Freedom means a lot of different things to people. I often feel it just means getting out of typical routines and spreading out in more of a creative sense while also getting back to functional care and...
She needed this shot in the arm, and you might too
By
Julie Thorson
Sep 14, 2017
I started the week doubting myself but I eventually forced a better mindset, which led me to listen closely to a conference keynote speaker. He spoke on the power of purpose and reaffirmed in me that doing...
Most creative excuses given not to work
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Dec 01, 2014
Every year I like to ask: What do you feel is the most imaginative call-out you received this past year? We’re totally into interactive blogging, so please note yours below. We had some doozies when...
Staff retention today, staff retention tomorrow
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Apr 04, 2023
A recent Washington Post article caught me where I live. It wasn’t about the impact of inflation, the current geopolitical climate in Europe, or the role of microplastics in our food. This article...
A caregiver named Sammy
By
Martie Moore
Jul 02, 2021
It is not an unusual story. A 90-year-old man suddenly is having trouble breathing, his heart is enlarged, and his kidneys are slowing down in their functioning. A care conference is called and the family,...
Finding a place in senior dining services
By
Kera Wooten
Jun 13, 2014
When a corporate job left me unfulfilled, I found myself drawn back to a retirement community where I used to work. A career in senior dining services has led to one great opportunity after another.
Stuff I won’t do for residents and why your staff shouldn’t either: preventing burnout in...
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jan 09, 2014
In my last post, I wrote about some of the many things I do for residents as a long-term care psychologist. The astute reader will note that most of the tasks were accomplished during work hours and within...
Elders find purpose through service and community commitment
By
Jennifer Cabe and Joan Devine
Apr 20, 2018
Unfortunately, residents of care communities are rarely tapped to provide much-needed service. Perhaps we are too busy seeing the things that residents CANNOT do, and fail to see all that they CAN do!
What’s more frightening than the nursing shortage? What’s driving it
By
John O'Connor
Jun 12, 2015
To better appreciate this sector’s alarming nurse-staffing nightmare, it’s helpful to recall the warden’s famous line in Cool Hand Luke: “What we’ve got here is failure to...
Our elected officials: patriots or lackeys?
By
John O'Connor
Mar 26, 2012
It’s becoming increasingly obvious that our elected leaders need to quit playing political chicken. Otherwise, there are going to be some bleak days ahead for We the People.