Some people do their best thinking during meditation or yoga. For others it’s the shower, or while they’re swimming from Cuba to Florida. Personally, some of my deepest, most insightful thoughts...
Dr. Ben Carson nicks a long-term care nerve
By
Gary Tetz
Oct 24, 2013
At the end of a long day doing skillful and important things for elderly residents, do you ever pause and mutter to yourself, “He won’t get any better. She won’t live much longer. What...
Expo yourself
By
Gary Tetz
Sep 26, 2013
Each year about this time, I get that special tingle, followed by an irresistible impulse. Soon I’m dancing madly around the house, racing from room to room, jumping and gyrating on pieces of furniture...
Leveraging the obvious
By
Gary Tetz
Aug 29, 2013
Three things we’ve learned from long-term care news so far this month. Angry Facebook rants can get you into trouble at work. Republican lawmakers would love to defund Obamacare. And nursing home...
Swallowing a ‘Bitter Pill’
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 11, 2013
The best med aides I’ve ever seen have an almost spooky knack for getting nursing home residents to take their medicine. It’s an art form, really. A mystical mix of command, humor and good,...
Cashing in on grief
By
Gary Tetz
Jan 03, 2013
I know being cynical is bad for me. I’m sure it’s even worse for my health than all the arsenic in my rice. It’s probably killing me slowly and softly, as its tentacles snake into my...
Things I think: Windmills of change
By
Gary Tetz
Dec 02, 2012
I’ve driven up and down Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge roughly 486 times, give or take a thousand, for the past three decades.
Joe’s teeth
By
Gary Tetz
Oct 12, 2012
Paul Ryan’s big, sad eyes were mesmerizing, I’ll admit, but were nothing compared with Joe Biden’s teeth. They were gleaming, Clorox white. Whiter than the White Cliffs of Dover, my Canadian...
Don’t be shy: step out
By
Gary Tetz
May 01, 2012
Shy people hate crosswalks. I know, because I’m a shy person — and I hate crosswalks.
Giving an ear to healthcare reform debate
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 28, 2012
Did you know you can download audio recordings of all oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court of the United States? I didn’t, and I haven’t been this excited since stumbling across all those...