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ADVANCE for Long-Term Care Management welcomes you to Inside LTC: Blog and Forum Community from ADVANCE! Our blog community offers interactive blogs written by our editorial staff and experts in the field. Blogs will discuss issues related to the long-term care, current events and other fun & candid observations. We also look forward to hearing from you! We have provided a comment section so you can voice your opinions and submit feedback. To suggest a blog topic, e-mail Liz Rosto at erosto@merion.com.
LATEST POSTS FROM EACH BLOG
May 13, 2008 12:35 PM by Maureen Salera of ADVANCE Perspective: LTC

The Washington Post puts an interesting spin on an article about the decision to move into a retirement community. Instead of telling the story from the oft-used angle of those who work in the retirement living industry, the article is written by a 79-year-old woman who recently made the move from ...


 
May 13, 2008 12:23 PM by Carol Kleinman of Clinical Corner

I thought I would confess one of the strategies I employ in dealing with difficult-to-acquire capital items, something I call "creative accounting."  As all of my experience has been in behavioral health operations, it was always been clear to me that providing the best equipment for the mentally ill has never been a priority in most hospitals. 

In my last administrative position, the unit was old, ...


 
May 13, 2008 12:17 PM by Brian Garavaglia of Gerotalk

In the previous article, Problem Personalities can Lead to Workplace Turmoil, a few major personalities and their resultant issues were examined. This paper looks at personality problems, their behaviors, and how to address these issues in long-term care environments. However, before moving forth with this discussion, it must be stated that there are no full-proof ways that always work in addressing individuals ...

 
May 8, 2008 1:15 PM by Kelly Papa of Dementia Care Coaching

How do we get to the heart of learning about the people we care for?  How can we understand what their unique needs and struggles are?  How do we create training programs that make an impact on the care that we provide?  How do we learn from family members?

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a seminar given by my organization, the Alzheimer's Resource Center.  Our Chaplin, Irena, ...


 
April 29, 2008 1:21 PM by Carol Kleinman of Clinical Corner

When nurses begin to learn about the difference between cost for an item and the total cost for everything involved in supplying the item they are often upset to learn that there indeed may be a charge of $12 for a simple aspirin. Most see it as health care facilities having "marked up prices" when there are, in fact, the only way we can cover other costs associated with providing care for which we cannot ...

 
April 29, 2008 1:16 PM by Tony DeWitt of Legal Speak

This week I would like to take a moment to say hello to some people who do not know me or the local legal professionals where they work. These are the thousands of facility operators, managers, administrators, nurses and clinicians who operate nursing facilities that not only comply with the law, but go beyond the minimum standards imposed by the local state and federal regulations. They are the unsung heroes ...


 
April 29, 2008 12:58 PM by Brian Garavaglia of Gerotalk

We are all quite different, and all of us come to the workplace setting with different personalities.  Long-term care is no different. It brings individuals of different skills, education levels, temperaments, and in particular personality types to the organizational setting. Some individuals come in with a more introverted, placid personality, while others come to the milieu with a more extroverted, ...


 
April 22, 2008 10:31 AM by Liz Rosto of ADVANCE Perspective: LTC

Happy Earth Day 2008! As people all over the world are paying more attention to environmental issues, there are many things individuals can do close to home--even in long-term care facilities.

In our March-April issue, contributor Mike LePostollec wrote about incorporating elements of sustainable design into long-term care. Some of the most common sustainable features include:

  • improved insulation
  • solar ...

 
April 18, 2008 12:07 PM by Carol Kleinman of Clinical Corner

As I reflect upon the massive changes in health care in the last couple of decades, one of the most profound relates to our focus on length of stay and the ever-present need to reduce hospitals stays until they are so short I wonder sometimes how patients can be adequately treated in such short time frames. If we examine readmission rates, we find they have gone up and I wonder if they are proportional to the decreases ...

 
April 17, 2008 2:27 PM by Maureen Salera of ADVANCE Perspective: LTC

A recent article in the Washington Post explores how certain games and other activities can help family members form more meaningful connections with loved ones who have dementia.

Researchers conducted a study on 33 families, and found that satisfaction ...


 
April 15, 2008 10:29 AM by Tony DeWitt of Legal Speak

One recent trend among trial lawyers is to cross-examine witnesses on the stand with their association's code of ethics. The ANA has a very complete code of ethics, and it is doubtful that many nurses know it as well as they should. The problem with not knowing the code of ethics is that at some point every nurse has to make tough choices, and without a good basis in the ethics of the profession, that's hard ...

 
April 14, 2008 1:03 PM by Brian Garavaglia of Gerotalk

The importance of the team in long-term care cannot be overstated. No single individual has all the answers. For efficient management to exist, the importance of a functional team is needed. However, all too often, team building is viewed as something that just happens or that in some way mystically develops without any work needed by the participants. In reality, building a successful team is hard work. Furthermore, ...

1 comments  
April 14, 2008 12:58 PM by Carol Kleinman of Clinical Corner

What happens with Prospective Payment Systems (PPS) is that we are paid a flat rate for each Diagnostic Related Group (DRG), rates that were determined after extensive research into the cost of treatment for specific diagnoses. What the PPS system did was identify a huge number of diagnostic categories based on research that determined the average cost required for hospitals to treat patients with various diagnoses. The ...

 
April 14, 2008 12:53 PM by Carol Kleinman of Clinical Corner

One of my pet issues relates to the level of knowledge of nurse managers and administrators about financial operations. I even believe strongly in the importance of beginning to educate staff nurses in the fiscal realities of health care operations!  I think nurse managers must be clinically competent as they must supervise direct care staff, but it is equally important that they possess strong managerial ...


 
April 11, 2008 10:29 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie of ADVANCE Perspective: LTC

 

Last year, we ran a salary survey for a variety of long-term care professionals. Some of the results are highlighted below. Do these figures hold true for you? How has the economic downturn affected your salary?

Average Salary by Job Title

Administrator: $82,869

Asst. Administrator: $62,476

CEO: $115, 510

CFO: $108,333

COO: $156,500

Director ...


 
April 11, 2008 10:18 AM by Adkins-Ali Carrie of ADVANCE Perspective: LTC

 

I recently heard a comment that when the Clintons tried to reform health care, it had an unforseen negative impact on nursing. Hospitals, my source noted, were laying off nurses because they did not think they were going to have enough money to pay them because of the cuts. Many nurses left the profession and others decided against nursing careers.

How do you think the presidential candidates stated ...


 
April 3, 2008 11:26 AM by Tony DeWitt of Legal Speak

In a few weeks Advance for Respiratory Care Practitioners, the magazine that I started off with in 1988, will be celebrating its 20th year. This made me think back to the times in my life when I was a caregiver and the many different places I worked, including:

 

  • Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital, Hastings, NE
  • Kirksville Osteopathic Hospital, ...

 
April 3, 2008 10:44 AM by Brian Garavaglia of Gerotalk

Nursing home surveys are frequently anxiety provoking for the staff. Not many individuals welcome others coming into their facility with the intent to play close scrutiny to the environment. This is quite similar to individuals experiencing someone who comes into their home and walks ...


 
March 28, 2008 11:34 AM by Liz Rosto of ADVANCE Perspective: LTC

A recent report shows that the use of physical restraints in nursing homes has drastically declined in recent years as the federal government, states and the long-term care industry has placed greater emphasis on eliminating them.
 
How do you feel about this issue? Many people ...

 
March 27, 2008 1:21 PM by Tony DeWitt of Legal Speak

"Hey, Charlene, I wasted this Valium and forgot to have someone witness it. Sign here will you?" 

Sound familiar? Something you've done? You know Charlene and she's just the kind of person to forget to get a witness. So you sign it. And then you forget about it. Until the man with the badge asks you to step into the office and answer a few questions.

Most state disciplinary ...


 
March 20, 2008 1:22 PM by Carol Kleinman of Clinical Corner

Nursing leadership skills have changed dramatically in a health care environment so different from years past. Nursing management skills are required at all levels.even at the bedside.as nurses have become coordinators of care. Financial issues have come to the forefront for health care organizations and nurses ...


 
March 20, 2008 1:17 PM by Tony DeWitt of Legal Speak

"I just don't understand how someone can be a murderer, and a court can just let them out of jail on a technicality."

My friend who made that statement had seen media reports about a young woman whose murder conviction was overturned "on a technicality."

Like medical shows that demonstrate patients converting from asystole to sinus rhythm after defibrillation, the television media is often more interested ...


3 comments  
March 13, 2008 3:17 PM by Brian Garavaglia of Gerotalk

During this year, a year in which our country will elect a new President, health care has become an important part of the agenda. Liz Rosto in her post entitled Decision 08, writes about the issue of heath ...


 
March 12, 2008 12:53 PM by Liz Rosto of ADVANCE Perspective: LTC

Mark your calendars - National Nursing Home Week will be celebrated beginning Mother's Day, May 11, and continuing through May 17, 2008. This year's theme is "Love is Ageless."

National Nursing Home Week, established by AHCA in 1967, is an annual event that recognizes residents and caregivers. AHCA has produced a National Nursing Home Week kit consisting of an event planning guide, promotional products ...


3 comments  
March 11, 2008 3:01 PM by Maureen Salera of ADVANCE Perspective: LTC

 

A recent study suggests that antibiotics are overused in people dying of dementia and should be prescribed more carefully because of the increasing prevalence of drug-resistant superbugs, according to an article ...


 

ABOUT OUR BLOGS

The ADVANCE for Long-Term Care Management editorial staff will share their perspectives on the hottest issues in long-term care.

Dr. Carol S. Kleinman will offer a nurse's perspective on clinical issues in long-term care.

Dr. Brian Garavaglia will discuss contemporary issues in long-term care, ranging from clinical to operational topics.

A.L. "Tony" DeWitt blogs about important legal issues and protecting yourself from lawsuits.

Kelly Smith Papa, RN, MSN, will look at building a cultur