As my mother drifted deeper into dementia, her friends started drifting away from her. Her grandchildren felt awkward around her and I sometimes didn’t know how to interact with her.
Overcoming the guilt and embracing the gifts of long-term care
By
Deborah Shouse
Sep 04, 2013
Sometimes it takes ones own family member going into long-term care to understand what the community provides. Deborah Shouse previews her new book, “Love in the Land of Dementia: Finding Hope in...
Up in the air, and up on the ground
By
Gary Tetz
Aug 25, 2016
This isn’t just a story about the World War II veteran who got to fly again, inspiring though it most certainly was. I know, because I was there — holding a video camera, unsteadily at times, as...
Suspend the suspenders: Tackling dressing ‘old’ at school
By
Kelly Papa
Mar 06, 2019
I know there are some who feel like this is just a silly experience. But the symbolic interaction will teach these 5- and 6-year-olds that being 100 years old is to be mocked and useless.
Transformational leadership: Why you matter!
By
Martie Moore
Sep 04, 2019
Is transformational leadership trendy or a radical change in leadership styles for today’s environment? Long-term care managers need to know.
What providers can do to counteract negative advertising
By
David B. Pearce
Mar 24, 2014
Plaintiffs’ lawyers use negative advertising for the same reason political consultants do — because it works. And although modern political campaigns seem never-ending, mercifully, there is a defined...
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...
Giants of community are not forgotten
By
Dianne Timmering
Nov 19, 2014
Launched more than a decade ago, the purpose of the Signature HealthCARE Hall of Fame is to honor the contributions and lifetime achievements of nursing home residents, staff members, volunteers and other...
The shortest distance between two points
By
Noah Marco
Feb 17, 2021
Prior to 1816, it was common practice for doctors to place their ears to patients’ chests to detect the workings of hearts, lungs and other organs. That year, French physician Rene Laennec, who was...
Lost in Medicare Part D land
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Dec 10, 2013
My mom called me to relay her “tragic” story of trying to sign up for a Medicare Part D plan. She hadn’t signed up for one, and didn’t feel that she needed one, but at lunch her...