Diabetes care: Take two betta fish and call me in a week

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Diabetes care: Take two betta fish and call me in a week More than 25% of the US population over the age of 65 years has diabetes1 and the numbers are far higher for those in long-term care. (Approximately one third of nursing home residents have … Read more

WHCOA: LeadingAge Summary

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I wrote about the White House Conference on Aging last October, noting that it was a “once-a-decade” national conference about the needs of our aging population.” (McKnight’s LTC News, October 2014) Below, LeadingAge summarizes the 2015 White House Conference on Aging, which took place on Monday: 10 Things that Happened at the White House Conference on … Read more

Creating Better Deaths in Long-Term Care

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Creating Better Deaths in Long-Term Care I walked into Mr. Hobart’s room, ready for my initial evaluation. He was a thin, graying man whose loose clothes hung in folds around him. He’d spent every day last week in chemo. He spoke quietly, discussing his estrangement from … Read more

How to Talk About Dying (Ellen Goodman, NYTimes)

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Here’s an important article in the New York Times Opinionator Column by Ellen Goodman, one of the founders of The Conversation Project (which I’m about to investigate further). Note her comment that she expected her mother’s doctors to tell her what to do. The families of our residents are expecting the same from us. How to Talk … Read more

The Goodbye Guide: Why and how to terminate tenderly in LTC

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: The Goodbye Guide: Why and how to terminate tenderly in LTC An experienced colleague was recently let go from her job to which she’d been dedicated for 10 years. “We want to take things in a different direction,” she was told by the administrator. “Pack up … Read more

Harnessing gratitude

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Harnessing Gratitude Though it was close to 20 years ago, I’ll never forget the reaction of one of my patients to losing both of her legs to diabetes. “I’m 81 years old and I’ve traveled and danced as much as I could. I wasn’t sick a … Read more

Psychologists open up about LTC sex and dementia

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Psychologists open up about LTC sex and dementia A recent Iowa court case acquitted Henry Rayhons of sexually abusing his wife, who had Alzheimer’s dementia and lived in a nursing home. The case not only prompted national debate, it led those in long-term care to consider … Read more

Free Webinar 5/20 @2pm ET: 9 Ways to Improve the Effectiveness of your Social Work Department & Increase LTC Resident Satisfaction

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Join Dr. El Wednesday, May 20th at 2pm Eastern Time (1pm Central Time) for a FREE Webinar on 9 Ways to Improve the Effectiveness of your Social Work Department & Increase LTC Resident Satisfaction sponsored by EmLogis To register: visit EmLogis Events About the webinar: Are your residents depressed, their families distressed, and your staff … Read more