For all skilled and long-term care operators, COVID-19 was a game-changer. For one particular mid-sized skilled nursing facility in the Midwest, this was no exception. With the first case came fear of...
Addressing vaccine hesitancy
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jan 19, 2021
The first of the month, the COVID-19 vaccine arrived at the facility where I work. In the days before its arrival, the “campus” was buzzing with conversation about who was getting the shot, who wasn’t...
Are we done with COVID? Is COVID done with us?
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Jul 25, 2023
At last. I haven’t worn a mask in public in months, I’m starting to see friends again, I’m eating in restaurants again, and my new normal is the old normal. Life is good. There’s some hesitation...
The floggings will continue until morale improves
By
Brendan Williams
Jun 25, 2020
Caught in the throes of a pandemic lethal to those they serve, nursing homes have been largely abandoned by policymakers. The $4.9 billion in federal relief provided in May was very welcome. However,...
Long-term care needs to get creative to deal with coronavirus staffing impact
By
Patrick McCormick
Mar 17, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic is undeniably going to have a major impact on U.S. long-term care operators in the coming months. The virus is an unwelcome addition to an already long list of headaches for an...
Want to be like Fauci? Here’s your chance
By
James M. Berklan
May 15, 2020
I’d be willing to bet Dr. Anthony Fauci’s poll numbers rank ahead of almost any other serious figure in the public eye. And why not? He is a man of science and says his principles guide him. It...
Looking at COVID-19 through the eyes of residents with dementia
By
P.K. Beville
Aug 10, 2020
When I was in graduate school as a single parent, barely making ends meet, I lamented to my mother in loud, ugly sobs that I thought I might be going crazy. I was serious. My mother calmly responded,...
Delaying death not enough for nursing home residents
By
Jim Towey
Jul 08, 2020
Strict isolation. Constant surveillance. No communal dining or group activities. No hugs, no touching, no visitors except in extreme cases. This may sound like life on death row, but in...
Administrators on the front lines of COVID-19
By
Liza Berger
Mar 24, 2020
COVID-19 just hit a little closer to home for long-term care providers.
What 2021 has in store on the legal front
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Jan 20, 2021
Everyone has been celebrating that 2020 is over, and who can blame them? Yet, I can’t help think the legal issues facing long term care in 2020 won’t necessarily go away in 2021. Some of the lingering...