It’s a disquieting visual I can’t quite get out of my mind — a single hiking boot hanging from a trail sign. Even you, a crisis-tested long-term care professional, might feel surprised and...
Lincoln at night is the cure
By
Gary Tetz
Oct 22, 2015
Anyone worried about the macro-challenges perpetually facing long-term care, and the country, should spend some quality time with Mr. Lincoln — preferably at night.
If pigs could fly
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 06, 2017
Forget all the bad news of late. It doesn’t matter. Not now that pig bladder has been found to hold healing promise for diabetic foot ulcers.
Spring up, down or sideways
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 10, 2016
Benjamin Franklin didn’t work in long-term care. Look it up. It’s a historical fact. If he had, his hair-brained daylight saving scheme never would have seen the light of day.
Fumbling in the dark — my Virtual Dementia Tour
By
Gary Tetz
Oct 09, 2013
It seemed like a low-tech gimmick, but I signed up anyway to take the Virtual Dementia Tour. I had seen it promoted at the opening session of the American Health Care Association convention this week in...
Stop thinking — and eat a mango
By
Gary Tetz
May 22, 2014
Everyone struggles with who they are and their purpose in life. Whatever you do — whether you’re a long-term care administrator, director of nursing, med aide or maintenance associate — you’re...
Naïveté solves all LTC-related problems, studies do not show
By
Gary Tetz
Jun 03, 2016
Next to a cozy blanket or mug of cocoa, nothing quite soothes the soul like the calming embrace of pure naiveté. Perhaps that’s why more than one-third of Americans apparently believe Medicare will...
Halloween — the ultimate staffing solution
By
Gary Tetz
Nov 01, 2018
Strolling with an adorable dog through my neighborhood at twilight last night was an eerie journey into the macabre. The neighbors’ yards have been scary for weeks — there’s an election going on,...
Go ahead, TSA. Make my day
By
Gary Tetz
Nov 05, 2015
“That TSA agent made my day.” You don’t hear that sentence very often. On any list of unlikely utterances, it’s right up there with “Those Republicans and Democrats really...
Escape from the blinking light
By
Gary Tetz
Jul 26, 2018
It sits on the facility reception desk, blinking bright purple as I approach, but somehow escapes my initial notice. After all, I have so very many things — urgent things, funny things, deeply profound...