Picture a bedsore. Stare at it. Now, focusing on that same image, re-label it “skin failure.” Suddenly, the identical wound no longer looks or ‘feels’ the same. Here are suggestions for modifying commonly used words and phrases to clarify what is communicated to residents, families and others. Read More »
While it is clear that gaps exist in emergency preparedness on all levels of healthcare, a great deal of progress has been made in long-term care that may not be adequately reflected in this recent OIG report. Read More »
When it is time for the walk-around tour, take the compliance officer where he or she needs to go and nowhere else. You may be proud of your facility and want to show it off, but that doesn’t mean they will see it in the same light as you. Read More »
Traditionally, nursing homes and other levels of long-term care have not been involved with disaster planning as part of the community on a broad-based scale. As this bi-annual conference shows, that's no longer the case. Read More »
New payment models require payors to look closer at risk management. While traditional risk management analyzes the risk of taking a risk, we now also have to analyze the risk of not taking a risk, particularly from an information technology perspective. Read More »
The government protects employees’ rights to engage in "concerted activity" for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection. You might be surprised how far-reaching these protections can be, even in long-term care settings. Read More »
All of the policy in the world likely would not stop someone from going as heinously rogue as this nursing assistant. That type of behavior considers neither rules nor decorum and should be met with zero tolerance on the part of employers. Read More »
National safety and security experts say the lab’s presence in a nursing home is part of a larger trend involving the bizarre lengths meth addicts and dealers are willing to go for their drug. Read More »
Keeping pathways to survival clear is a disaster preparation that should be addressed every day. If everything is in its place and not blocking exits, evacuation is easier and more successful. Read More »
Willis North America’s Senior Living Practice Group will work with ALFA members to reduce costs, improve their operating risk profiles and better meet their employee benefit and insurance objectives. Read More »
A recent series of unfortunate headlines, throughout both the United States and abroad, has shown the painful, and even deadly, results of resident aggression manifested into physical form. Read More »
Don’t panic. Be polite and respectful; remember this is an official visit. And please, for your sake, remember the old adage: ”If they ask you the time, tell them the time; don’t tell them how to build a watch.” Read More »
An 80-year-old nursing home resident, who suffered from dementia, died of head injuries on February 14 days after an alleged fight with another resident. Read More »
From a safety and risk perspective, the kitchen provides us with an immediate opportunity to develop a workforce that is “cultured” to prevent potential hazards and losses. Deviation from procedures is usually when an incident occurs. Read More »
Preparedness and safety are not to be ignored. They determine how successfully an adverse event may be mitigated. And in long-term care communities, disaster training and drills are required. Read More »
The Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities is requesting a state law that would put potential lawsuits against nursing homes before review panels, which could help to eliminate unnecessary litigation. Read More »
Let it be known that even regulators see the point of a homelike environment. At least the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) understands. Read More »
One of the first stories I tackled when joining Long-Term Living three years ago was a Q&A interview with patient care advocate Wes Bledsoe, who at Read More »
Nurses in today's LTC and assisted living settings act in a variety of roles, both clinical and nonclinical. Nurses assist with or administer Read More »
In LTC litigation, plaintiffs’ attorneys routinely assert claims for punitive damages, largely based on statutory language such as that contained in Read More »
Despite the rapid advancement of genetic science over the past several decades, concerns eventually arose nationwide that Americans were not taking Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Flooding, tornados, hurricanes, fires and terrorism—we live in volatile times in a volatile world. As I traveled last week to the annual National Read More »
The importance of the long-term care (LTC) mission and this hyperintensive regulatory environment requires constant vigilance and hard work. As Read More »
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) enforces equal employment opportunity laws. This most prominently includes Executive Read More »
Part one of a two-part series on data security measures Whether or not it was ever intended, healthcare providers these days are responsible for Read More »
Diane Carter, RN, MSN, CS The MDS 3.0 demands that you focus on resident voice and choice. But the MDS, Care Area Assessments (CAAs), and care Read More »
