Residents can empathize with fellow residents' challenges even as they strive to cope with and overcome their own physical, emotional and/or behavioral challenges. Read More »
Surveillance cameras don’t always provide the proof a resident’s family was expecting—sometimes it is worse. Kathleen Mears offers a resident's view on this monitoring technology. Read More »
A documentary, a foundation and training materials for caregivers are arising from one man's wish to share "the gnarly truth" about dementia, and the filmmakers and family members who took up the challenge. Read More »
Facility transfers can be traumatic for a resident, especially if he or she is not included in the process. It can be upsetting to have to acclimate to an entirely new environment full of strangers and leave familiarity behind. Read More »
Coverage of Long-Term Living's 2014 OPTIMA Award winner—including the main article, companion articles, photos, video and a blog—are gathered here for your convenience. Read More »
Keeping reading skills honed helps those with dementia stay focused throughout the day. Benchmark Senior Living, the 2014 winner of Long-Term Living's OPTIMA Award, uses hundreds of reading booklets to keep residents' minds engaged in learning new things. Read More »
Social interactions, exercise, music, dance, jokes and foods all can have a lasting emotional effect on quality of life and subjective well-being for residents with dementia, new research confirms. Read More »
This year’s winner of the Long-Term Living OPTIMA Award, Benchmark Senior Living, has taken dementia care programming far beyond reminiscing, brain-games and once-a-day-activities. Here's the story of how its award-winning programming got started, and how the lives of residents can be changed when engagement happens all day long instead of just during "activity hour." Read More »
Watching television programs on a big-screen TV gives residents an opportunity to share and socialize. But what happens when the set goes on the blink? Read More »
The majority of the professional associations representing long-term care say they support the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care’s goal of continuing to reduce the off-label use of antipsychotic medications in long-stay nursing home residents, although some say more action is needed. Read More »
Living on a budget is hard for anyone. It takes discipline. Imagine if you had less than $100 a month to meet your needs, let alone your wants. Read More »
Prioritizing comfort in the care of residents with advanced dementia enabled one nursing home to reap many rewards for residents and their families, the community and staff members. Its innovative model was detailed in a Sept. 8 workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine. Read More »
One assisted living community supplemented existing communication efforts by using a web platform to relay everyday interactions to residents' family members. In this way, the community strengthened ties and also improved marketing efforts. Read More »
“The Magic of Music,” notably its positive effects on those with dementia, will be highlighted during National Assisted Living Week, which will be celebrated Sept. 7 to 13. Read More »
A recent study in the United Kingdom finds that a lack of MK2/3, a naturally occurring protein, can be linked to the early signs of dementia. Read More »
Has your community ever hosted a marriage ceremony? One memory care center did, so that a father could participate in his daughter's celebration. At another, a bride stopped by on the way to her wedding so that the residents for whom she cared could see her gown. Read More »
The challenges of social media can extend beyond the actions of a long-term care community and its employees to the actions of residents' family members, as a recent lawsuit points out. Read More »
What’s for dinner? Are you planning and serving residents meals that are in line with the new dining standards? A new toolkit helps to implement these requirements. Read More »
When a problem is identified, QAPI Step 11 shows how to perform a root cause analysis so an effective remedy can be implemented to prevent future events and keep residents safe from harm. Read More »
The National Certification Board for Alzheimer Care will use responses to set benchmarks, inform its certification exams and assist policymakers. Read More »
Lawmakers push the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to ease long-term care (LTC) red tape for military vets to obtain healthcare services. But what are the prospects for accessibility to LTC services? Read More »
Making use of newer guidance and data from the government, as well as improving communication with other entities and perfecting a person-centered approach to care, should be priorities for clinical and operational leaders in long-term care, according to the executive director of an educational foundation and consultancy. Read More »
A $1.2 million federal grant will help researchers assess the usefulness of health monitoring technology for people who have Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, and their family caregivers. Read More »
Appetites change, and dietary requirements might need adjustment, but meals always should be appetizing and healthful. A little creativity in the kitchen also is a plus. Read More »
