Most residents and workers are vaccinated and COVID-19 rates in nursing homes have plummeted, so everything should be great, right? According to a recent article in StatNews, not quite. In “As the Covid-19...
The pandemic narrative, a tool for mental health
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Apr 27, 2021
Comparisons between April 2020 and April 2021 are surprisingly jolting in some ways. Not until I composed this blog did I fully realize how far we’ve come, regarding pandemic conditions, and life...
Managing a bah humbug holiday season
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Dec 15, 2020
By now many of us have viewed the viral video of residents gleefully shooting soft foam balls at laughing staff members dressed as reindeer dodging through a pine-tree “forest.” It’s the kind...
My job in a COVID-19 hotspot didn’t give me COVID — it gave me PTSD
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Aug 11, 2020
Even a long-term care psychologist can fall prey to the psychological and emotional terrors of the COVID-19 pandemic, I can unfortunately report to you with ironic confidence.
Grim but unwavering: Notes from the COVID-19 epicenter
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Apr 07, 2020
Hopefully, facilities in other parts of the country will be spared what we’re going through in New York City, where 1 in 4 facilities had COVID residents as of last week’s reports. It is, in a word,...
Ageism of elders affects their LTC experience
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Aug 13, 2019
Most nursing home residents I’ve encountered ironically have their own prejudices about aging and older adults. This is harmful in a variety of ways.
Benefits of acknowledging success
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Apr 09, 2019
Dealing with extensive regulations, reimbursement challenges, elaborate documentation requirements and a punitive environment can erode the joy of helping elders. Acclamation for accomplishments, on the...
A truly healing yarn
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Sep 25, 2018
An anecdote that touches on the impact of where residents are placed within the facility, the value of consistent staffing and the importance of “leaning in” to meet residents where they’re at emotionally.
Silo-busting
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Nov 07, 2017
There are benefits to breaking down silos between public and private aging services.
The “last day” protocol
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jun 06, 2017
I waited outside the room until the rehab therapists finished talking to Jim, who’d been admitted to the nursing home the night before.