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...
A failure to communicate
By
Mary Gustafson
Jun 21, 2012
Basic communication is often overlooked for nursing home managers. Promoting leadership among team members and empowering staff is effective in building teamwork.
Ethics panels tested as they determine seniors’ final wishes
By
Mary Gustafson
Apr 05, 2012
The thorny matter of a resident’s end-of-life wishes no doubt keeps many people in the nursing home profession up at night. New Jersey is working to firm up a program it has that deploys roving ethics...
‘Alive Inside’ a viral video
By
Mary Gustafson
Apr 19, 2012
Last week, a funny thing happened: For once, I was not the first person I know to post a nursing home-related story to my Facebook page.
Are you ready for The Conversation?
By
Mary Gustafson
Aug 23, 2012
There are few things I loathe more in the world than ice-breaking, “getting-to-know-you games.” The problem is, though, I’m exactly the kind of person who often needs an icebreaker to...
A band of brothers — still
By
Mary Gustafson
Sep 06, 2012
I’ve promised myself only two things in life about my use of social and/or digital media. Readers, I’m about to break both of my own rules with this post.
The Silent Generation: Long-term care is a landmine for LGBT seniors
By
Mary Gustafson
Aug 09, 2012
Filmmaker Stu Maddux was driven to make a documentary about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender nursing home residents because he felt that, as a gay man, he did not have many role models who demonstrated...
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...
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...