Listening in at the intersection of policy and pain
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 10, 2021
My obsession with podcasts began a few years ago, when I spent quite a bit of time on the road. Naturally, I found true crime podcasts the best sidekick for long solo drives, and my library remains stacked...
Lawmakers must address nursing home workforce crisis to ensure quality care
By
George Linial
Mar 08, 2021
Before COVID-19, Texas nursing homes reported the worst staffing shortages in the nation. Texas projected we will be 60,000 nurses short by 2030, and that demand in nursing homes would double between 2015...
Therapy carnage at start of PDPM not as severe as feared: study
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 02, 2021
The first academic study of its kind has found that the first three months of nursing homes’ overhauled Medicare payment system at the end of 2019 led to a distinct drop-off in the employed number of...
Personal Care Attendants add more hands to the frontlines of long-term care
By
Deborah Franklin
Mar 01, 2021
As America’s population grows older and drives up demand for long-term care, nursing centers are continuing their decades-long struggle to fill direct care positions — the qualified caregivers who...
Clinical briefs for Monday, March 1
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 01, 2021
COVID-19 vaccine shipments to jump 40% this week … FDA: Pfizer vaccine can be stored at higher temp for up to 2 weeks … Statins again linked to reduced COVID-19 mortality — this time by 50% … The...
Pure determination: Young CNA drives more than 25 miles on 4-wheeler to make shift at Mississippi nursing...
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 24, 2021
Where there’s a will there’s a way. A 22-year-old Mississippi certified nursing assistant proved just that after trekking more than 25 miles on a four-wheeler during a winter storm in order to make...
Winter weather emergency, pandemic put Texas nursing homes into deepest freeze yet
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 19, 2021
The resilience of Texas skilled nursing providers is being tested following severe winter storms and extreme cold temperatures that have caused sustained power outages and multiplied operational challenges...
Video gold: Despite pandemic obstacles, husband keeps love story alive for wife with Alzheimer’s
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 17, 2021
In a love story that rivals “The Notebook,” a Michigan man has proven that no obstacle is too big to stop him from seeing his wife daily in a push to help her remember their love for one another.
After another record quarter, Ensign approaches pre-pandemic occupancy
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 05, 2021
Taking on COVID-19 patients and others with medically complex conditions has helped The Ensign Group buck trends in the industry and begin to stabilize occupancy, executives said as they reported another...
Almost done
By
Gary Tetz
Feb 04, 2021
“Almost done,” the doctor assured me, as she aimed her laser at my right eye. Then over the next 20 minutes, she said it several more times. By then I knew it was all a cruel deception, meant to distract...