With the growing use of electronic data in healthcare to improve quality of care and lower provider costs, more long-term care organizations are making the transition from paper medication administration records (MARs) to electronic medication administration records (eMARs). Read More »
The Obama Administration seems determined to keep patients in their community settings and out of nursing homes for as long as possible. Obviously that will mean fewer admissions to long-term care facilities, so those facilities must be thinking of ways to adapt in order to remain viable. Read More »
With the Medicare/Medicaid cutbacks to facilities today, I wonder how facilities built from the ’70s through the ’90s will be maintained. I wonder too how the grand looking nursing homes built in the last 10 years will hold up. Read More »
When it comes to building a team, forget corporate retreats and singing “Kumbaya” around the campfire. Here are five practical, easy-to-incorporate strategies you can use at your nursing stations starting today. Read More »
Funds for improved access for consumer information on community services and supports for seniors and others with disabilities is on the horizon. Read More »
Ultraviolet light treatment works better than bleach to control outbreaks of Clostridium difficle infections (CDI) in resident spaces, and UV cleansing technology may be a smart addition to routine housekeeping and infection-prevention measures, researchers find. Read More »
Experts at this week’s International Society of Advance Care Planning & End of Life Care conference discuss medical ethics, caregiver responsibilities, and a culture of avoidance when it comes to end-of-life care decisions. Read More »
In my years as a med nurse, unit manager and DON I always enjoyed working with hospice. My experience was that they were also there for the resident and staff. That is why hospice belongs in long-term care. Let us help you help the resident. Let’s collaborate and share the load. How can we help you today? Read More »
In every walk of life there are people who go beyond the parameters of their job description. Long-term care has no shortage of these dedicated employees who give the best of themselves to the residents they serve. Read More »
The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) conference, held earlier this month in Dallas presented this observer a close-up look at the critical issues and opportunities facing a senior living sector in transition. Read More »
CMS announces a new partnership initiative to combat the improper use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes. Through better reporting and data sharing, the partnership vows to cut the use of antipsychotics in nursing homes by 15 percent before the end of this year. Read More »
The challenging nature of long-term care can make caregivers easy victims of job stress and depression, putting both the residents and the organization at risk. Learn how to assist employees in maintaining the balance between taking care of others and taking care of themselves. Read More »
Strong revenues may please corporate shareholders, but CMS data shows that many nursing homes are providing substandard care for residents. Read More »
According to NCAL, both proposed rules would disqualify a community-based provider, such as assisted living or a group home, from participating in Medicaid because they are on or near a property containing an institutional setting. Read More »
A newly released book, “The Power of Ten—2011-2013: Nurse Leaders Address the Profession’s 10 Most Pressing Issues,” takes on hot button topics, with input from more than 30 international nurse leaders. Read More »
A new study indicates that private-pay nursing home residents are seeking assisted living or home- and community-based options. Without the subsidies provided by private-pay residents, nursing homes are left to rely on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. Read More »
The growth in home care positions, both home health aides and personal care aides, is expected to far surpass positions for nursing aides, as more elders demand—and states seek to provide—home and community-based services. Read More »
In many LTC communities, the basic need for excellent service has been overshadowed by a single-minded adherence to numerous state and federal regulations, medical regimens and cost pressures, even though service and an environment conducive to healthy living were stated objectives of the organizations. Somehow, companies have not been paying attention to their own core values. Read More »
In Pennsylvania, a nursing home, unwilling to wait for a woman's Medicaid approval and reimbursement, sues her son to recover the $93K debt. It's called the "filial responsibility law" and it's on the books in 30 states. Read More »
HHS declares May 19 as the first-ever National Hepatitis Testing Day. Millions of Americans carry the virus, presenting a danger to themselves and others. Read More »
Bill Strickland’s personal story is one of rising above his own impoverished circumstances through a combination of intellectual gifts, street smarts, opportunities and serendipity to create a movement that has lifted the lives of others. It offers lessons for our own lives and our larger communities—and especially our senior communities. Read More »
A rapidly evolving regulatory, demographic and clinical landscape are top of mind for many of the 1,000-plus senior living executives in attendance at this year’s ALFA (Assisted Living Federation of America) Conference & Expo, being held in Dallas Wednesday through Friday. Read More »
Effective, data-driven risk management is proactive, rather than just reactive, and begins with the development of facility-wide policies and procedures that include standards of practice and care protocols. Read More »
Nurses, CNAs and orderlies miss more days of work due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders than any other group. Nowhere is this truer than in the LTC setting. Read More »
Following a procedure to have a kidney stone removed at a large university hospital, Kathy wonders why appropriate equipment could not be made available for a patient's most basic needs. Read More »
