It was another day of treating low level patients for high minutes. This really makes me miss one of my old supervisors who stood his ground against management, allowing the therapy team to determine minutes. Completing nearly an hour of treatment with a person who is either barely responsive or has severe memory deficits is a challenge, ...

  So at work this week one of my schedules had five patients on it. Four of these were in the facilities locked unit, meaning their major diagnosis was Alzheimer's or dementia. Three of the four refused to do any therapy without a lot of coaxing and encouragement. Spending the time to talk them into doing any therapy wasted so much time ...

  How do things go in your LTC building when the state survey team walks in the door for their annual visit? I tend to find that projects get started, more staff is visible, and the pace picks up.   Of course the home is aware of when the survey will happen, which I believe is a three month window. In many places I've worked it ...

 At work today another staff member cautioned me to wash my hands often, as there seemed to be a bug in the building. Back in school I remember the importance that was stressed with proper hand washing techniques, before and after treatment with each patient, before and after eating, and after any ADL's. As a teacher I remember teaching the ...

  How big is your rehab gym? Is it big enough to hold all the walkers, wheelchairs, parallel bars and other equipment needed in the gym? Are you able to comfortably seat 20% of the therapy caseload in the gym at the same time without having to jump over objects or step on toes?   Over the years I have found that the size of the gym ...

  You might have seen this in the news, but the presidents federal Health Care Fraud and Abuse Program are hard at work uncovering scams in the system. In 2012 alone they were able to recover $4.2 billion from both companies and individuals who were trying to cheat the system. This was the highest three year total recovered since the ...

  One grief I face daily is seeing the equipment at many long term care facilities. Most of it is in some state of disrepair all the way to barely useable. Supplies of basic items such as tissues, sanitizers and pens are usually minimal.   Wheelchairs are one of the items I see daily that need repair. Worn seat covers, torn ...

  Just the other day I was talking with one of the nurses I work with, and we got into a discussion of wasted dollars in healthcare. One of the patients was upset because for three days in a row the lab nurse came to draw blood. Another patient was mad because they were being sent out to the hospital for a routine procedure that could have ...

  As I've always said, productivity standards can jeopardize our ethical obligation. Trying to maintain productivity on a consistent basis is a tough task, especially with most employers requiring 85% or better. However, faced with the threat of losing your job can easily tempt us to alter the minutes we ...

  The baby boom generation, those born between 1946 and 1964, started reaching retirement age last January. As you may know, this is the generation born following World War II as the soldiers returned home and began families. For the next 28 years an average of  8,000 boomers will turn 65 daily, and I wonder what impact will that have ...