With so many obscure holidays out there, I notice there is no “National Appreciate a Nurse Day.” Nursing Home Week and Nurses’ Week do not count. I want a day to put on my tiara and not...
Laces out
By
Gary Tetz
Jan 15, 2016
You think Five Star is bad? That cherry-picked data can lead to misinterpretation? That it’s unfair to be publicly vilified online, and perhaps eternally defined, by every little mistake? You’re...
When the fog lifts
By
Gary Tetz
Sep 16, 2021
I fancy myself a brave and intrepid hiker, and a couple weeks ago chose a particularly daunting trail that was rumored to lead to some of the best possible views of Mount Hood, the 11,249-foot peak that...
Giants of community are not forgotten
By
Dianne Timmering
Nov 19, 2014
Launched more than a decade ago, the purpose of the Signature HealthCARE Hall of Fame is to honor the contributions and lifetime achievements of nursing home residents, staff members, volunteers and other...
There will be blood
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 25, 2012
I knew I was a hopelessly timid Canadian when the armed phlebotomist approached with his hands trembling and needle drawn — and I didn’t think to protest. No hand raised in the international symbol...
Anticipating anniversary reactions
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Mar 16, 2021
The coronavirus was officially declared a pandemic one year ago this month. The news is filled with articles reflecting on the dramatic changes in our lives from last year to this — lost jobs, remote...
New Year, new choice
By
Gary Tetz
Jan 08, 2015
People have wondered if I was awake to welcome the New Year. I think it’s another way to find out if I’m old, like one of those trick long-term care job interview questions that would be illegal...
Nurses Day — a picture of perseverance
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Apr 15, 2014
As Nurses Day approaches, I’ve begun to wonder: How do you describe in one blog the “awesomeness” of a long-term care nurse? And then it hit me … a single word. Perhaps no single...
Long-term care financing reform – progress is possible
By
Brian D. Ellsworth and Arthur Y. Webb
Nov 13, 2013
When the federal Commission on Long-term Care issued its report last month, there was a sense of déjà vu all over again. Sixteen years ago, in New York State, we were staff person and task force member,...
Lost in a nursing home elevator — and lived to not talk about it
By
Gary Tetz
Jun 20, 2013
Here’s one that slipped through the cracks, and I’m beating myself up about it. How did I miss the McKnight’s story about Rosalie, the 87-year-old nursing home resident who was trapped...