Brookdale Senior Living recently named Paul Nussbaum, PhD, its national director for brain health. Long-Term Living spoke with the board-certified psychologist to find out more about what he’s doing for the company, which has nearly 1,150 senior living communities in 46 states and calls itself the country’s largest provider of Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Read More »
Seniors’ access to medications in skilled nursing facilities and other long-term care facilities could be restricted inadvertently under a Medicare Part D “lock-in” provision contained in a bill under consideration, two pharmacy groups say. Read More »
Front Porch shares its own case study in piloting the “Music and Memory” program at two its communities. The results have them coming back for more, says Davis Park, director of Front Porch’s Center for Innovation and Wellbeing. Read More »
Assisted living professionals are cheering the passage of new regulations in Florida. One group, however, says they don’t go far enough to protect residents of the Sunshine State, which has the second-largest population of people aged at least 65 years. Read exclusive interviews here. Read More »
Several speakers at the April 27 White House Conference on Aging’s regional forum in Cleveland used the event as a platform to discuss low wages in the home health field. Read More »
Retirement security is another theme of White House Conference on Aging events, and many speakers at the conference’s regional forum April 27 in Cleveland took the opportunity to stress the importance of the Social Security program to retired adults. Read More »
State stumblings over the e-prescribing of controlled substances is a lesson for long-term care organizations: How ready are you for e-prescribing mandates? Read More »
Healthcare providers and federal health agencies need to coordinate their strategic efforts to curb the spread of drug-resistant germs, notes a White House action plan. Read More »
Caregivers play a vital role in identifying depression and ensuring that residents’ mental healthcare needs are attended to. Experts share signs to watch for and steps to take to help those in your care. Read More »
A skilled nursing facility and a local hospital in Pennsylvania team up to bridge the patient's transition from acute to a post-acute setting while delivering effective wound care. Read More »
MedPAC, lawmakers call for payment revisions to cut costs and eliminate abuse in how post-acute care facilities are reimbursed to improve quality of care. Read More »
Hear the words “dementia care” and you’re likely to think of nurses and nurses’ aides. Physical, occupational and speech-language therapists can play a role in caring for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, however, Carmen Vitton says. Read More »
Those who meet Dayne DuVall are immediately struck by his zeal for excellence in Alzheimer’s and dementia care. If you haven’t met him yet, chances are you will. Read More »
Some career paths can be circuitous as this clinical manager discovered. Through leadership, compassion and continuing involvement in the long-term care industry, this honoree and her staff continue to give their residents rich and fulfilling lives. Read More »
Understand what the changes to the Five-Star Rating System mean to your organization.Centers for Medicare and Medicaid has changed the way it calculates the Five-Star Rating System for all facilities serving Medicare and Medicaid residents across the US. Two new Quality Measures were added for psychotropic treatment, the thresholds for Quality Measure scoring were changed to raise performance expectations, and the staffing algorithm was adjusted to award four stars only to those who achieved a score of four in either or both of the RN and Overall Staffing measures.Read this article to gain perspective on the specific changes that have been made to the rating scale, the effect it is having on the long-term care industry, how it is impacting payment models, and how to address referral partners about the change.Click here to read more. Read More »
Got readmissions? This nursing supervisor tackles a stack of care initiatives while showing her team, by example, why collaboration with acute care matters to resident outcomes. Read More »
The U.S. Senate voted last night to repeal permanently the sustainable growth rate formula under which physicians are reimbursed for care they provide through Medicare. Several organizations representing aging services providers share their perspectives. Read More »
This clinical nurse specialist provides quality care to the residents he serves, helps colleagues around the country and around the world with his research and other writings, and is priming another generation for long-term care as an adjunct professor at a nearby college. Read More »
What’s your strategy when you’ve just acquired the worst skilled nursing facility in the county? Answer: Everything. Our first Leaders of Tomorrow winner, Ben Pyper, NHA, shares one SNF’s journey from “the scourge of the neighborhood” to a five-star facility in just three years. Read More »
Overall senior housing occupancy declined in the first quarter of 2015 due to weak absorption and a moderate increase in inventory, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing and Care’s MAP Data Service. Rent growth continued to accelerate for most independent living properties, according to the web-based source of research and analysis. Read More »
The Assisted Living Federation of America has moved one step closer to its aim of quantifying the quality of those working in the industry by establishing an organization to offer certification. Professional standards and an accreditation process are expected to follow. Read More »
Several occupations utilized in long-term care settings offer excellent prospects for employment, although the opportunities for certain roles may be better outside of those settings, according to recently released government data. Wages are another matter. Read More »
During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, two-thirds of the deaths were people over the age of 65. Learning how to successfully plan for disaster or catastrophic events shouldn't be done in hindsight – a solid, effective plan should be put in place to protect both your residents and your data in order to continue providing care.Protecting the vital information needed to take care of residents is often overlooked as a critical element of a disaster plan, and it’s important to think about how that information will be accessed during an emergency situation. It could be a matter of life and death.Read on to learn some best practices your long-term care facility can use to prepare for disaster.Click here to read more. Read More »
Many continuing care organizations struggle with identifying potential staff members who have the necessary skills and will fit in with the organizational culture. Pre-employment behavioral assessments may provide a solution to combat retention issues. Read More »
Top leaders in healthcare policy discuss how to change the culture of dying to one driven by residents instead of physicians—and how to find more insurance models to pay for hospice and palliative care. Read More »
Two former senators and two former Housing and Urban Development secretaries are leading a one-year Bipartisan Policy Center effort to address issues at the intersection of senior housing and health. Read More »
While order and efficiency need to be maintained, can a facility become too heavy-handed when a resident is delayed by other circumstances? Read More »
