Today’s story, courtesy of Sandra Cherry, LMT (Licensed Massage Therapist), is a humorous reminder to those of us in long term care to be mindful of jargon and the words we choose when speaking with those new to the nursing home. Today I visited my dad at the nursing home and, as I prepared to … Read more
The holidays can be a difficult time of year, especially for residents in nursing homes. Many residents once hosted family gatherings, or were regulars at a holiday event, but now their physical disability complicates their participation in familiar rituals. Last year I wrote a post on this topic from the residents’ point of view, ‘Twas … Read more
In my post, What I Want My Nursing Home Room to Look Like, I mention I’d like to have family pictures in my room. Actually, I’d like everyone to have family photos in their nursing home rooms, in addition to photos of themselves when they were young. Before I started in long-term care (I was … Read more
This positive story about long term care is from the perspective of a nursing home administrator/president. If you’d like to add your own good news, please use the comments box at the bottom of the post, or for a possible featured blog post, send me an email using the Contact Me button on the top … Read more
Today I learned of an Indianapolis-based volunteer organization with a mission “to make the dreams of elderly and terminally ill adults come true.” How cool is that? Never Too Late has helped an 88-year old man race around the Indy 500 track, an 83-year old woman go sailing, and a 70-year old man learn to … Read more
Beauty queens want Ms. Missouri Nursing Home crown BY HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Nell Shepherd was past her century mark when she competed in her first beauty pageant with a walker and lively stories that made judges tear up with laughter. She reveled in the shows, so much that she insisted … Read more
In May of this year, I wrote about nursing home artist, Vivian Mae Treadwell Baker, and thought you might like to know what’s transpired since I discovered her wonderful watercolors in her dresser drawer and posted some of them on my blog. The artist moved into a private room, and, with the assistance of her … Read more
Vivian Mae Treadwell Baker was born in Huntingon, NY in 1927. She’s proud to be part Shinnecock Indian. She was in foster care from the age of seven until she rejoined her family at 17 years old. Ms. Baker supported herself throughout her life with housekeeping and work in factories, the post office, and a … Read more
When I went away to college, my dorm room, much to my parents’ chagrin, was on a co-ed hall with alternating boy/girl rooms, just like the halls of nursing homes. Instead of posters of rock stars on the walls, however, the rooms of my patients are covered in photos of the President. The owner of … Read more