If we are supposed to follow our dreams, why can’t I go back to bed?
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Feb 24, 2015
You ever have one of those days, weeks or even months when things just don’t go your way? In other words, life is just lousy and no matter what you do, it still just stinks? This is what you need...
The oddest job interview questions
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
May 14, 2013
You know it is not going to go well when the person you’re interviewing starts off by asking, “How much work can I miss before I get fired?” You ever have one of those? Yet that’s...
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,...
New Year, new choice
By
Gary Tetz
Jan 08, 2015
People have wondered if I was awake to welcome the New Year. I think it’s another way to find out if I’m old, like one of those trick long-term care job interview questions that would be illegal...
Nurses Day — a picture of perseverance
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Apr 15, 2014
As Nurses Day approaches, I’ve begun to wonder: How do you describe in one blog the “awesomeness” of a long-term care nurse? And then it hit me … a single word. Perhaps no single...
Long-term care financing reform – progress is possible
By
Brian D. Ellsworth and Arthur Y. Webb
Nov 13, 2013
When the federal Commission on Long-term Care issued its report last month, there was a sense of déjà vu all over again. Sixteen years ago, in New York State, we were staff person and task force member,...
Lost in a nursing home elevator — and lived to not talk about it
By
Gary Tetz
Jun 20, 2013
Here’s one that slipped through the cracks, and I’m beating myself up about it. How did I miss the McKnight’s story about Rosalie, the 87-year-old nursing home resident who was trapped...
A vampire walks into an ER …
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Oct 20, 2015
Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought this story is apropos. Especially since most nurses don’t question the situations that walk into our workspace. At all.
The unknown world of dementia
By
Chris Perna
Jul 28, 2014
Taking a step back and listening to their words gave us a different perspective. They don’t want to be cared for. They want to live and want others to help them to live the fullest, most meaningful...
The year of the opinion
By
Gary Tetz
Jan 02, 2014
If 2013 was anything, and I’m not convinced it was, it was the year of strong opinions — even in long-term care. The fact that they were often biased, self-serving or blissfully fact-free seemed...