This post, along with next week’s (stay tuned) and my Planning for the Holidays article, could be printed out and left for family members in a prominent location. Think of it as your gift to every nursing home family. ~Happy Holidays from Dr. El at mybetternursinghome.com With Hanukkah and Christmas just around the corner, you … Read more
“I asked the nurse for a psychology consult for Gloria Teller on the third floor,” the dietician told me. “She’s not eating well, and when I went to talk to her, all she could do was cry.” “Thanks,” I replied. “I’ll keep an eye out for it.” I jotted the name down in my book … Read more
I read some helpful ideas on working with residents with dementia in the most recent Psychologists in Long-Term Care newsletter (Vol. 25, Issue 2-3). Psychologist Nancy Hoffman, PsyD, discusses research findings and her interview with Lucy Andrews, RN, MS, owner of At Your Service Homecare in Santa Rosa, California. The main points to consider: Agitation often … Read more
With Thanksgiving upon us in less than three weeks, it’s time for this perennial post from Dr. El at mybetternursinghome.com: ‘Twas the Week Before Christmas… And 83-year old Albertha assured me her family was planning to take her home for the holidays. “Have you talked to them about it? Have they called the social worker … Read more
When I was in college at the State University of New York at Albany, I took an intriguing course called Behavioral Geography. The professor taught us that how we used a place affected the way we mapped it in our brains. One of our assignments was to ask people we knew from different groups to … Read more
Check out my article in Long-Term Living Magazine this month: Resident Bathing Transformed: From Endurable to Enjoyable. Interestingly, the perspectives of the residents and staff members I interviewed about showers in the nursing home corresponded with research on providing good customer service. Click on the link, or paste this into your browser — http://tinyurl.com/5u757n2 — to read about … Read more
Synchronicity: A reader commented on one of my recent blog posts, saying that nursing assistants need assistants of their own and noting the improvement volunteers can make in the quality of life in a nursing home. The next morning I read a post on my town message board asking about volunteer opportunities over the holidays, … Read more
Will you be in Toronto on October 19th, 2011? Come hear Dr. El speak at the annual convention of the Activity Professionals of Ontario. Participants will learn: How we react to working with younger residents, and how younger residents react to us as staff members. How to use this knowledge to create healthy resident/staff relationships, … Read more
“Well,” I said to Wanda, standing up at the end of our session, “I’ll see you next week, Love.” “Okay, Honey,” she replied. I laughed. “What’s so funny?” she asked. “I called you ‘Love’ and you called me ‘Honey.’” She laughed. I walked out of the room smiling.
Me: Mrs. Jones, Where Is Your Hearing Aid? Mrs. Jones: What? Me: YOUR HEARING AID! WHERE IS IT? Mrs. Jones: The nurse has it in her closet. Me: I’LL BE RIGHT BACK! Research shows that people with untreated hearing loss have a higher risk of depression than those wearing hearing aids. I believe it. Imagine … Read more