While I haven’t run out of material, I’m tapping out my last column because I don’t want to run out of time. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from sitting by the bedsides of elders in the...
Strategies to improve workforce participation
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Feb 22, 2022
These short-term strategies from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine could improve workforce participation.
Once upon a time, before profit ruled the land, there were missions
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 06, 2021
In the old days, Young Readers, before the goal of eldercare was merely profit, nursing homes used to have things called “missions.” Missions focused on the well-being of the elders they cared for...
Post-pandemic population may require higher staffing levels
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
May 25, 2021
Before the pandemic, residents were admitted for rehabilitation following elective surgery or a health crisis. The rehab residents either returned home or joined the group of long-term residents who had...
Addressing vaccine hesitancy
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jan 19, 2021
The first of the month, the COVID-19 vaccine arrived at the facility where I work. In the days before its arrival, the “campus” was buzzing with conversation about who was getting the shot, who wasn’t...
The Equalizer: A holiday story from the ‘Before’ time
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Dec 29, 2020
She told me about her life via handwritten notes and the occasional use of a talking computer that verbalized what she painstakingly typed out. “I’ve been a cripple ever since I got polio as a...
McDonald’s versus long-term care: How nursing homes can compete for staff
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Sep 22, 2020
Recent calls1, 2, 3 for an increase in nursing staff levels may have providers wondering how to accomplish this. Under normal circumstances it can be challenging to find qualified individuals; the pandemic...
Advice from LTC pros who have been through COVID-19
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 28, 2020
Here is some advice from staff members of New York City nursing homes hit early in the pandemic.
Protecting residents of nursing homes from pandemics
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 14, 2020
“We can’t worry about keeping the virus out [of nursing homes], we have to figure out how to live with it.” It’s a sobering comment that rings true to me.
8 reasons why, despite COVID-19, I’m still glad to work in long-term care
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Apr 21, 2020
Despite distressing times of late do to COVID-19, there are many reasons I continue to don my PPE to sit at the bedsides of those in need of emotional solace. Here are eight of them — I think you’ll...