| You might have had a little difficulty recognizing the magazine this month, with a title logo that looks nothing at all like the one under which we have published for many years. Yes, this is still Nursing Homes/Long Term Care Management-but the emphasis is now on the “Homes.” This is part of a new and refreshed look we plan to give the magazine over the next few months, both on the cover and throughout the magazine. It is not as though we are ashamed of our appearance or our title. Rather, it’s that we want to offer a fresher presentation, a fresh look to our usual content of wide-ranging, in-depth articles. It is only fair that we attempt this. After all, we always encourage our readers to keep up with the times and to pay close attention to their market’s evolving demand for more welcoming environments. Why shouldn’t we do the same? Which explains the new emphasis on “Homes” in our logo. One thing that recent years have taught us is that residents and their adult children are drawn to facility designs and resident care philosophies that emphasize the supports and comforts of “home.” Although today’s increasingly frail nursing home “residents” are usually “patients” as well, they truly remain residents. The same goes for aging-in-place occupants of assisted living. They all live in their facilities 24/7. Today’s generation of elderly and their adult children are seeking the amenities and (one hopes) warmly personal caregiving typically available at home. Those who shudder at the mention of nursing homes and vow never to enter one, no doubt have in mind the old, cold image of long, gray corridors lined with wheelchairs and Spartan, institutional living accommodations. I don’t think we need to belabor the point-everyone in the field knows that the faster we can move away from that image, the better. Nursing Homes/Long Term Care Management is, and has always been, about today’s-and tomorrow’s-long-term care residences, whether they be nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or continuing care communities. As we’ve encouraged them to be resident-friendly, we’ve tried to be reader-friendly, too. As 2004 commences, we plan to continue that process. We trust that our readers will understand: We’re only trying to keep up with them. NH |
