What did you say when you found out your director of nursing had quit? Or that a new COVID-19 variant was knocking at your facility door? Or when CMS announced that survey citations will appear on Care...
Whatever you’re doing to fight long-term care stress, stop it
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 07, 2022
With another possible COVID-19 wave on the way, and the Biden brain trust still eager to “wallop” the profession, long-term care people have plenty of reasons to continue aggressively seeking stress...
My twitching right eyelid
By
Steven Littlehale
Jan 07, 2022
My right eyelid started twitching about six months ago. Although it’s not constant, it is a daily, unwelcome annoyance. It distracts me when I’m trying to sleep; it draws me out of the moment and into...
Navigating the stress of the long COVID-19 journey
By
Paul White, Ph.D.
Jul 30, 2021
The last 18 months have been brutal for virtually everyone and every position within long-term care. Long hours, isolation from family and friends, implementing new polices and procedures due to COVID-19,...
Self-compassion training without apology
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 29, 2021
Self-compassion isn’t something I do very well. That’s probably because I was born in Canada, and when the doctor slapped my wrinkled baby butt, I said, “Sorry!” instead of crying. While...
Why it’s impossible to maintain prior levels of care quality, and what to do about it
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Apr 24, 2018
Residents and their family members are likely to expect that when they enter long-term care, staff members will provide compassionate medical treatment. Instead, what they frequently find are stressed...
Positive attitudes in aging lead to resilience
By
Elizabeth Newman
Aug 05, 2016
Having a positive attitude in aging makes seniors more resilient under stress, according to new research. This means more than you probably think.
Over the falls
By
Gary Tetz
Sep 10, 2015
Here’s how yesterday felt in my endless pursuit of long-term care-related service and perfection. As challenges multiplied, I’m pretty sure I was strapped inside an old wooden pickle barrel,...
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...
Four tips for relieving stress in long-term care
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 08, 2014
Stress is hurting the job performance of a huge number of people in this country — and long-term care workers are among those at greatest risk. At least, this was suggested by poll results released Monday....