The violent workplace

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: The violent workplace Last week a nurse, aide and police chief were killed at an Ohio nursing home, along with the gunman, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. While it’s impossible to prevent all tragic events, especially those involving an armed assailant entering the building … Read more

Opening the door for ombudsmen

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Opening the door for ombudsmen Last week during a talk at the Pennsylvania Department of Aging 2017 Ombudsman Conference, audience members told me that they’re having difficulty speaking to administrators and other senior staff when they visit the facilities. In fact, some people reported that the … Read more

Insights on family-friendly care from Dr. El — the daughter of a new resident

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Insights on family-friendly care from Dr. El — the daughter of a new resident Due to a series of unfortunate events, both of my previously independent parents were recently injured over the course of five weeks. In the past, I’d been the granddaughter, the niece and … Read more

On power, teamwork and communication

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: On power, teamwork and communication Having enough of it at work, I tend to avoid drama in my entertainment choices unless it involves aliens or post-apocalyptic nonsense. My family and I are currently enjoying the creative spectacle of Project Runway “Teams” version from a few seasons … Read more

Enthusiasm and ingenious inventions at the NYC Aging2.0 Global Startup Pitch Event

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Enthusiasm and ingenious inventions at the NYC Aging2.0 Global Startup Pitch Event Perhaps, like me, you’ve heard of Aging2.0 but hadn’t had the opportunity to attend one of their events. When I discovered that they were holding a pitch session a subway ride away from my … Read more

Remember to breathe

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Remember to breathe I was putting the finishing touches on my article for this week’s column when I paused to consider the headlines on McKnight’s right now. “Don’t be worried about Medicaid funding, be very afraid,” advises Editorial Director John O’Connor. Staff Writer Emily Mongan alerts … Read more

Join me for the ‘Relaxed Lane’ challenge!

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Join me for the ‘Relaxed Lane’ challenge! Denise B. Scott, president of Drive Consulting, posted an intriguing story on LinkedIn the other day about a Scottish supermarket that partners with Alzheimer Scotland to help those with memory loss. The workers are trained to understand how to … Read more

Correcting long-term care’s image problem

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Correcting long-term care’s image problem Long-term care has an image problem. For a variety of reasons, we aren’t associated with good times. There are things we can do to turn this around, though, starting with the perceptions of our residents. Most people who come to live … Read more

10 ways to incorporate mood-boosting exercise into LTC

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: 10 ways to incorporate mood-boosting exercise into LTC Cold weather. An uncertain world. Rogue shrinks making the rest of us caring, diligent professionals look bad. I don’t know about you, but I need a mood lifter. I came across an article that suggests that exercise of … Read more