Physical therapists have a tool belt loaded with testing and instrumentation used to determine fall risk. Some are simple and take a few seconds, some are complex and extremely expensive. We have...
Tips for training staff to prevent norovirus outbreaks
By
Joshua Schwartz
Aug 31, 2023
As the leading cause of gastroenteritis, norovirus — colloquially known as the stomach flu — is unpleasant for anyone. But in long-term care facilities, where vulnerable residents live in close quarters,...
Study testing new strategy for spotting, managing pain in dementia patients
By
Kimberly Marselas
Feb 01, 2024
Up to 80% of dementia patients living in nursing homes also experience pain, but many struggle to communicate their symptoms. A new study aims to test recently revised guidelines for staff members tasked...
‘Historically high’ overdose and suicide rates requires aggressive, holistic approach in skilled...
By
Josh Henreckson
Jan 25, 2024
Long-term care residents are experiencing “historically high” overdose and suicide rates related to mental health and substance use disorder. Addressing those overlapping trends will require holistic...
Too hot in the kitchen? Try your neighborhood nursing home
By
Kimberly Marselas
Aug 01, 2023
It seems a lot of us would like to bury not just our feet in the sand this time of year, but our heads too.
A slap in the face for LPNs who keep nursing homes running
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 19, 2023
There are about 175,000 LPNs working in nursing homes — critical staff members who might no longer fit into the SNF job market if the proposed staffing rule is finalized as currently written.
Picketing workers seek receiver for troubled nursing home
By
Kimberly Marselas
Aug 11, 2023
A union representing workers at a nursing home already under investigation for fraud are calling on the state to place the facility in receivership, alleging that the owners are revoking workers’ healthcare...
Balancing act: Dementia care needs to change for safe integration
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 12, 2024
The quality of life tradeoffs incurred due to tight safety protocols and isolation of nursing home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic demand more research and policy changes.
The ‘chameleon’ effect: How major nursing home players are transforming for scale
By
Kimberly Marselas
Feb 16, 2024
Providers looking to scale their skilled nursing businesses face an uphill battle in an economic and regulatory environment that is chewing up even some of the sector’s best-known operators.
Former union head leads state board able to set wages without funding them
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Sep 18, 2023
The newly appointed head of Minnesota’s Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board managed Gov. Tim Walz’s campaign and headed up political operations for several labor unions but appears to have no experience...