Taking time to connect and renew — we need it now more than ever
By
Penny Cook
Aug 16, 2020
In 1997, a group of 32 people gathered in Rochester, New York, with a belief that the world of nursing homes should and could be different. They decided to formalize their gathering, named themselves the...
CMS doubles down: Surveyors do not have to be COVID vaccinated
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 07, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has held audiences with skilled nursing providers, made presentations and entertained comments in recent months to assure operators that regulatory actions...
Eliminating staff ‘cross-traffic’ could have cut nursing home COVID-19 deaths by 44 percent,...
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 26, 2020
Thousands of deaths tied to U.S. nursing homes could have been prevented if operators would have slightly adjusted their staffing model, academic researchers assert in a new study.
Lawmakers want nursing home commission to include ombudsmen; study reveals public support for nursing...
By
Danielle Brown
May 12, 2020
Two U.S. lawmakers want the new Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes to include representatives from a state ombudsman program and address how facilities can access adequate personal...
How to come out stronger after COVID-19
By
Robert Segal
Aug 07, 2020
For all skilled and long-term care operators, COVID-19 was a game-changer. For one particular mid-sized skilled nursing facility in the Midwest, this was no exception. With the first case came fear of...
Harnessing the power of virtual reality to reduce social isolation amid a global pandemic
By
Chris Brickler
Mar 17, 2020
As COVID-19, or coronavirus, continues to spread across our country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised “social distancing” and that those who are deemed higher-risk persons...
Addressing residents’ coronavirus fears
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Mar 10, 2020
Despite their general calm and resilience, it’s perfectly reasonable for residents to have questions and concerns about the coronavirus and its potential spread.
Addressing vaccine hesitancy
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jan 19, 2021
The first of the month, the COVID-19 vaccine arrived at the facility where I work. In the days before its arrival, the “campus” was buzzing with conversation about who was getting the shot, who wasn’t...
Will successful COVID-19 trials entice drugmakers into more SNF partnerships? This exec says yes.
By
Kimberly Marselas
Feb 09, 2021
The experimental use of monoclonal antibodies in nursing homes during the COVID-19 crisis may finally persuade drugmakers to enroll residents in future drug trials, according to one long-term care executive.
Lawmakers try to wedge open door to nursing home visitors with mandated ‘caregiving’ program
By
Kimberly Marselas
Feb 05, 2021
Vaccination campaigns and reduced COVID-19 transmission may soon bring visitors back to nursing homes, but officials in one state are using legislation to wedge the doors open now.