In a long-term care profession rife with unsung heroes, women have usually been the unsung-est of them all. Then five years ago, McKnight’s stepped into the void and created the Women of Distinction...
Up from the ashes
By
Gary Tetz
Sep 08, 2022
With the president of AHCA predicting a difficult 2023, it confirmed just how tough a slog the road back from the darkest days of the pandemic will likely continue to be for long-term care. But if we’re...
Swearing good, drinking bad
By
Gary Tetz
Feb 23, 2023
Last time out here, I gave long-term care professionals official permission to swear, making the case, with strong scientific support, that an occasional obscenity is actually healthy. I assume for most...
Celebrating poise and positivity in chaos
By
Gary Tetz
Jan 12, 2023
At the end of a long shift on Christmas Eve, two CNAs are chatting in the facility parking lot. “Rough day,” says one. “A family member yelled at me about problems I can’t solve and things that...
Let there not be light
By
Gary Tetz
Nov 17, 2022
It’s the first command in the Biblical creation story — let there be light. But if you’re working a night shift in a long-term care facility, I need you to stop reading this right now and go turn...
Brave new birthday world
By
Gary Tetz
Nov 16, 2023
What do birthdays have to do with long-term care? Well, I’ve been having them long-term. And at this point, I’ve ceased to care. You probably see that statement for what it is, nothing but bitter bluster....
We don’t have any frogs. Now go away.
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 09, 2023
In a cruel twist of fate, I spent the past weekend in Las Vegas. Now, before I say more, I need to be clear: I love the people of Vegas, the long-term care facilities of Vegas, the long-term care staff...
Knitting a team
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 18, 2024
I can still remember the clicking of needles and the feeling of chunky strands of cotton passing silently between my fingers. It was early in my elementary school epoch, and we tiny people sat cross-legged...
Plugging in to the source
By
Gary Tetz
Dec 14, 2023
Somewhere down the road, when I walk through the front doors of your long-term care facility on my first day as a resident, I hope to move with even half the vigor 80-year-old Barry Manilow showed as he...
The unstoppable power of an activity director
By
Gary Tetz
Jul 13, 2023
A cherished senior (otherwise known as my dad) was lying in a hospital bed having a horrible day/week/month/year when the recreation therapist showed up. Her name was Tiffany, and along with her...