Month: May 2007

Appreciating your ‘invisible’ staff

Largely missing from the array of “employee appreciation” articles we usually see are two groups of nursing facility staff who rarely receive the Read More »

DON Daphne Wall: ‘Your place in the sun’

In our facility we hold great appreciation for our retiring director of nursing, Daphne Wall. Read More »

Listening takes practice

Juggling multiple priorities, untangling scheduling conflicts, attending to resident care issues—all in a day's work for you. These activities Read More »

Broadening the Business: How One Facility Operator Knocked Down His Walls

In 2005, D. Keith Perry was facing a dilemma that afflicts many long-term care providers: “Our two campuses were anchored by nursing homes that were Read More »

Public—and student—access to the real world

On the northeastern tip of Long Island, two institutions—a nursing home and a high school—have collaborated to produce television shows that benefit the greater community and give students valuable hands-on training. Read More »

Culture change: Its lapses, anomalies—and achievements

Culture change” was not born, nor was it founded. Rather, it emerged out of the experiences of long-term care (LTC) devotees and enthusiasts. Read More »

Keeping nighttime fright away

Every care community administrator knows that nighttime can be a frightening time for some seniors. When the sun goes down, physical and Read More »

Assisted living also has a future

Two months ago, I penned a column called “The Future Is Now.” In it, I painted a challenging environment for nursing homes, one that would clearly Read More »

How building a unique culture improves profitability

No operator would argue that it only takes a nice building to provide the best for one's residents. It takes a unique culture that is truly lived by the CEO and other top executives, and successfully adopted by all members of the organization. Read More »

Product Spotlight

Fashionable Spill Garment The Dining Dickie™, available from JaneMarie Designs, is a reversible garment made to look like a blouse or a shirt, Read More »

The family business

Recently I received a newsletter from Welch Healthcare and Retirement Group, of Norwell, Massachusetts, called “The Welch Connection,” announcing Read More »

Protect your residents from pests with sanitation

Piling trash close to the building exterior can attract pests and encourage them to go inside. Photos courtesy of Orkin, Inc. Caring for your Read More »

Survey success depends on knowing recent SOM revisions

Survey survival” within the January 2007 revisions of the State Operations Manual (SOM) will most often require substantial policy, procedural, and Read More »

LTC Mall

Fast, Effective Equipment Washer Medco Equipment, Inc.'s multipurpose portable equipment washer provides dramatic bacteria reduction. Independent Read More »

Getting fuel costs under control

Transportation is a vital asset in the marketing of senior living and care environments. Regardless of the lev-el of care across the continuum, Read More »

Focus on Transportation

Wheelchair-Accessible Minivan Atlantic Turtle Top's wheelchair-accessible mini-van doesn't look like an institutional vehicle. Small groups can ride Read More »

Measuring resident satisfaction more accurately: Two approaches

Afew years ago, the handful of researchers immersed in the topic were lamenting the lack of interest by policy makers in examining nursing home Read More »

Reimbursement realities: A shaky business environment

Reimbursement methods—whether through Medicare, Medicaid, or private pay—have inherent consequences for business operations. How effective are these Read More »

A long-term care facility attacks UTI prevalence

Infection control is one of four quality measures that state regulators assess on annual review surveys in long-term care (LTC) facilities in Read More »

Yes, there is a difference

When the Democrats won control of Congress in last year's elections, there were a variety of predictions about whether the institution would operate Read More »

Namaste: Honoring the spirit within

Joyce Simard (right) strokes the hair of Gladys Carme Matthew is gone. He's passed away from Alzheimer's disease. But Matthew, a resident at a Read More »

Our MOMS Club for all generations

Edith Namenson chats with Monique Grew, 4, while the MOMS Club of Sharon visits residents at EPOCH Senior Healthcare and Rehabilitation of Sharon. Read More »