I watched warily as Leo wheeled his cart onto the elevator with me, his mask below his nose. He used to pull it up when he saw me, mindful of the many conversations we’d had about getting the vaccine,...
Foster relationships to improve staff retention
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 20, 2021
“God bless you,” an aide said to me the other day after I handed her a container of homemade green bean salad. She’d joined the same psychology-based weight loss program I was using and the green...
Creating better deaths in long-term care
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 07, 2015
Residents and their families count on us to support them along the emotional and often frightening path of end-of-life care. We can help our residents have a “good” death and make the experience...
We’re vaccinated. Now what?
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Feb 02, 2021
Across the country, long-term care facilities are vaccinating their staff and residents, with approximately 3.1 million doses delivered as of last week and rates of COVID-19 infection in nursing home residents...
7 powerful ways to deliver family-centered care
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Sep 15, 2015
When a resident enters long-term care, we tend to focus solely on the needs of the resident, even though they’re almost always part of a family system that is being affected by their placement. If...
Use ‘nudge principles’ to prompt staff
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jan 06, 2015
We all can use practice harnessing “less laudatory traits,” such as short-sightedness, inertia, inflated optimism and our tendency to submit to peer pressure. Especially for our work. Here’s...
Preventing burnout in long-term care
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 10, 2014
In my recent post, “Stuff I won’t do for residents and why your staff shouldn’t either,” I wrote about the need for individual workers to set appropriate boundaries around caregiving...
Life on the road as an LTC shrink
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Oct 08, 2019
It wasn’t a world tour, but I did come away with some interesting observations regarding our field on a recent road trip.
If toileting were a billable service …
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 16, 2019
Imagine how things would change if toileting were a billable service. It might not be as laughable as it first appears.
Increasing the positive visibility of long-term care
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Sep 08, 2020
The COVID-19 health emergency has opened a rare window of receptivity in society to recognize the needs of elders and their caregivers.