Senior Services

Aligning benefits for dual eligibles

Directed by provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the new health reform law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a Read More »

Are facility beauty salons going to fade like a bad color job?

For years women visited the beauty salon weekly for a wash and a set. This ritual involved not only beautification but a head massage and Read More »

Smoking update: Three approaches

Bogey did it. Bette Davis did it. James Dean did it. Soldiers in foxholes did it. In the 1920s, ″30s and for the greater part of the 20th century, Read More »

My Top 10 Movements in Long-Term Care

Long-term care (LTC) does not lack for crusaders. Although the progressive forces in this field are little known to the general public, which tends Read More »

Service drives transportation at The Peaks

Drivers Bill Och (left) and Dave Bramer keep The Peaks' vehicles in good condition while juggling the demands of busy schedules and dependent Read More »

Online tool helps seniors determine dementia risk

Attention to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia issues has ratcheted up significantly in recent months. Whether it’s a result of effective lobbying by Read More »

My dining experience

Resident behaviors Upon first moving into a long-term care facility, I felt I had entered The Twilight Zone. The environment was noisy and the Read More »

Easing the cost-of-living burden

Max Schaffer is quick to tell you that he served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II for exactly 4 years, 8 months, and 11 days. His Read More »

Paying for senior living: The nontraditional way

In a demanding economic environment, many providers want the payment process to their communities as easy to make as possible. When adult children Read More »

Busy buses mean extra cash

Offering transportation services to your resident population is a great amenity. However, vehicles are costly to purchase, maintain, and operate. Read More »

Turning seniors into online globetrotters

Elders on a safari? Yes, 10 elders from Pine Grove Nursing Home, affiliated with Pinecrest Medical Center, Powers, Michigan, are on a safari. Read More »

Facility eye care

Several years ago, I saw the visiting eye doctor at this nursing home for examinations and prescriptions. I never liked the styles of frames Read More »

Providing Internet access without going into the Internet business

It's not news that older Americans are using the Internet in unprecedented numbers, but recent statistics are striking. A June 2008 survey conducted Read More »

New claim speeds Aid and Attendance pensions

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Aid and Attendance pensions are non-service-connected pensions, which are for veterans whose disability or Read More »

Implementing, refining acuity-based staffing

*Editor’s note: Doug Fullaway, president and COO of Vigilan, provides part two of his analysis on staffing methods in assisted living. Click here to Read More »

Developing a therapeutic recreation dementia program

At a glance… Through dedicated staff training, assembling these “pieces of the puzzle” yielded many facility-wide benefits. Village Nursing Home Read More »

The ‘other’ activity workers

After living here for a few months, I discovered we had some wonderful volunteers. A retired gentleman came every other weekday to read parts of Read More »

And the best shrimp peeler is…

Food entertainment is becoming “center of the plate” for many senior living communities. From exhibition culinary displays to healthy eating advice Read More »

‘Use it or lose it’: The importance of ‘brain exercise’

Recent discoveries about the health of active brains have many implications for people as they age. We now know that the mind, like the body's Read More »

Serving diverse populations

The call to Jamaica, New York-based Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center comes from an excited father.   “I have a new baby boy!” the Read More »

Culture change in action

At a glance… Isabella Geriatric Center, New York, has found that by stating its values, involving everyone in the process, and tackling issues that Read More »

Navigating the Marketing Maze

The senior care marketplace is booming, and so is the demand for products and services relating to the care of older Americans. Like a modern-day Read More »

Intergenerational Vacation Bible School

An intergenerational Vacation Bible School program is a way to bridge the past with the future. The children of today are the doctors, nurses, Read More »

“Settling in” team transitions smooth moves at La Posada

La Posada took on this task by creating a settling in team to facilitate the large move in a timely and organized manner. Team members visited each Read More »

Cyber Cafe bridges cultures, technology

The prevailing idea about adult learning is that adults will learn what is immediately relevant to them and/or helps them solve problems.1 At St. Read More »

Revitalizing cities with senior-oriented communities

It was a wide-ranging discussion at the Environments for Aging Conference in March—a couple dozen architects, planners, senior service providers, Read More »

An urban high-rise makes green dollars and sense

At first glance you wouldn't take the building to be: (1) a senior living community or (2) an exemplar of “green” construction. The building, a Read More »

Holistic Wellness

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association supports research that indicates adults over the age of 60 who had high levels of Read More »

Celebrating Jewish culture

The culture change movement has spurred activity professionals nationwide to seek a deeper understanding of the culture of residents they work with. Read More »

Changing paradigm: What is wellness?

One of the leading experts in environments for seniors that promote wellness is Cornelia C. Hodgson, partner in charge of architectural firm Dorsky Read More »