Available Services

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

Breaking news I want to hear

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

Bridging the disconnect between leaders and workers

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

A conversation about mental health in LTC

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

Antipsychotic medication reduction and the severely mentally ill population

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

Strategies to improve workforce participation

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

The exhaustion epidemic

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

How to create an environment that reduces turnover

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