Going hard-edged

At Long-Term Living we’ve always prided ourselves on our topicality. Our articles are always pegged to the immediate administrative needs of our readers in line with current developments and changes in their environment. Fact is, though, we’ve had an ongoing news operation for about a year now. You can read the news every day on our Web site at https://www.iadvanceseniorcare.com. And every week we put out an online newsletter.

In view of these new and well-received capabilities, we recently had a brainstorm: Why not put this to use in the magazine itself? We’re not talking about “monthly news,” which is an oxymoron. We’re talking about focusing on the items each month that have the most long-lasting implications for our readers—not “man bites dog” but more like “why are dogs biting, and how can you protect yourself?”

In coming issues you will see a new department called “Quick Hits” focusing on just those items—the developments of recent days and weeks that are likely to directly impact your operations in the foreseeable future. This, we hope, will help you keep in touch with trends you should be aware of. Meanwhile, we will continue offering the expert-authored articles that are our trademark. In sum, we will give you a meaningful taste of the news and continuing guidance on what to do about it.

These are tough times for long-term care, with reimbursement questionable and pressure for quality unrelenting. This is not totally new to our readers, of course—they’ve always been challenged by tight money and tough, demanding markets. If any occupational group is trained and well-prepared to handle today’s economic challenges, it’s this group. But they need more than ever to stay alert to new threats and problems, and to focus on problem-solving with laser intensity. Long-Term Living plans to stand by your side in helping you cope, just as we always have—only more so.

Richard L. Peck, Editor-in-Chief

To send your comments to the editors, e-mail peck0209@iadvanceseniorcare.com.

Long-Term Living 2009 February;58(2):6

Richard Peck

Richard L. Peck was editor in chief of I Advance Senior Care / Long-Term Living for 18 years. For eight years previous to that, he served as editor of the clinical magazine Geriatrics. He has written extensively on developments in the field of senior care and housing.