Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Enhancing quality of care through design Last week, I attended an accessible design symposium at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York City to see what ideas I could use with elders in long-term care. Through listening to the symposium speakers, reading descriptions of works featured … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Help in your backyard Amy Gotwals, the Chief of Public Policy and External Affairs at the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, kicked off the 28th Annual Aging Conference in New York City last week, held at the New York Academy of Medicine and filled … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Home, small home In 2014, I wrote, “I finally visit a Green House (and it blows my mind).” The Green House is designed with a spacious common area, private bedrooms and showers, unobtrusive medical items and universal workers practicing person-centered care. The model shows that it’s … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Readmission prevention: The role of post-acute providers Long-term care providers have an opportunity to thrive with value-based care, escape cynicism and join the growing wave successful at avoiding readmissions. Last week, I was part of a panel discussing readmission prevention at the National Readmission Prevention Collaborative’s … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: How do they sleep at night? Perhaps you’ve heard about the administrator who spent a week as a resident in his long-term care facility. After being roused from sleep daily to receive medications that could have been dispensed later in the day, he banned his physicians … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Disaster communication: A tale of two mothers-in-law Both of my mothers-in-law live in long-term care communities in Florida. (I’ll keep the backstory about having two MILs a mystery.) One MIL lives in a place that was excellent about how they communicated with family members before, during … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Calming fears of floods and other catastrophes By now it’s likely that you, your staff, the residents and their families have seen the incredibly disturbing photo of assisted living residents in Dickinson, TX, sitting in waist-high floodwaters. Thankfully, all the older women in the picture have … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Falls: A closer look Part of my job as a geropsychologist is to conduct reviews of falls with my patients after they occur. Through discussion with the resident, I analyze what happened and assess how they’re doing after what can be a traumatic event. Together, … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Why (culture) change is so hard and what to do about it The team huddled around the nursing station talking in panicked whispers after the management meeting ended. “How do they expect us to do that?” a young nurse wondered. “Yeah,” an aide replied, “we’re stretched … Read more
Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Promote your connections One of the things that most brightens my workday is when I see long-term care residents hanging out together. In particular, I’ve noticed two ladies who attend activities in tandem wearing dresses with hats and costume jewelry, a threesome of confused residents who … Read more