My advice for life with coronavirus: Don’t forget to breathe
By
Tamar Abell
Mar 16, 2020
We are in crazy times. Actually, it’s a step beyond crazy times. The world has hunkered down and is watching this COVID-19 unravel. Nothing is the same. I never expected to receive a call from a close...
Residents need flu and pneumo- coccal vaccine
By
Dr. William Hall, Dr. Susan J. Rehm and Dr. William Schaffner
Aug 17, 2010
You don’t want to mess around with pneumococcal bacteria, which causes pneumonia, and even worse, sepsis and meningitis. That’s why nursing home residents should receive two vaccinations: the...
Nursing facilities – A medical crisis in need of a prescription
By
David Chess, MD
Seema Verma
Oct 19, 2022
Nursing facilities have evolved from rest homes to medical facilities over the last 20 years. Patients are sicker, older, have more medical comorbidities and are frailer. They require more assistance with...
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...
Addressing resident abuse in LTC
By
Jim Burke
Apr 03, 2019
The high rate of violence against residents of long-term care facilities is a persistent problem. Recognizing the signs is important for addressing it, but so is a comprehensive policy and program that...
How will PBJ impact Five-Star staffing? Would you like one lump or two?
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 30, 2018
We don’t know when, and we don’t know how, but when Payroll-Based Journal staffing data replaces the data currently being captured from CMS Form 671 for calculating Five-Star staffing, we are...
I rinse out my plastic bags
By
Steven Littlehale
Sep 22, 2017
I rinse out my used plastic bags. Maybe not all the time, but often … I do love our Mother Earth, but that wasn’t driving my behavior.
Is geothermal good for my community?
By
Michael Hass
Apr 09, 2015
It’s news to no one that construction for senior living is strong, in no small part because large investment dollars are flowing into the space.
Should SNF therapy vendors use QAPI?
By
Tara Roberts
Nov 06, 2014
While some long-term care providers have been slower to look at QAPI processes, others are ready to implement. Therapy vendors also should be considering adopting and operationalizing QAPI.
Gender adjustments for Alzheimer’s caregivers
By
Allan S. Vann, Ed.D
Jan 10, 2014
For quite some time, I was the only male in my Alzheimer’s disease spousal support group. I quickly discovered that I could not resolve some problems for my wife, Clare, in the same way as some women...