Staffing

Bring on advanced caregiver background checks

You know the drill: It’s ratings week for your local television news stations and that means the most sensational stories will be featured—local Read More »

How to communicate as a nurse

“I can talk, therefore I communicate.” Wrong! How is the communication in your facility? Do you have a great deal of talking but very little Read More »

The nurse assessment coordinator defined

One of the hallmark traits of a dedicated individual is his or her desire to revisit a completed work, seemingly compelled to reflect on the minutiae Read More »

Micromanaging can be costly

Managers in long-term care facilities have multiple responsibilities in the governance and operation of their organizations, and they therefore have Read More »

The wellness premium

“You saved my life,” a Redstone Highlands' staff member once exclaimed to John Dickson, president and CEO of this faith-based, not-for-profit Read More »

High five for LTC part 3: Laughter and compassion

The “High Five for LTC!” are the things that are needed for each of us in this field to get through the day. Thus far we have visited the first three Read More »

High five for LTC part 2: Love and passion

The “High Five for LTC!” are the things that are needed for each of us in this field to get through the day. Last time we looked at #1—Courage. Today Read More »

Organizational approach to preferred view

Organizational culture shapes care in our communities. The concept of preferred view, which we looked at in February's column, p. 16, applies to Read More »

High five for long-term care

I understand that to work in a nursing home takes a special kind of person. It takes someone who can think on their feet and care on the run. Many of Read More »

Theory of preferred view

Old age is a stage of life in which people are still developing. The Erickson School teaches that organizations that embrace and enact this Read More »

‘Excuse me, DON, but you looked mad!’

I am on a mission as usual. I walk quickly toward my office, across the crowded lobby of the nursing home where I am Director of Nursing, having just Read More »

Valuable lessons from your CNAs

One of the things I love best about being a DON is, if I take the time to listen, I can learn great lessons from my certified nursing assistants. Read More »

Mechanics of a labor investigation

As noted in the September 2010 issue of Long-Term Living (“Old law-New problem,” p. 32), the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division has Read More »

Brightening this holiday season for your staff

In a perfect world, we would all approach December with great anticipation, thinking of that Norman Rockwell Christmas gathering, the opening of Read More »

Organizing the MDS office

A quiet, comfortable, well-ventilated, and properly illuminated office will foster more efficiency and accuracy. With the many changes in the Read More »

Money down the drain?

The pleasant smell of clean clothes, of clean sheets, of clean towels…. Processing laundry might be a back-of-the-house service but it is Read More »

Healthcare reform: What does it mean for LTC employers?

Healthcare reform-everyone's heard of it and everybody's aware that a sea of change is taking place with respect to healthcare coverage. The 2,400+ Read More »

LTC staffing: A global concern

Susan was recently invited to Australia to speak to the state offices of the Alzheimer’s Association, local providers, and other interested parties Read More »

Are your employees being heard?

In a previous column about staff satisfaction, we discussed what common themes are important to staff, as found in numerous staff satisfaction Read More »

Staff needs to know what residents and families want

A recent question for the Resident Sound-Off feature here on Long-Term Living asked, “What qualities or characteristics make for a good staff Read More »

Mather Pavilion’s Culture of Leadership

2010 OPTIMA Award proudly sponsored by Since 1996, Long-Term Read More »

Sustaining a person-centered care environment

ACTS Retirement Life Communities (ACTS) has implemented a person-centered care (PCC) initiative throughout its family of 23 continuing care Read More »

Preparing your staff

TRAINING RESOURCES For more information on CMS' training materials, including current RAI Manual updates, visit Read More »

The high cost of administrator turnover: A snowball effect

While we were planning a column on a different topic, we were touched and saddened to read a recent commentary on the Long-Term Living Web site. Read More »

Implementing, refining acuity-based staffing

*Editor’s note: Doug Fullaway, president and COO of Vigilan, provides part two of his analysis on staffing methods in assisted living. Click here to Read More »

Getting through to your staff

When employees are asked to choose what contributes to job satisfaction, the presence—or absence—of an effective communication system consistently Read More »

Housekeeping’s role

During the beginning of my stay here, cleaning my room was not a challenge. When I moved to a private room, I brought my computer and added Read More »

Methods of staffing in assisted living

At the core of any assisted living community is service delivery. Delivering services means providers need people—enough to do a good job, but not Read More »

How care leaders foster respect

Our last column touched on the importance of respect—and the importance of creating a respectful environment for all residents, families, and staff. Read More »

What are you doing to retain staff?

As an ombudsman volunteer for the past six plus years, I have witnessed the effects of short staffing and have also heard many of the complaints Read More »