It’s the first command in the Biblical creation story — let there be light. But if you’re working a night shift in a long-term care facility, I need you to stop reading this right now and go turn...
When the fog lifts
By
Gary Tetz
Sep 16, 2021
I fancy myself a brave and intrepid hiker, and a couple weeks ago chose a particularly daunting trail that was rumored to lead to some of the best possible views of Mount Hood, the 11,249-foot peak that...
Wine on a dog
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 23, 2023
You work in a difficult profession — long-term care. We all know that. I’m not even going to list the myriad challenges again, for fear of manifesting them into permanence. And yet, if your existence...
When good men say nothing
By
Gary Tetz
Aug 05, 2021
Though Genesis HealthCare is making vaccinations for long-term care workers mandatory, I’m not so foolish as to reveal my own true feelings about the requirement. I fear the warring ghosts of liberty...
Molalla on her mind
By
Gary Tetz
Sep 05, 2018
You wouldn’t have seen any flashing lights or scurrying EMTs, but it was still a major crisis. The nursing home resident was completely out of his favorite pickles, and not just any variety would...
Murder, they spoke
By
Gary Tetz
Jul 25, 2019
Like a real-crime podcast about murder. That’s the way we need to tell the story of our long-term care staffing or funding woes if we want anyone to actually pay attention.
P is for ’possum
By
Gary Tetz
May 30, 2019
After receiving a flash of unexpected insight straight from the universe, I can finally say definitively: The P in PDPM is for ’possum. And, yes, there’s a story to tell.
Things I think: Sunshine’s dream
By
Gary Tetz
Nov 01, 2012
Margaret was just one of those people. She always wore a smile and a bright yellow sweater, and staff and residents at her assisted living community called her “Sunshine.”
At last, a wisp of hope
By
Gary Tetz
Dec 01, 2020
Gather around, dearly beloved long-term care people. Let’s have a little talk. I’m looking at all of you, in every facility role — the whole heroic and beautiful group. We’ll meet in the parking...
Knitting a team
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 18, 2024
I can still remember the clicking of needles and the feeling of chunky strands of cotton passing silently between my fingers. It was early in my elementary school epoch, and we tiny people sat cross-legged...