Long-term care communities learn to orient themselves to each resident's reality to create life-affirming activities, eliminating the one-siz-fits-all group therapy concept. Read More »
Everyone wants to be a star—even nursing facilities. It’s good for residents, families, staff and business to be on the top tiers of satisfaction. Although Medicare's Five-Star Rating System isn’t perfect and has its detractors, it has been effective, according to a recent study. Read More »
Advocates for seniors in Iowa want answers to how Medicaid money is spent. Meanwhile the Iowa Department of Human Resources isn’t ready to take a stand on disclosure. Read More »
A new payment proposal from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could impact the reimbursements for long-term care hospitals, post-acute care and rehab facilities. Read More »
Washington correspondent Bob Gatty shares his recent conversation with Mark Parkinson, AHCA president/CEO, on LTC's efforts to bring equitable solutions to Washington's challenges. Read More »
Thoughtful activities such as reading, writing and engaging in mind-stimulating activities provide more than a distraction from everyday life. An engaged mind can defend against dementia. Read More »
In the third installment of his "DIY Marketing" blog series, Luke Fannon explains how to use objectives, strategies and tactics to reach better business goals. Read More »
There’s a brand-new imaging test available to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, but it’s so expensive that CMS is limiting the Medicare coverage of the test to two circumstances. Read More »
Some residents are wise to wandering alarms and door monitors and they can be quite creative in their efforts to leave the facility unnoticed. Read More »
Recent data predicts the Total Shoulder Replacement market could nearly double by 2019. Can you provide the rehab all those short-term residents will need? Read More »
To paraphrase a Sonny and Cher hit…”The heat goes on and on and on” west of the Mississippi. Beating the heat isn’t easy and for seniors it’s a challenge to keep them comfortable—and safe. Read More »
The Obama administration changed course on July 2 on a key provision of the Affordable Care Act, when it announced a one-year delay in the ACA’s employer mandate requiring provision of health insurance to employees. Corporations had objected to the mandate, which will now take effect in January 2015. Read More »
While LGBT couples are celebrating the Supreme Court’s decision that they should receive the same rights and benefits as straight married couples, they might not be too happy with some of the financials. Read More »
Residents may think that breakfast eggs are part of a facility “shell” game because of inconsistency and the quality of egg product purchased. Read More »
As the Fair Labor Standards Act turns 75, a large segment of long-term care’s workforce is the subject of debate concerning minimum wage and overtime laws. Will federal efforts to provide minimum wage and overtime protection undermine a home health agency's core business? Read More »
Currently, only licensed SNFs are required to have sprinklers installed by August 2013. But the new proposed Fire Sprinkler Incentive of 2013 could involve assisted living sites, care homes and more. Read More »
Diuretics are common components in many medications used for hypertension, heart failure and renal disease. But overuse of diuretics can worsen the conditions they are meant to treat, warns a new study in JAMDA. Read More »
The Department of Health and Human Services launches a completely redesigned website ready to answer questions and assist in planning for this fall’s switch to the Health Insurance Marketplace (formerly Health Insurance Exchange). Read More »
Unless you’re an entomologist, a 10-year-old boy or a frog, very few people love spiders, ants and the other creepy-crawlies of summer. Imagine if you lacked the mobility to chase the insects away. Read More »
The 2013 update to the national action plan on dementia has added a gamut of initiatives to the plan, including new treatment guidelines, increased access to services and better education on the disease’s impacts on families and the healthcare system. Read More »
Putting pharmacists and primary care physicians on care teams can improve outcomes for long-stay residents in skilled nursing, according to a recent review of research from around the world. Read More »
The Texas nursing home’s evacuation plan was executed, residents were removed from harm’s way, but the facility experienced a spike in resident deaths. Why? Read More »
