Last week I had the pleasure of attending McKnights free Online Expo, my first virtual conference. I registered in advance for the event, which can still be accessed at the McKnights website. When the conference day arrived, I logged onto the site to see a conference hall up on my screen, complete with “rooms” to … Read more
I asked nursing home residents, or “people of age,” as one resident cleverly put it, about their reaction to the passage of the health care reform bill. They were unanimously in support of the bill, though a few voiced concern about whether the changes would manifest as intended. Here are some of their comments: “I … Read more
In addition to meeting the needs of residents, enhancing community relations, and increasing the visibility of and referrals to the nursing home, Volunteer Coordinators provide a huge bang for the buck. Ellen Stein, Director of Volunteer Services at the Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in New York City, shares her secrets for obtaining 600 … Read more
The Health Herald has created a Top 50 list of blogs for Nursing Assistants, with My Better Nursing Home among them.
Okay, so it didn’t involve a disguise, but I did make an anonymous phone call to the New York State Department of Health. When I interviewed Mark Kissinger, their Deputy Commissioner of Long Term Care recently, he and Jacqueline Pappalardi, the Director of the Division of Residential Services, were friendly and reasonable. They said the … Read more
Readers who work in long-term care might be interested in the free educational expo by McKnights Long-Term Care News. The topics include: Getting from satisfied to very satisfied residents Becoming a provider of excellence in wound care The prognosis for lending Are you ready for changes in the MDS and RUGs? Integrating technology to improve … Read more
I saw an article yesterday in the Health section of the New York Times describing the difficulty of younger people to imagine what life might be like in later years, particularly in nursing homes. I thought readers would appreciate it. The old woman had drawn down the shade in her room — hoping, I imagined, … Read more
Listen to me and David Solie, MS, PA, author of How To Say It To Seniors: Closing the Communication Gap with Our Elders, in the program, What Do Nursing Home Residents Discuss with their Shrinks? You can hear the free half-hour BlogTalkRadio show, recorded on February 27, 2010, by clicking HERE.
(This post first appeared as a guest post at GreatPlacesInc.com.) In my years as a psychologist in long-term care, I find it’s normal for new residents to be feeling some depression or anxiety. Most of us would take time to adjust if we were away from home, feeling poorly, not able to get around like … Read more
My civic-minded in-laws created a dining companion program at their Continuing Care Retirement Community. Couples invite singles who sign up for the program to share a meal with them, fostering a flow between community members and helping to bridge the divide that often develops between the two groups once a spouse is lost. As my … Read more