palliative care

Dr. El’s ‘Quality of Life’ star ratings are the way to go

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Dr. El’s ‘Quality of Life’ star ratings are the way to go The Nursing Home Compare star rating system assesses quality of care based on health inspections, staffing and quality of resident care measures. It examines important factors such as emergency preparedness, resident/staff ratios, re-hospitalization rates, … Read more

The importance of leadership in creating good deaths in LTC

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: The importance of leadership in creating good deaths in LTC In one of the more disturbing encounters I’ve had in long-term care — in a 5-Star deficiency-free nursing home — I offered my condolences to an aide on the loss of a resident she’d cared for … Read more

The “last day” protocol

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: The “last day” protocol I waited outside the room until the rehab therapists finished talking to Jim, who’d been admitted to the nursing home the night before. I read over the basic info on his face sheet before my consult. Jim was an 87-year old widower … Read more

Dr. El’s work mentioned on “Last Comforts” blog

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I’m pleased to report a nice mention of my work on the blog of journalist Ellen Rand, author of Last Comforts: Notes from the Forefront of Late Life Care. Last Comforts, the book and the blog, focus on improving ways of managing late-life care.  Below is an excerpt of her blog post. The rest can … Read more

Full code: Discussing advance directives

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Full code: Discussing advance directives Assistance in creating a “good death” is a fundamental task of any organization working with elders and may be addressed by a number of team members singly or in combination. Since these discussions are often easier said than done, I thought … Read more