It’s well established that nursing home residents frequently struggle with conditions such as heart failure and depression. It’s also true that critics of nursing home care are quick to blame...
Fixing the empathy gene, Part II
By
Mary Gustafson
Sep 13, 2012
If Bill Clinton added “M.D.” after his name, slung a stethoscope around his neck and started visiting the residents in your nursing facility, there’s a chance that your residents might...
When caregivers aren’t human
By
Mary Gustafson
Mar 22, 2012
If you can speak authoritatively about long-term care robots in social conversation, people tend to snap to attention. I can.
YouTube channel delivers with show about daughter’s wrenching decisions over aging mom
By
Mary Gustafson
Sep 27, 2012
My expectations were pretty low when I first saw a press release about “the #1 scripted drama series on YouTube” called “Ruth & Erica.” The Internet-only show follows a “woman...
Musings on moving
By
Mary Gustafson
Aug 30, 2012
For the last week I’ve tripping over cardboard boxes, but landing, safely, on mounds of bubble wrap. It’s the end of the month, and like many apartment- and office-building dwellers, I’m...
iPods coming to an eldercare facility near you
By
Mary Gustafson
Jul 26, 2012
When I first spoke with Music & Memory founder Dan Cohen last year, he had big plans for his new program that would put iPods with personalized playlists in Alzheimer’s and other dementia patients’...
Shuffling down the aisle
By
Mary Gustafson
Jan 19, 2012
For anyone who’s in the trenches caring for someone with Alzheimer’s — either in your own home or a long-term care community — the announcement of government initiatives aimed at finding...
Help a Sister out: In defense of U.S. nuns
By
Mary Gustafson
Apr 26, 2012
I’ve been in awe of Catholic nuns from a very young age. As my family likes to remind me, I even wanted to be one. As I’ve gotten older, my awe has turned into respect and affection.
They work hard for their money
By
Mary Gustafson
Mar 01, 2012
There has been an onslaught of news stories lately about the “graying” of America’s workforce. Many of them, however, fail to mention that some older Americans enjoy working beyond the...
Nursing: the happiest job in the world … or not
By
Mary Gustafson
Aug 02, 2012
Even if I hadn’t been raised by a nurse, and even if I didn’t write about the basic functions of their jobs on a daily basis for McKnight’s, I would probably still idolize them. That...