Of all the scourges that hit nursing homes, there is one that always causes me to shudder. It’s not pressure ulcers or norovirus, C. diff or MRSA. It’s something less dangerous, but that I...
Goodbye, Colbert . . . hello, flu
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 23, 2014
In honor of Stephen Colbert’s recently ended run on Comedy Central, I’d like to address some “truthiness” I’ve recently spotted, which I believe could harm long-term care...
‘Landmark’ study: Social media training increases nursing home residents’ cognition
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 15, 2014
Seniors in long-term care experienced multiple cognitive and emotional benefits from being trained in how to use social media, according to findings from a “landmark” study in the United Kingdom.
Code status ‘cheat sheet’ draws scrutiny, nursing home challenges neglect finding
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 12, 2014
A “cheat sheet” to track residents’ code status has become a source of controversy in the case of a Minnesota man who died without being given CPR, according to local news sources.
Will residents ‘stick it to the man’ with their choice of provider?
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 11, 2014
In the dawning age of mega-providers, smaller long-term care chains and independent owners might be inspired by the story of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
Government is lax in issuing serious citations for antipsychotic overuse, NPR claims
By
Tim Mullaney
Dec 10, 2014
Only 2% of nursing home deficiencies for inappropriate medication lead to a fine or harsher penalty, suggesting that the government is not doing enough to reduce antipsychotic drugs, NPR reporters argued...
Managed care plans need protection from ‘carve-outs’ to ensure services across the continuum,...
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 26, 2014
State “carve-outs” and lack of transparency in rate-setting threaten the ability of managed care plans to support services across the whole continuum, the Medicaid Health Plans of America stated...
One tip to improve long-term care marketing
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 25, 2014
Feed your marketers, they’re probably starving. Sorry, this won’t be as easy as dialing Domino’s … I don’t mean LTC marketing executives are starving for food, but that they...
Nursing homes should focus on improving communications to prevent in-room cameras, survey suggests
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 25, 2014
Most people would consider video cameras to monitor a loved one’s nursing home care but would prefer other methods, according to recently released survey results.
MI nursing home fined $100,000 for failure to perform CPR on resident calling for help
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 11, 2014
A Michigan nursing home has been fined more than $100,000 for failing to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation to a resident, local news sources reported Monday.