It’s the first command in the Biblical creation story — let there be light. But if you’re working a night shift in a long-term care facility, I need you to stop reading this right now and go turn...
When good men say nothing
By
Gary Tetz
Aug 05, 2021
Though Genesis HealthCare is making vaccinations for long-term care workers mandatory, I’m not so foolish as to reveal my own true feelings about the requirement. I fear the warring ghosts of liberty...
Great resume. Now can I have a lock of your hair?
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 20, 2023
When interviewing a prospective long-term care employee, you’re right to be extremely skeptical. In this age of blatant resume deception and social media artifice, reality can be many layers deep. So...
Selling positivity
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 05, 2018
“It’s! a! great! day! at Generic Storage Place! (not its real name)” he exuberated. “How can I help you!?!” I thought it was probably a one-time sales charade, but he turned...
Don’t look left: Finding long-term care lessons in traffic
By
Gary Tetz
Feb 24, 2022
If you’ve read many of my McKnight’s columns over the years, you know I love to draw long-term care lessons from traffic experiences.
Transform your recruiting with the Waddling Goose Technique™
By
Gary Tetz
Jan 25, 2018
At the risk of shameless self-promotion, I’m quite sure I’ve just solved one of the great challenges facing long-term care providers — hiring the right frontline caregivers.
Long-term care in the land of ‘Sorry’
By
Gary Tetz
Aug 23, 2018
People often ask me what long-term care is like in Canada.* Trying to keep the peace, I usually answer, “Different.” I choose this passive path because a) I’m Canadian, so it’s...
One little word, one big perception
By
Gary Tetz
Oct 04, 2018
A friend of mine had grown concerned about the condition of her mother, who is a resident at a skilled nursing facility in another state. It tears at her heart being so far away, and she doesn’t get...
Peppers and hooch
By
Gary Tetz
May 08, 2015
You are correct. “Peppers and Hooch” does sound like a bad buddy cop show from the ’80s. But in the world of Nebraskan long-term care, the lethal combination could be threatening the...
Lessons from an orphan
By
Gary Tetz
Jun 30, 2016
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...