Aging advocate Carol Marak interviewed a group of eldercare experts (including me) regarding their experiences discussing death and dying with elders and their families. Her Huffington Post piece on the topic, excerpted below, suggests that yes, families — and many healthcare providers — are ready to have these important and necessary conversations. Are Families Ready … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Upcoming Quality Initiatives Last week I was speaking about the needs of younger residents at the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association convention and had the opportunity to hear a presentation by David Gifford, MD, MPH, Senior Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs of the … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: ‘Just a picture of her butt’ — an analysis In “A potential lawsuit in every worker’s pockets?”, McKnight’s Editorial Director John O’Connor describes two of many recent incidents of long-term care workers using their cell phones to record residents in embarrassing situations and post the photo … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Growing Good Woohoo! My first column of 2016. Which was started during a bout of insomnia in the last week of 2015. What did I do when sleep failed me? What electronics-addicted individuals often do in the middle of the night. I grabbed my computer, caught … Read more
With the start of the holiday season, it’s time for this perennial post from Dr. El: ‘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 to arrange a … Read more
New York Times writer Jane Brody recently penned two excellent columns on the value of hearing aids and the obstacles to obtaining them. (The links to these articles are below.) The articles led me to reflect on my experience with hearing aids as a psychologist in long-term care. I’ve noticed additional obstacles to hearing aid … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Behavioral health care — not drugs — for dementia Antipsychotic medications have proved ineffective at reducing the symptoms associated with dementia. They also have serious side effects in older adults, including restlessness, dizziness, higher likelihood of falls and other problems that can contribute to an increased … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: 7 powerful ways to deliver family-centered care When families seek mental health treatment, it’s often because of a “problem child.” Family therapists consider this person to be the “identified patient” and recognize that the troubled individual is part of a family unit whose members all benefit … Read more
Over 1000 listeners attended my McKnight’s Fall Online Expo webinar, “Letting them go with style,” which focused on ways to use the loss of employees to strengthen your organization. McKnight’s editor Jim Berklan moderated the event and shared his thoughts about the webinar in his Daily Editor’s Notes column today. I’m gratified to hear that the talk … Read more
It’s time for McKnight’s Fall Online Expo! I’m pleased to be presenting at 11am ET on Wednesday, September 9th on the topic of “Letting Them Go with Style.” This free hour-long webinar will focus on how to use the loss of employees to strengthen your organization. The other two webinars will address reimbursement and technology. … Read more