Long-term care operators are understandably giddy about the sudden prospect of immigration reform. Such a change holds the promise of a larger labor pool at a time of rampant worker shortages. Add in the...
Getting lost in the fog
By
John O'Connor
Apr 01, 2013
I was hoping to get clear answers about the sector’s future at the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry’s regional meeting last month in San Diego. I did, but...
A new way to save face
By
John O'Connor
Mar 01, 2013
When is face-to-face contact with a resident not such a good idea? When an avatar can do better. That’s just one lesson researchers like Timothy Bickmore, Ph.D., are proving. Bickmore is an assistant...
Good news, for lawyers
By
John O'Connor
Feb 02, 2013
We journalists tend to get all warm and tingly when previously guarded information is finally made public. It must be in our DNA.
Little innovation in the long-term care sector? Really?
By
John O'Connor
Nov 02, 2012
Conventional wisdom holds that the long-term care sector is short on innovation. But there’s one little problem with this view. It happens to be dead wrong.
Silly season in full bloom
By
John O'Connor
Oct 01, 2012
The Democrats and Republicans have wrapped up their conventions. Labor Day has passed. Cable TV is on a 24/7 news cycle. And unprecedented funding is flowing into this year’s campaigns.
Talk about tech tools
By
John O'Connor
Jul 02, 2012
After reading through some of the numerous applications for our first annual McKnight’s Excellence In Technology Awards — Connect Our World, I’m here to tell you that plenty of tech-based...
Rewarding tech efforts
By
John O'Connor
Apr 02, 2012
Senior living operators are harnessing innovative tech tools to improve care delivery. To celebrate their exceptional feats, McKnight’s and American HealthTech have established the first annual McKnight’s...
Making a big difference
By
John O'Connor
Feb 01, 2012
About a decade ago, Monster.com unveiled a brilliant ad campaign. The spots were black and white vignettes in which children talked about their aspirations. But these kids were already jaded.
The big picture: Committee hardly super
By
John O'Connor
Dec 01, 2011
Members of Congress used to have a foolproof way of dealing with controversial problems: They’d appoint a commission to look into them.