At this festive time of year, it’s all-too-easy to be charmed and delighted by visions of reindeer leaping from rooftops and scampering across the sky. But before we let such images cloud our judgment,...
Better together
By
Gary Tetz
Nov 30, 2023
An hour or so before the siren in our long-term care factory blasted the official start of the work day, and feeling a heightened level of job-related stress, I strolled into a colleague’s office uninvited...
No place like community: Discharge planning beyond the PHE
By
Renee Kinder
Feb 02, 2023
There is no better way to start the week and the slew of incoming emails than with a great belly laugh. One of the first messages in my inbox Monday elicited exactly such a response… It stated, “I’ve...
Improve your hearing, improve your mind
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Dec 12, 2022
Doesn’t it seem like our residents with hearing loss escalate their dementia risk? Or is it that our residents living with dementia lose their hearing? Hearing loss and dementia seem to go hand-in-hand. ...
Fingers crossed: Medicare Advantage may be turning around
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Aug 22, 2023
As a long-term care provider, what’s your favorite thing about Medicare Advantage? No three-day hospital stay. And not much else. As a beneficiary of Medicare Advantage (MA), there are plenty...
Love is in the air
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Feb 14, 2023
Oh yes, it’s Valentine’s week. It starts with Galentine’s Day on February 13, a day created on a TV show called “Parks and Recreation” that’s now a popular holiday as an excuse for girlfriends...
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...
Bad survey? Call your medical director
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Mar 20, 2023
I recently won a case against state surveyors and I learned something new… again. The surveyors were adamant that the facility neglected a resident, and cited violations of policies, and criticized...
A day that made an indelible impact on me
By
Martie Moore
Oct 20, 2023
The room was packed, with tambourines and drums in individuals’ hands. A resident had passed, and we were gathered to walk alongside the man named John. They called it a walk-out. In the past,...
A unique way of ‘escaping’ your typical SNF falls training
By
Brandon Totten
Apr 10, 2023
Training for falls management in skilled nursing facilities can follow a formulaic regimen. Typically, employees utilize a computer training program for routine falls education. While this is a fairly...