Wondering how an employee could possibly think posting a photo of a resident’s behind to social media would be a reasonable action to take, I contacted a psychologist and social media expert.
What’s all this about PBJ?
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Aug 30, 2016
Why are they keeping track of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? I appreciate their concern that residents might have our lunches served late, but what about the tuna fish sandwiches? And the chicken?...
Take this to the bank: How to reduce money stress for LTC residents
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jun 30, 2014
In my conversations with hundreds of long-term care residents over the years, I’ve found money to be an almost universally sore subject among them. Financial concerns continue to be a stressor for...
Breaking news I want to hear
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Apr 19, 2022
I have to admit that when I saw the news headline last week, “BREAKING: CMS cuts SNF pay rates by net $320 million,” I felt a kick-’em-while-they’re-down discouragement.
A ‘novel-la’ way to educate families about dementia
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jan 17, 2017
It’s easy to become overwhelmed and to have the information presented by a medical professional blur so that it sounds like a Charlie Brown cartoon teacher declaring, “Wa wa wa wa, wa wa wa...
Creative activities for residents with dementia
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Oct 02, 2014
While conducting a training session last week in Montana, I was lucky enough to have a group of more than 100 staff members from various long-term care departments share some excellent suggestions on how...
‘Healthwear’ and other culture changes
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Aug 02, 2016
When it comes to assistive devices such as canes, walkers, and eyeglasses, it’s possible to convert something unappealing yet necessary into an item that bestows confidence, evinces a sense of humor...
‘Derek’ — a long-term care shrink’s view
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Oct 03, 2013
I was very pleased when I heard there was a program about a long-term care facility on British television. Finally we’re getting our props — at least overseas.
Stuff I’ve done for residents as a long-term care shrink
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Dec 31, 2013
Many of us in long-term care think of our jobs as a calling. We handle the day-to-day tasks and the business as usual but also get a lot of energy and joy out of taking our work one step further. Here...
If you give the staff a livable wage…
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Dec 07, 2021
The longstanding story of long-term care staffing is that organizations can’t afford to increase the salaries of their workers due to Medicaid reimbursement deficits, rising expenses, tight margins and...