I watched warily as Leo wheeled his cart onto the elevator with me, his mask below his nose. He used to pull it up when he saw me, mindful of the many conversations we’d had about getting the vaccine,...
Navigating the stress of the long COVID-19 journey
By
Paul White, Ph.D.
Jul 30, 2021
The last 18 months have been brutal for virtually everyone and every position within long-term care. Long hours, isolation from family and friends, implementing new polices and procedures due to COVID-19,...
Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta: Why understanding variants matters
By
Renee Kinder
Jul 29, 2021
Life over the past few weeks has felt a little too normal. Would you all agree? Like we have all just been waiting for the ball to drop, and it has, with the recommendations from the CDC on Tuesday related...
When less is more: The role of deprescribing and art of medication management
By
Kurt Merkelz, M.D.
Jul 28, 2021
More prescriptions do not necessarily mean better health outcomes. Deprescribing, which is the planned and supervised process of intentionally stopping a medication or reducing its dose, is a critically...
Compassion fatigue – the struggle is real
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jul 27, 2021
Not getting a vaccine isn’t just affecting you. It’s why we have this variant, and it’s why we all have to keep dealing with this. And it’s why nurses are burning out and getting compassion...
The Missouri Paradox
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Jul 23, 2021
Just when you thought summer was going well, we now have surges in Missouri and Arkansas of the COVID-19 Delta variant. That’s right, these past few weeks your sunny summer was clouded by news that the...
Pandemic paralysis
By
Julie Thorson
Jul 21, 2021
I am not a medical expert, doctor, or counselor; I’m simply a coach’s daughter leading in the great field of long-term care. Pandemic paralysis continues to have a tight hold on us in long-term care....
Drug diversion, a series: How to prevent and spot it
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
Jul 19, 2021
Drug diversion occurs when prescription medicines are obtained or used illegally. While diversion has always been a concern, without question, COVID-19 certainly increased personal stress and pressure...
Oh where, oh where have the annual surveys gone?
By
Jessica Curtis
Jul 16, 2021
During the height of the pandemic, annual surveys of skilled nursing facilities understandably skidded to a stop. Flash forward to August 2020, when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services directed...
CMP grant receives phenomenal nursing retention results, even during pandemic!
By
Peg Tobin
Jul 09, 2021
Tobin and Associates, Inc. received a Civil Monetary Penalty Grant to implement a Nurse Leadership Training Program in Ohio from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020. The purpose of this grant was to...