Engaging with families

Racism and LTC

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Racism and LTC A friend of mine called me this week, upset about the racial tension making headlines in the news. We discussed what we could do as individuals to improve the situation. “I called a friend of mine of a different race,” she said. “I … Read more

Are Families Ready For The Death And Dying Conversation?

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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

7 powerful ways to deliver family-centered care

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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

The high cost of rudeness

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: The high cost of rudeness A study about rudeness in the medical journal Pediatrics got me thinking about the possible effects of rudeness in long-term care. In “The Impact of Rudeness on Medical Team Performance: A Randomized Trial,” teams were subjected to rude comments by a … Read more

Dr. El’s Shrinky LTC Fantasy

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Dr. El’s Shrinky LTC Fantasy I hung up the phone with the managed care case reviewer. The patient in question was in her late 50s, with multiple sclerosis and other physical problems that had unexpectedly interfered with her ability to return home or even to sit … 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

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