2015
We’ve come a long way with many psycho-social problem areas. Children, for example, start learning about bullies in kindergarten. When it comes to bullying in senior communities, though, we’re...
If you give the staff a livable wage…
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Dec 07, 2021
The longstanding story of long-term care staffing is that organizations can’t afford to increase the salaries of their workers due to Medicaid reimbursement deficits, rising expenses, tight margins and...
Suicide prevention in older adults
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Nov 08, 2016
In preparing for a webinar on suicide prevention, I came across startling statistics about suicide rates among older adults. Despite the concern we often hear about teen suicide, the rate for elders is...
4 ways to find out why your aides are leaving
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Sep 27, 2016
Once, when I worked for a managed care company, I rode down a packed elevator with the CEO, who commented drily on the crowd, saying, “It must be 5:01.” What I thought, but did not say, was...
Diabetes care: Take two betta fish and call me in a week
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 21, 2015
These days, with organizations being penalized for rehospitalizations and closely monitored on clinical outcomes, it would probably be very worthwhile to provide a group of elders with some pet fish, food...