Top 5 news stories reveal varied interests among long-term care professionals
By
John O'Connor
Jan 03, 2014
What do neck abnormalities, dangerous bacteria, a murder-suicide, a defensive nursing home chain, and antipsychotic guidelines have in common? These five developments were voted the most popular news stories...
Don’t let the bed bugs bite at your facility
By
Patrick T. Copps
Jan 09, 2013
Once a pest expected only to be encountered on rare occasion, bed bugs are more prevalent than you’d think in healthcare facilities — especially in long-term care and assisted living facilities....
Chew on this: Obesity rates a challenge
By
John O'Connor
Jul 29, 2013
For any way you slice it, too many of us are lugging around excessive weight. And the problem is only getting worse. In 1962, the nation’s obesity rate was 13%. It now stands at 35.7%, according...
Cut the hypocrisy when it comes to flu shots for health workers
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 10, 2014
Providers get enough pressure about vaccinating their employees. They don’t need the hypocrisy dished out by surveyors too.
Let’s hope this flu remedy goes viral
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 10, 2013
Some people might dream of owning a professional football or baseball team. Right now, I’m wishing I owned a nursing home. Then I could immediately fire all the people who deserved it.
After Ebola: Preparing for the next catastrophic pandemic
By
Jeanne Oronzio Wermuth and Rafael Haciski
Jan 07, 2015
The rapid spread of infectious disease through human populations across a large region is not a new problem. But unfortunately, planning for or contemplating the risks associated with pandemics often becomes...
Falls can cost more than an arm and a leg
By
John O'Connor
Oct 31, 2014
Long-term care operators have many good reasons to keep resident falls to an absolute minimum. Yet it’s amazing how blasé we’ve become about the damage that falls inflict.
Flu season isn’t over: 7 tips to help prevent the spread
By
Megan J. DiGiorgio MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC
Mar 27, 2017
If a resident in a long-term care facility is suspected to have the flu, it’s important to test, isolate and provide antiviral therapy.
LTC stats book nirvana for nerds, merely required reading for the rest of us
By
John O'Connor
Dec 13, 2013
It has been said the rear view mirror offers little help when trying to navigate the road ahead. But it’s tough to know where to go if you don’t know where you’ve been — or even where...
Nurse overload equals mistakes
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Sep 24, 2012
Did you hear the one about the seasoned detective who finds a body in a field? Surrounded by young detectives, he immediately announces, “She was a nurse and worked in long term care!” Stunned,...