Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Reflections after an LTC and senior living summit Last week, I attended the MarcusEvans LTC and Senior Living CXO Summit in Los Angeles, where I delivered a keynote address on “Identifying and Repairing Communication Gaps in LTC.” It was a fascinating, energizing event, and not just … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: 6 ways to improve dealing with death in LTC There are moments in life that engender important questions. When an individual is born, we ask, “Is it a boy or a girl?” When the person dies, we ask, “What happened?” In long-term care, we’re not around … Read more
Here’s my latest article at McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Absenteeism and turnover in LTC? Death anxiety could be the cause I started working in long-term care when I was in my early 30s and I was shocked at first when the residents died. I was used to falling in love with my patients — I … Read more
I read this worthwhile article by Susan Jacoby on the March 30, 2012 Opinion Page in the New York Times. Susan Jacoby is the author of “Never Say Die: The Myth and Marketing of the New Old Age.” I WAS standing by my 89-year-old mother’s hospital bed when she asked a doctor, “Is there … Read more
I hadn’t been on the North wing of the nursing home in a while, and when I saw Juanita Johnson sleeping in a geri-recliner, I turned to the nurse, aghast. “I barely recognized her! She’s lost so much weight!” “I know. It’s terrible,” the nurse replied. “We’re having her evaluated by hospice today.” Ms. … Read more
Nan was in the hallway, looking as thin and pale as I’d ever seen her. “Are you okay? Do you feel well enough to meet today?” I’d heard in morning report that she’d been diagnosed with pneumonia. “No,” she croaked, and then hesitated. “I mean, yes.” She looked at me intently. “It might be our … Read more
“I never say goodbye,” Mr. O’Hara told me, “because that’s what my mother said when she left me as a child. Then she died and I never saw her again.” At 91, Mr. O’Hara was slim and getting slimmer. He began our next session as usual, discussing the procedures he was receiving from the doctors … Read more
William Losefsky, Director of Safety, Security & Emergency Management for the New Hampshire State Veterans Home contributed today’s post. I found it very touching, and I’d like to hear more ways in which nursing homes acknowledge the loss of their residents. If you have a ceremony you’d like to share with MBNH readers, please email … Read more
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ensures that the personal information of our nursing home residents stays personal, but sometimes it’s taken too far. Well-meaning staff members, not wanting to violate HIPAA, are unsure whether or not to share news of a resident’s death with their friends in the nursing home, so they … Read more
One of our dear cats is very sick. This prompted a family discussion about how much care to provide him, and led to a talk about our own wishes should we become ill. I recently read a post on WiseHands, a massage therapy and hospice blog, about how working with people who are dying can … Read more