No one knows better than long-term care folks the unfortunate toll cognitive decline can take. So if you’re like me, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, you’re always interested in ways to keep your...
Occupational therapy and sleep, the missing ADL
By
Renee Kinder
Aug 03, 2023
The sleepover hangover is a telltale sign of summer in our home. Teenagers up and out way too late with friends, hopefully staying out of trouble and then crashing until 2 p.m. the next day. Little ones...
Sleep like your life depends on it
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 01, 2021
One thing I’ve learned in my mostly unsuccessful lifelong quest to get enough sleep is that nothing helps more than feeling under pressure to do so. So learning in McKnight’s that extra sleep reduced...
How do they sleep at night?
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Oct 10, 2017
Residents arrive at our doors, with sleep likely harmed by illness and pain, and changes in circadian rhythms. While we can’t alter some of these factors, as care providers we can become more attuned...
The fifth vital sign
By
James M. Berklan
Jun 26, 2017
It turns out Linda Shell’s hero had modern medicine right all along, even if her last utterance was well over 100 years ago.
Bank that sleep now
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 06, 2017
When I was very young, my parents used to chuckle at how I, a through-and-through suburban kid, would rise so early and turn on the TV to watch … the farm report.
The Walking (Half-) Dead
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Oct 14, 2014
OK, I’ll admit it. I am a huge fan of the AMC show, “The Walking Dead,” which incidentally had a blockbuster Season 5 premier Sunday. It’s really bizarre because I am a big weenie...
Good news for (yawn) shift workers and residents
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 19, 2014
Long-term care professionals around the country cheered wildly last week when the Food and Drug Administration approved Belsomra, a new sleep drug. Shift workers applauded the addition to their medicine...
Provider denies it worked a nurse to death, but will court agree?
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 12, 2014
Long-term care workers, particularly nurses, might complain or even joke about it: I’m being worked to death. But now a dead nurse’s family is testing such an assertion in court.
Tips for managing bereavement
By
Penelope Bourdillon
Mar 20, 2013
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Work on letting go. Bereavement is natural, but we can find concrete ways to help ourselves and those around us.