On August 13, 2008, CMS published a final rule requiring all long-term care facilities to have automatic sprinkler systems installed throughout the facility. The deadline for compliance with the new regulatory requirement is August 13, 2013. On February 7, CMS issued a proposed rule that would extend the August 13, 2013 deadline. Read More »
Harnessing the energy of interior spaces can change an institutional building into a home. An interior designer takes a look at the power of light, variety and focus points to create peace and comfort within the care environment. Read More »
As the long-term care industry takes on more business in short-term rehabilitation and new expectations from the baby boomer generation, many facilities are finding themselves forced to renovate their buildings and their operations to keep up with the market changes. Read More »
The tragic events surrounding the deadly nightclub fire that happened over the weekend in Brazil should remind occupancies of all types to focus on fire safety every day of the year. Read More »
An out-of-order elevator can not only be inconvenient, but it can also present a safety hazard, as one Canadian long-term care facility recently learned. Read More »
Each year, hundreds of people die in fires caused by heating equipment, including portable space heaters, according to the National Fire Protection Association. While prohibited in smoke compartments where residents are present in skilled nursing facilities, portable electric space heaters continue to find their way into LTC facilities of all types. Read More »
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is paying apartment owners in nine states to convert their buildings to assisted living units. Read More »
We’ve got high-tech flooring sensors, in-room monitors for falls management and remote home monitoring.. . but wait—did we forget to redesign the stairs? Today's IOM meeting in Washington, D.C., provides a backdrop for good discussions on technology, health space design and mission. Read More »
Long-term Living’s coverage from today’s "Public Workshop on Fostering Independence and Healthy Aging through Technology" in Washington, D.C.: Senior services leaders present the issues of “assistance technology” to keep seniors mobile and independent. Read More »
Flu season demands greater attention to cleaning. “High-touch” surfaces require particularly close attention. Daily housekeeping in LTC facilities should include not only obvious reservoirs of micro-organisms such bathrooms and linens, but all horizontal and high-touch surfaces outside resident rooms and other care areas. Read More »
A good percentage of disaster management is “getting your ducks in a row.” Most of this involves establishing appropriate relationships that may be premised on contacts, formalized agreements and memorandums of understanding with vendors of essential services and other facilities that may be needed to provide evacuation and relocation assistance during the disaster recovery phase. Read More »
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today declared a public health emergency for New York City. This declaration allows HHS to waive or modify certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements. Read More »
The danger of complacency and not performing the necessary “due diligence” as it relates to the installation and maintenance of your facility’s generator(s) and emergency power systems can lead to catastrophic failures. Here are five tips to help ensure that your emergency power system performs to its maximum potential at all times. Read More »
I have lived in two nursing homes for over 16 years and at both facilities housekeepers still use dust mops, brooms and string mops to clean. I guess these tools can do an adequate job. But they can make messes and cannot easily clean up something quickly. Read More »
A full moon, high tides and colliding storm systems are conspiring to create a “perfect storm” that will bear down on the East Coast next week. Long-term care facilities should initiate their disaster plans now. Read More »
A facility laundry incurs many expenses--labor, equipment, energy and more--that factor into the costs of operation. Investing in new equipment and attention to detail can pay off. Read More »
With more Americans considering staying at home in their elder years instead of moving to a retirement community, many senior living providers are experimenting with alternative service models, including innovative programming and service partnerships. Read More »
Planning for an emergency at your LTC facility must start at home so your organization can help protect one of its most valuable resources--employees and their families. Read More »
There are many ways to bring food to the table. Family-style dining encourages socialization, better nutritional intake and an improved quality of life for residents. Get staff on board to make this mealtime method a success. Read More »
A nursing home in one New Orleans parish chose to ride out Hurricane Isaac, but the facility is now flagged for evacuation as storm surge exceeds the nearby levees, flooding the neighborhood. Read More »
A facility’s infection control program should start from the bottom, the top and sides. Housekeeping and maintenance departments are key players in infection control. Read More »
Ryan Frederick, founder and principal of Point Forward Solutions, shares with Long-Term Living magazine his strategies for transitioning senior living facilities into the spaces consumers will want tomorrow. Read More »
When operational changes occur, it is critical to review and update your community’s emergency plans to help ensure that the changes have been incorporated into these essential documents. Read More »
Bed bugs have made a comeback. The public recently learned that these critters were checking into hotels and motels. It's not just a regional problem any more. Bed bugs have reportedly been spotted in long-term care facilities too. The good news is that there are ways to turn away these unwanted guests. Read More »
Many of our LTC residents are eating meals while sitting in their wheelchairs. How much do we "institutionalize" our residents by passively convincing them that sitting in the wheelchair in the dining room "is easier for everyone"? Time after time, we realize that our processes and philosophies have to be revisited and reiterated constantly. Read More »
Three-week-old strike by unionized Connecticut nursing home workers continues. SNF operator alleges sabotage and vandalism by strikers. Company attorneys' seek criminal investigation by state authorities. Read More »
Renovating existing facilities entails much more than a new coat of paint. Miles Girouard and Amy Ruedinger, RN, discuss the strategies involved in upgrading the physical environment and the care culture at the same time. Read More »
GPO membership gives facilities a boost to their bottom lines as two GPO executives explain. From office supplies to clinical products to furniture and more, GPOs are the best deal in town. Read More »
Food shortages, squalor, leaky roofs and broken air conditioners were the standard, not the exceptional, conditions in three Atlanta-area nursing facilities. Former owner convicted of Medicare/Medicaid fraud. Read More »
