Administration

Employee satisfaction: A critical factor in the business of caregiving

It is difficult to place a dollar amount on the far-reaching impacts of employee satisfaction on the health of any long-term care provider Read More »

Set a wellness example for your staff, residents

I fear I may have become one of those annoying people who proselytize the benefits of exercise and staying in shape—but I wasn’t always this way. As Read More »

NIC’s Kramer addresses seniors housing with unbridled sense of urgency

Bob Kramer wants to know: Are you ready to ride the wave? No, not that fast-becoming-a-cliché silver tsunami, although that has something to do Read More »

AHCA/NCAL conference report: Medicaid crisis demands provider action

Medicaid is in transition—many would say crisis—and skilled nursing providers attending a panel discussion Monday at the 62nd Annual AHCA/NCAL Read More »

CMS to release customizable nurse aide training modules

Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a memo explaining that the Affordable Care Act mandates enhanced annual nurse Read More »

Culture change drives CHOICES

Photo by Rick Friedman Server Amy Laroche presents a tray of tempting delicacies to Villa Crest residents. Read More »

Careful language is good policy

Judah L. Ronch, PhD We have looked at language and its importance before, but what about policy implications? Is it possible to mandate the way we Read More »

In light of survey, another DON bites the dust—or not!

The cars pull into our parking lot. The alert siren sounds throughout the building. Survey is here. I dread these few days out of each year, but Read More »

Dealing with contentious aides

This is the story of resident, who shall go unnamed, in need of assistance with most activities of daily living. Particular aides are causing Read More »

Feeling the fire of SNF PPS rule

The final SNF PPS rule for FY2012 published in August will cause all operational professionals to stop and think about their implementation plans for Read More »

The mystery of the disappearing resident room (and the lost census)

In complex mysteries you may have more than one party that is responsible for missing rooms in a senior living community. The worst crime scene I Read More »

Invoking the right to die presents a no-win situation for providers

Paula Span, of the popular The New Old Age blog, wrote last week about an elderly couple who roused all kinds of turmoil at their assisted living Read More »

The 4 elements of a strategic marketing plan

A blog is not enough space to do justice to the creation of a strategic marketing plan. However, I’m confident that I can give you a good overview of Read More »

When nursing aides no call/no show

Every so often an aide does not show up for work. Usually there is no notice, and he or she is just suddenly gone.   That happened on a recent Read More »

OIG attempts quality of care case against Kentucky nursing home

To build on what is becoming a focused blog series, starting with our article in the June 2011 issue of Long-Term Living and last month’s blog on Read More »

Help your nurses achieve a balance

Balancing work and life—what is that, anyways? This is often defined as a state of equilibrium in which the demands of both a person’s job and Read More »

A manager’s guide to labor cost management

Labor is a provider's largest expense, and one that historically has not been managed as well as it could and should be.For many providers, Read More »

Modern medicine with a heart

V. Tellis-Nayak, PhD It seems to be a variation on a familiar theme. Still, this remarkable story deserves to be told and re-told. Argentina-born Read More »

Using the MDS 3.0 to promote culture change

My great-grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's disease. I say she suffered because she was what was referred to as a “yeller,” often calling out and Read More »

The IDT in care planning

Judah L. Ronch, PhD In a recent draft report on the work of The Food and Dining Clinical Standards Task Force, (convened by the Pioneer Network Read More »

Medicare cuts will cause pain—but for whom?

October 1, 2011, is the day that an 11.1 percent reduction in Medicare payments to SNFs is implemented. It’s when we really begin feeling the pain. Read More »

Employers expand education and career opportunities for CNAs

In PHI’s recent effort to document how LTC employers are investing in their direct-care workers (a project funded by the Hitachi Foundation), we Read More »

The comfort of bedside dialysis

When a resident requires dialysis, it can be an emotional and logistical nightmare. Not only does the resident have the inconvenience and discomfort Read More »

Communicating your competitive advantages

Increased competition is a challenge for providers in all segments of the LTC industry. The growth in competition requires that providers communicate Read More »

The joy of hiring great caregivers

Hiring is often a flip of the coin. In my experience, we strive to hire great people and often they are less than desirable. But every once in a Read More »

New OIG webpage catalogs quality-of-care Corporate Integrity Agreements

As an addendum to our recent article titled “Nursing care quality and the False Claims Act” in the June issue of Long-Term Living, the Office of Read More »

What to make of healthcare workers’ piercings and tattoos

The first time I saw a nursing home staff member with a tongue piercing, I shuddered. It looked painful. Since I never thought of having one myself, Read More »

Marketing Assisted Living Today

Many assisted living facilities are experiencing higher vacancies since the economy and the housing market crashed in 2008. Long considered a Read More »

Power in purchasing

Group purchasing organizations (GPOs) have been around for a long time. The first healthcare GPO for hospitals was created in 1910 by the Hospital Read More »

Leads aplenty on the Web

When one of the nation's largest senior living companies is getting 25 percent of its leads from online senior placement and other referral Read More »