Eleanor Barbera, Ph.D. 
For the last two years, I’ve been approaching eldercare from a different angle – that of adult daughter. While I’m still available for speaking engagements, I’ve shifted my work to a virtual private practice where I offer psychotherapy services (for those in New York State) and eldercare coaching for all. To set up a free … Read more
Nine years ago, when I started writing “The World According to Dr. El,” McKnight’s Editor Jim Berklan reassured me that I’d always find something to say. I was surprised to discover that not only was this true, in fact the opposite was often the case — many weeks I’ve had difficulty choosing between an abundance … Read more
These days, mental health in long-term care is getting far more attention than it used to. After 25 years as a nursing home psychologist, it’s pretty exciting to see. I perused the April print edition of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and found articles on the impact of nurse stress on quality of care, the connection … Read more
I have to admit that when I saw the news headline last week, “BREAKING: CMS cuts SNF pay rates by net $320 million,” I felt a kick-’em-while-they’re-down discouragement. I’m concerned, like others, about how facilities currently struggling financially are going to make it to the anticipated period when demographic shifts will lead to full beds … Read more
As I reviewed the many recent long-term care happenings and articles to select a topic for this week’s blog, my mind kept returning to the fascinating column by researchers Lindsey Creapeau and Jennifer Johs-Artisensi, “Nursing assistants’ perspective holds the key to solving your staffing woes.” Their study asked nursing home administrators, directors of nursing and … Read more
I had the pleasure of being interviewed recently by Susan Ryan, senior director of The Green House Project, for her Elevate Eldercare podcast. As I remarked to her, what could be better than talking with someone kind and knowledgeable about something I’ve been obsessed with for more than 20 years? We spoke about the experiences … Read more
President Biden’s State of the Union address last week targeted several aspects of the long-term care industry, most of which have received more attention than his mention of reducing the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications. As a long-term care psychologist who has closely observed the trend of increasing numbers of residents with severe mental illness … Read more
With worker shortages at critical levels, long-term care leaders are undoubtedly looking for creative solutions to their staffing woes. There have been excellent suggestions from within the LTC world, but I recently came upon a journal article from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that outlined short-term strategies in the general workforce that … Read more
I was tempted to listen to the STAT News event, “The exhaustion epidemic: Examining the COVID-19 burnout crisis in health care,” while lying prone on the couch. Instead, I took notes and considered how this hospital-heavy analysis might apply to the long-term care industry. Two physicians, one nurse and one psychiatrist/researcher discussed at length how … Read more
As I stated in my last column, improving the emotional tenor of the facility can decrease staff turnover. In this piece, I’ll offer additional ideas to achieve that goal. Most organizations have a consulting psychologist on the team who can spearhead or contribute to the recommendations below. Psychologists are capable of far more than providing … Read more