In this blog, Pamela Tabar recounts her two-week visit with a group of septuagenarians, and how snowbirding seniors can teach us a lot about the high-tech, high-service expectations senior living organizations are going to have to meet--starting now. Read More »
As the long-term care industry takes on more business in short-term rehabilitation and new expectations from the baby boomer generation, many facilities are finding themselves forced to renovate their buildings and their operations to keep up with the market changes. Read More »
It's OPTIMA Award season! Share your long-term care community's award-worthy resident-centered care program for a chance to garner Long-Term Living's prestigious honor and recognition by industry peers. Read More »
Modern detergents and new laundering technologies have prompted the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services to revise the laundry notes under F tag 411. Read More »
The Obama Administration on Friday said it would seek public comment on a new "opt-out" provision that is designed to meet the concerns of faith-based opponents to the earlier contraceptive mandate proposed for the ACA. Read More »
Although therapy billing has taken a lot of the heat lately in CMS’ hunt for fradulent billing practices, the next big target might be something more durable. Read More »
Most nursing home providers understand the importance of auditing the MDS against the medical record to ensure that the chart supports the coding decisions represented on the MDS. But analyzing MDS responses in the context of quality seems to be a missed opportunity for many providers. Read More »
The tragic events surrounding the deadly nightclub fire that happened over the weekend in Brazil should remind occupancies of all types to focus on fire safety every day of the year. Read More »
An increased focus by the Attorney General’s office on the conditions in SNFs throughout the state of California mirror the trend of enforcement and prosecution against those in the healthcare industry across the country. Read More »
Good design in environments for the aging improves not only the quality of life for residents, but it resonates, and hopefully improves, every aspect of the senior living business, from marketing to housekeeping. Nowhere will LTC professionals find a more comprehensive and qualified collection of minds from the architecture, interior design and building fields than at Long-Term Living’s 2013 Environments for Aging Conference. Read More »
This could be the year to address perennial problems plaguing your organization. Take advantage of the new year’s momentum by making minor adjustments in three areas for a big impact: appreciation, repair and organization. Read More »
An out-of-order elevator can not only be inconvenient, but it can also present a safety hazard, as one Canadian long-term care facility recently learned. Read More »
Each year, hundreds of people die in fires caused by heating equipment, including portable space heaters, according to the National Fire Protection Association. While prohibited in smoke compartments where residents are present in skilled nursing facilities, portable electric space heaters continue to find their way into LTC facilities of all types. Read More »
Which marketing tactics are working best for your facility? Direct referrals aren't the only way to measure the worth of your marketing strategies. Read More »
The long-term care market is poised for growth in 2013 after the industry experienced a significant increase in mergers and acquisitions activity, refinancings and development projects over the last couple of years. To access capital that is increasingly available, borrowers should review their funding options and do their homework about specific lenders before submitting a financing request. Read More »
The long-term care industry was buffeted by forceful winds of change in 2012. Regulatory, political, economic and societal transitions tested providers’ mettle as the LTC landscape struggles to evolve and adapt. Technological advances and an improving senior housing market were bright spots in a busy news year. Read More »
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is paying apartment owners in nine states to convert their buildings to assisted living units. Read More »
We’ve got high-tech flooring sensors, in-room monitors for falls management and remote home monitoring.. . but wait—did we forget to redesign the stairs? Today's IOM meeting in Washington, D.C., provides a backdrop for good discussions on technology, health space design and mission. Read More »
MedPAC proposes more cuts for 2014, and the skilled nursing industry objects. But the GAO issues a report that can only make the industry’s case more difficult. Read More »
As the resident pay portion in long-term care has increased over the last several years, many facilities are finding it difficult to collect the resident’s entire portion when the resident doesn't have the resources to pay all at once. Here are five key tips for increasing the collection of the resident pay portion, thus reducing the account receivables that end up in collections. Read More »
Safety and security is a matter that every type of LTC facility should take very seriously. Assuming that seniors are immune from the type of violence that was witnessed at Sandy Hook Elementary School is a mistake. Read More »
Creating a detailed emergency response plan—and keeping it updated—is crucial to safeguarding your organization’s residents, staff and property. These disaster planning checklists can help you manage risk and keep your staff ready for anything. Read More »
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is continuing its aggressive efforts to identify fraud among healthcare providers. In October, the OIG released its 2013 work plan, which outlines the audit and enforcement initiatives for Medicare and Medicaid providers in the coming year. Let's take a look at the Nursing Homes section of the work plan. Read More »
Flu season demands greater attention to cleaning. “High-touch” surfaces require particularly close attention. Daily housekeeping in LTC facilities should include not only obvious reservoirs of micro-organisms such bathrooms and linens, but all horizontal and high-touch surfaces outside resident rooms and other care areas. Read More »
The status quo never inspired innovation. Dr. Tellis-Nayak, a medical sociologist and Senior Research Advisor at the National Research Corporation, explains why improving long-term care means being willing to look beyond "the way things are" and considering the way things could be. Read More »
Being vitamin D deficient surprises me, since I have never been told I was deficient in the past. But I am a breast cancer survivor and know that chemotherapy can cause physical changes. Read More »
With the recent focus on reducing antipsychotics in long-term care and substituting behavioral interventions, facilities may be left wondering what interventions to use and how to implement them. Here are ideas on how to prevent, investigate and monitor agitation on your units and address staffing needs to ease the transition from antipsychotic medication. Read More »
Michigan has made a commitment to culture change. PHI serves as the convener for this multi-stakeholder group that includes resident advocates, provider associations, government agencies, culture change advocates and employee organizations. Read More »
The latest version of the Nursing Home Inspect tool includes more ways to search nursing home survey data and to assess the historial track record of a skilled nursing facility. Read More »
