It’s not just vulnerable elders — it’s also vulnerable staff: SNFs need urgent help
By
Robert G. Kramer
Jacquelyn Kung, DrPH, MBA
Mar 24, 2020
This is the time for the government and private leaders to step up. They must be creative and aggressive in immediately taking action to support those on the frontlines.
CNA workforce at a breaking point
By
Lori Porter
Jan 29, 2021
COVID-19 is now responsible for the deaths of more than 100,000 residents and staff in the 15,000 nursing homes in this country. I’ve been in this field 40 years —as a certified nursing assistant,...
A happy Christmas to all
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Dec 14, 2021
‘Twas the morning of Christmas, when all through the buildingNo staff member was sitting, but everyone scurrying.The residents were washed and groomed with care,Knowing that visitors (finally) soon...
The nurse guilt Is unbearable
By
Steven Littlehale
May 04, 2020
Amid a deep bout of “nurse guilt,” I feel like I should be doing more.
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...
Are we done with COVID? Is COVID done with us?
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Jul 25, 2023
At last. I haven’t worn a mask in public in months, I’m starting to see friends again, I’m eating in restaurants again, and my new normal is the old normal. Life is good. There’s some hesitation...
Nursing Home Quality Incentive Program? Hardly
By
Brendan Williams
Dec 08, 2020
Was any federal program ever more misnamed than the “Nursing Home Quality Incentive Program”? Rather than reward nursing home quality, it has effectively rewarded states that have out-of-control COVID-19...
Stolen valor: Trump administration takes credit for nursing homes’ efforts during pandemic
By
Sondra Norder
Jun 10, 2020
Over the Memorial Day weekend, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma penned an op-ed in Newsweek magazine titled “President Trump’s Early Action to Combat Coronavirus...
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.
Focus on life safety during the management of COVID-19
By
Stan Szpytek
Mar 24, 2020
Note: This story was updated on May 12 to reflect new regulatory changes. As skilled nursing facilities around the nation rise to the challenges of managing this current infectious disease outbreak, providers...