In 2015, our union surveyed nursing home workers and found that nearly 40% did not receive health insurance through their employer and the biggest reason was the cost of insurance, followed by the inadequacy...
Reducing seniors’ drug use, one iPod at a time
By
John O'Connor
Mar 28, 2014
For reasons that are understandable yet hard to countenance, antipsychotic drugs are widely used in nursing homes. Too often over-used, according to government statistics. But it’s beginning to look...
What lurks in long-term care residents’ minds
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 03, 2011
The first rule of any debate, or “heated” discussion, is to know your definitions. If you don’t, not much else matters. With caregiving, it comes down to knowing your people.
Changing the conversation: How Americans talk, think and feel about aging
By
Bruce Chernof, M.D.
Jun 01, 2011
In my 25 years as a physician, I’ve never heard anyone describe themselves as a “functionally impaired patient with chronic multiple conditions,” a “long-term care recipient”...
Resident-to-resident incidents: Using the power of history to improve the safety of nursing home residents
By
Eilon Caspi, Ph.D.
Jan 24, 2020
Distressing and harmful resident-to-resident incidents is one of the most prevalent and concerning phenomena in nursing homes. Several research studies have shown that these incidents can...
Could end-of-life care be getting worse?
By
Oct 11, 2017
With more providers and patients than ever focusing on palliative and hospice care, shouldn’t the quality improve at least a little bit? Not necessarily.
Pressure versus pleasure
By
Julie Thorson
Feb 27, 2019
One of my favorite quotes from baseball manager Joe Maddon is, “Don’t ever let the pressure exceed the pleasure.”
Does caring for specialty populations hurt your public profile?
By
Steven Littlehale
Jun 20, 2016
Many skilled nursing facilities are de facto specialty care centers with a disproportionately large number of certain types of residents. This scenario, unfortunately, can translate into a liability in...
Why I chose to leave the nursing home profession: A fed-up executive’s story
By
Julie Boggess, MPA, LNHA
Apr 06, 2018
At one time, I was a nursing home administrator who was “on fire” about the topic of culture change in long-term care. I believed that working to de-institutionalize the institution was the...
Is nurse fatigue leading to an unengaged workforce?
By
Jennifer Zannotti
Jun 12, 2017
Nurses spend each shift taking care of patients because they love what they do — they’re passionate people, but are nurses being cared for?