Nursing home tries its own version of Make a Wish to bring joy to residents' lives
Sometimes it can be difficult for nursing homes to tease out individual resident's wants and wishes. Even group activities may not hit the sweet spot.
92-year-old vet donates $1M to help further nursing home care
A Washington state assisted living resident is making a sizable donation to one university in the hopes of furthering the field of nursing home care.
Brothers, 95 and 97, reunited as roommates in Florida nursing home for vets
Years ago, as boys growing up in Connecticut, Walter and Jack Kaslikowski would sometimes share a room with their two other brothers. Now, nearly a century later, the two military veterans, 95 and 97, respectively, are roommates again in a Florida nursing home.
Delaware SNF for kids takes residents on 'most magical' journeys
This is not about an average trip to Disney World. It's going to require around 36 staffers, including two physicians and an FBI agent, and will probably cost about $170,000.
It's never too early for Christmas at Texas nursing homes
Jo Alch knows Christmas is still months and months away. But that isn't stopping the Dallas woman from bringing Santa Claus, and a little warmth and joy, to local nursing homes this summer.
CCRC happily reeling from $2.4 million gift from woman who never lived there
103-year-old E. Ruth Harris left a $2.4 million gift in her will to Evenglow, a continuing care retirement community in Pontiac, IL, and the real beauty of it is, neither she nor any family member ever lived there.
Resident gets her high school diploma at 92
It took 75 years, but Dorothy Leiss is now a high school graduate.
Casting lines of generosity
Ten seniors, along with support staff at Waveny LifeCare Network recently took a fishing trip, facilitated by Waveny's Facility Operations Coordinator Dontay Dempsey, to Norwalk's Calf Pasture Beach.
Nursing home employee saves resident's life
Authorities and others are hailing a nursing home employee for saving a resident's life after a fire broke out at a nursing home in Logan, UT, on Friday.
Nursing home goes for world bingo record
A Louisiana nursing home attempted to break the world record for longest continuous game of bingo last week, as a way to celebrate the Summer Solstice.
Seniors capture memories for seniors
School's out for summer, but Sarina Helmer and Arlene Schmid will always be able to look back on the time they spent together.
Hippos and tigers and giraffes, oh my!
Over the last year or so, activities director Randie Duretz has formed a fast friendship with Connie Stine, 69, and her animals.
Gone fishin' in a Utah parking lot
John Gibson had never been fishing, and at his age, getting to a river or out on the boat wouldn't be an easy outing.
Georgian finally spends a day with her head in the clouds
At 87, Grace Royal was ready to sign her life away. Forget the risks. She wanted her long-awaited hot air balloon ride above the rolling countryside of coastal Georgia.
He ate how many?! Wesley scores with chicken-wing chomping contest
How did you celebrate National Nursing Home Week? Frank Caruso Jr. ate 105 chicken wings — imagine 52½ chickens' worth — in one sitting.
Decorated walls and windows warm the soul at New York nursing homes
Upstate New York is known for its beautiful vistas, but inside some private rooms at Betsy Ross Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, residents were stuck staring at empty walls.
From Genesis to Revelation: Nursing home helps break Bible-reading record one book at a time
Virginia nursing home resident Nancy Macy had already read the Bible in its entirety three times, but she'd sent her well-worn King James home with family and thought she might not spend time with it again.
Officer Oliver Davis — age 6 — gets tough on nursing home residents for being 'too cute'
When Oliver Davis goes to visit his great-grandmother at Westchester Village of Lenexa, he comes bearing flowers — dozens and dozens of flowers.
Eight months post-hurricane, 20 uprooted residents — and 5 staff members — finally celebrate return to rebuilt nursing home
As Hurricane Harvey bore down on the Gulf Coast last August, 90 long-term care residents from Rockport, TX, boarded charter buses and ambulances to make a trek to safety in the city of Bee Cave.
This Music Man really delivers
Record delivery man Bob Knutson doesn't have any training in music or music therapy. For many years, he didn't even have an especially good ear for it, much less a passion.
Living the dream, thanks to team: Resident completes mother-son dance with help from nursing home staff
It's not unusual for nursing home staff to help a resident walk again.
Daring to dream with her team: Resident completes mother-son dance with help from nursing home staff
It's not unusual for nursing home staff to help a resident walk again. But when that resident has a rare neurodegenerative disease and wants badly not to just walk but to dance at her son's wedding, that's a goal requiring true teamwork.
Nursing and rehab center all hopped up over bunny's social media naming contest
Just before Easter, residents at Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center adopted a furry new friend, a 2-year-old "rescue" bunny blessed with beautiful, floppy ears — but no name.
Seniors rocking kindness
About 20 seniors at Chestnut Knoll Residential Care and Memory Care are planning to rock some strangers' lives, one lilac or Kelly green stone at a time.
Seeds from all over U.S. spring up at Kentucky nursing home
About 15 residents of Liberty Care and Rehabilitation in rural Casey County, Kentucky, have been busy prepping their two-year-old garden since early February, lettuce leaves and broccoli stalks already emerging from the soil by the first day of spring.
Double duty: CNA steps in to minister to dying resident and family during snowstorm
Roland Fernandes has been ministering to Christians for 35 years, but on a snowy day in upstate New York last week, he said a special prayer for a 91-year-old woman under his care.
Leading their own life: Marylanders with dementia
Remaining social can be a struggle for residents who are grappling with dementia, but one senior-care provider may have found a way to alleviate it.
Oh, baby! Dolls bring new life to nursing home
Volunteer Sandy Cambron did her best to rekindle parental love among dozens of memory-impaired residents at Kentucky's Park Terrace Health Campus — one lifelike baby doll at a time.
New vows, for better or worse
Seven couples at a Massachusetts nursing home renewed their vows during individual ceremonies last week, part of an annual effort to honor lasting love.
Refusing to grow up at Signature Healthcare
More than a dozen Signature Healthcare employees spent two days playing in Louisville last month, looking for new ways to turn some of their rural nursing homes into community centers for the arts.
'Super' event for seniors scores big: Village 99ers vs. Groundhogs
An Ohio senior-living community scored big with its residents last week, hosting a mock Super Bowl complete with locker-room pep talks, "tackling" and color commentary.
Radio station invites community to send seniors some love
It might not be a traditional match, but young professionals are flashing googly eyes at seniors in South Dakota in time for Valentine's Day — as are softball players, scrapbooking moms and businessmen from a five-state area.
Big Apple visitor gives Australian facility resident 'best' day of her life
A walk through the halls of her Australian nursing home turned into the best day of Berenice Benson's life when she found herself escorted by one of New York City's finest.
Naughty or nice, residents vow to make 2018 worth living
A fresh year means reason to celebrate for residents of the Los Angeles Jewish Home.
Restoring hope in Puerto Rico
Three months after Hurricane Maria, many of the workers who care for Puerto Rico's seniors still don't have power or running water at home. But day after day, they show up to care for long-term care and senior living residents who have nowhere else to go.
Clemson researchers tackle dementia with football memories
A program combining football history, game footage and memorabilia helps seniors near Clemson University face the hurdle of memory loss.
Blooming success: 1,000 poinsettias donated to nursing home residents
A local radio company sent volunteers and vans full of the iconic red flowers to residents who might otherwise go without holiday visitors.
Nursing home staff open their own homes to nuns fleeing wildfires
The nuns who inhabit the Carondelet Center in Brentwood, CA, typically enjoy their lush green lawn and views of the Santa Monica Mountains in the distance. But then severe wildfires threatened the nursing home, leading facility staff members to open their personal homes to evacuating nuns.
Provider gives nurses from hurricane-hit Puerto Rico a fresh start
A North Carolina skilled nursing provider has found a win-win solution for its staffing woes by offering jobs to nurses struggling to find work in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.
All-Korean SNF wing a trendy success
Officials at Lorien Columbia, a skilled nursing facility 20 miles outside of Baltimore, admit the idea of opening up a wing dedicated to Korean residents was "scary" at first.
Oh, the places they'll go: Provider gives residents the vacation of a lifetime
For many residents living in Signature HealthCARE's Hometown facilities, vacations weren't a regular part of pre-long-term care life. There were farms and families to be taken care of, after all. But one resident's request in 2011 changed all of that.
Door decoration program brings residents' stories, rooms to life
Residents of a Canadian nursing home are getting the chance to spruce up their rooms with large custom door decals depicting everything from their favorite landscape to the door of their church.
Vaudeville performers bring joy to dementia patients
A group of vaudeville performers is hitting the hospital and long-term care circuit to bring familiarity and fun to patients with dementia. The unique program was recently featured in the New York Times.
CCRC 'drafts' high school students to help fight staffing woes
Atlanta's Lenbrook community teamed up with national high school program Cristo Rey in 2015 to provide work opportunities for students, in exchange for helping pay their tuition.
Veteran student group delivers care packages, camaraderie to residents of veterans home
Nearly two dozen Clemson University students and employees delivered care packages to a nearby veterans nursing home on Saturday — and they brought something younger vets say their older counterparts don't get enough of: recognition.
High school students, facility reap benefits of vocational training program at SNF
It's not often that school buses drop off high school students at a nursing home, or that skilled nursing residents get to watch YouTube videos with young people while sharing stories from their past.
Football team surprises nursing home residents, escorts them to homecoming parade
For residents of Winner Regional Long-Term Care in Winner, SD, the local high school football team is a big deal. Many residents attended Winner High School and wear Winner Warriors gear on game days.
CEO answers hurricane-hit Puerto Rico nursing home's call for help with plane full of supplies
Last month an employee of a Puerto Rico nursing home appeared in an ABC News interview with a desperate request for anyone who was watching: Don't let our residents die.
Bingo! School girl, 9, raises big bucks for provider with game night
An elementary school student from Georgia recently held a game night at her church with a simple goal: To raise $300 for local nursing home residents. In the end, her efforts brought in more than four times that amount.
Irma couldn't wipe out provider's plans to package holiday cheer for homebound seniors
For 400 volunteers at MorseLife Health System in West Palm Beach, FL, nothing — not even Hurricane Irma — could get in the way of sharing the joy of the High Holidays with homebound Jewish seniors.
Dozens of motorcyclists salute veterans with parade to Michigan SNFs
The idea of a motorcycle ride to honor nursing home residents who served in the military first came to Colleen Goldman five years ago as a way to grant the wish of a dying resident.
Nursing home dedicates new relaxation room to former resident
A Connecticut nursing home is honoring one of its former residents with a remodeled room to give individuals with dementia a place to relax.
Denver man on mission to get SNF residents out in nature — via golf carts
The husband of a Colorado nursing home resident is on a quest to get her and her fellow residents off of their "12 by 12 patio" and out into nature via scenic golf cart rides.
Hark! These residents hath celebrated royally with Renaissance Faire
Residents of a New York rehabilitation center traveled back in time — waaaay back in time — last week at the facility's first-ever Renaissance Faire.
SNF honors employee's son involved in Navy ship collision
A North Carolina nursing home held a ceremony last week to honor the son of one of its employees, who was aboard a Navy warship in June when it collided with a cargo ship off the coast of Japan.
Nursing home residents feeling the love with recycled wedding flowers
Nursing home residents in New Jersey have been enjoying fresh flowers this summer that might have otherwise ended up in the garbage, if not for one local teacher.
No kidding around — IL nursing home adds goats to its resident roster
The newest residents at the Knox County Nursing Home in Knoxville, IL may butt heads from time to time, but that's to be expected — they're a pack of goats.
