Why LTC managers must embrace new maintenance technology

Many modern long-term care facility managers are faced with a growing variety of responsibilities and challenges when it comes to maintenance.

Culture change can make a nursing home a better place to work

Friendly employees who naturally take a genuine interest in other people can do wonders for creating a warm and inviting culture. Interactions between guests and residents become less institutional and more friendly.

3 tips for handling mean nurses

If there's a situation between you and a mean nurse that's constantly affecting patient care and could yield negative patient outcomes, then you have an ethical obligation to address it. Otherwise, keep smiling, remain engaged with others, and support your fellow nurses.

How post-acute technology will give SNFS an advantage

By bridging the gap between acute and post-acute care, our platform enhances visibility into the care patients receive for improved outcomes.

There is a new CEO in town

Prioritizing engagement in a community means providing those whose job it is to lead those efforts with the time, tools, and budget they need to succeed.

How to get ready for a CMS emergency preparedness survey

Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are under pressure to demonstrate compliance with CMS emergency preparation requirements after major disasters highlight weaknesses.

Developing a better understanding of incontinence

Due to the sensitive nature of this condition, there is a high potential for sufferers to experience emotional and physical discomfort, along with stress brought on by the expense of managing incontinence for years, maybe even decades.

4 ways SNFs can redesign care and prepare for PDPM

With the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) set to take effect this October, skilled nursing facilities must change care delivery systems to maximize efficiencies and reimbursement. However, they must not compromise on patient outcomes.

Effectiveness of UVC disinfection in LTC: A solution to infection prevention challenges

Routine use of UV radiation devices to decrease the pathogens is possible.

Where is LTC headed? From hospital to home

Today, we're trying to curb healthcare costs and improve care outcomes — which will ultimately improve consumers' quality of life.

The PBJ quality quest

Not only is PBJ here to stay, the quest for staffing quality is ongoing - and no longer just an annual event during survey.

Can we talk? (Will you listen?)

Consistent communication aligns everyone's efforts, and provides insight into how each person's work contributes to the goals and priorities of your organization. But engaging communication must include candid, two-way communication between managers and employees, which means creating a dialogue, not just a monologue.

Shifting sands in long-term care

There has been a lot going on in the long-term care industry over the last five years or so. Change has been at a rate that has not been seen before.

Everyday pest threats to food safety

Pests aren't picky when it comes to what's on the menu. They're happy to eat and drink all the crumbs, spills and scraps that your dining area has to offer.

Hybrid learning for CNAs creates a win-win for hiring facilities, students and state regulators

To address today's needs as well as prepare for the many people who will soon need long-term care, we must look at other options.

Proactive ways to prevent improper pharmaceutical disposal

As the use of pharmaceuticals in long-term care facilities increases, so does the need for proper management of its waste. With the potential to cause harm for facilities, their residents and the environment, it is imperative that LTC owners and operators understand the current regulatory environment and best practices for pharmaceutical waste.

Team building is easier than you think

"Team building is the process of turning a group of individual employees into...a group of people organized to work together interdependently and cooperatively to meet the needs of their customers," according to TheBalance.com.

From athletes to residents, a journey of passion

Over the years I find myself gravitating towards writing about the the people that makes senior living communities tick.

How to centralize patient intake and create faster referrals

Recent data shows more than eight in 10 nursing home administrators don't electronically exchange information with referring hospitals, doctors or home health agencies.

Highlights from the 2018 Navigator Leadership Summit

Maximizing contracts alone can lead to savings of 5% to 10% in the healthcare industry.

Using machine learning to reduce waste in post-acute care

The increasing use of machine learning is changing the way health plans and provider systems manage hospital discharge and select PAC facility partners to provide skilled nursing facility, inpatient rehabilitation facility, long-term acute care hospitals and home health.

Addressing environmental infection risks in long-term care facilities

Between tightened regulatory requirements, increased public awareness of infection issues and an ever-growing body of research on infection prevention and control, the emphasis on HAI-prevention at the industry-wide and individual facility level is greater today than ever before.

The art of communication with those living with dementia

The need for routine screening for chronic kidney disease in the elderly

Chronic kidney disease refers to the loss of renal function over time. As CKD develops, the kidney's ability to filter waste and fluid declines, potentially leading to the buildup of fluid, electrolytes, and waste that, if left unchecked, can lead to end-stage renal disease and the need for dialysis or a transplant.

Are your residents getting the drug or the VIP treatment?

Most older adults in the United States would prefer to live in their own homes and communities as they age.

How mobile inspections minimize accidents

Senior citizens fall more often and experience greater risk from falls than the general population, and this must be taken into account when maintaining and repairing senior living spaces.

Financing to help Florida's SNFs meet power requirements

Do your employees have a clear line of sight to what matters most?

"I have a clear understanding of the goals and priorities of the organization." Would your employees agree with this statement?

Grow census through electronic referral management

As this competition rises, what are you doing to stand out from the crowd? How are you gaining a competitive edge when it comes to securing your place as preferred referral partner?

Critical steps to ensure adequate nutrition in the elderly cancer resident

Elderly patients face many challenges during their cancer care, and one of the biggest is maintaining good nutritional status.

Comfort pays big dividends in attracting talent, too

To improve communication with millennial workers, organizations have to do a better job of understanding their motivation.

Triclosan hand soaps banned in healthcare: What should LTC facilities do next?

With a manufacturing cut-off date quickly approaching for soaps containing triclosan, long-term care facilities currently using them may be unsure of what to do next. Here are three steps they should take.

Train your staff to cure your facility of pest problems

In the long-term care industry, impeccable sanitation and cleanliness must not only be expected, but also enforced.

Alarming trend in LTC: Overtime up 60% in 3 Years

A study of 2017 activity indicates that overtime in New England long-term care facilities has increased 60% in the last three years.

Hospital discharge decisions: Why choose your facility?

Public data brings transparency like a window does, but both often need help to make sense of what they make merely visible.

Reducing variability in post-acute care

It's surprising that the type and amount of post-acute care patients receive after discharge partly depends on which hospital provided their acute care.

Managing volunteers' liability and risk

Although volunteers are an incredible asset to senior care organizations, there are risks associated with having them onsite.

Caring for the bariatric resident

Navigating the tumultuous road of caring for bariatric residents is a challenge faced by many long-term care facilities today. Using the right equipment or technology on the right type of patient will help both the resident and the caregiver and affect the right clinical outcome.

How skilled nursing facilities are using virtual reality to enhance resident stays

The use of virtual reality can help improve the lives of seniors with mobility problems who require physical rehabilitation and for those residents who are unable to leave the facility.

Why technology — not medication — is the future of treating older adults with depression

With engagement technology and compassionate caregivers, older adults have an opportunity to improve their quality of care, socialize with friends and family members and mitigate the risks of depression without the use of medication.

Rethinking financing: better approaches for senior living access to capital

The senior living and care industry is experiencing a renaissance. As baby boomers begin to retire, they are redefining the expectations of aging in America.

Decrease infection transmission risk to increase engagement

Long-term care facility employees have a responsibility to ensure an optimal healthcare environment to enable resident recovery, respite or relief, and environmental cleanliness is crucial to confer a sense of safety and comfort for the residents. Environmental cleanliness is also crucial to long-term care worker retention.

Truly understanding the differences between palliative care and hospice

Not all long-term care professionals carry the same understanding of the issues.

Green roofs — beloved by residents and pests alike

From their social and emotional benefits to potential for credits toward Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) certification, green roofs remain a popular trend in healthcare buildings across the country. However, they also can increase pest pressures, which is a key concern for long-term care facilities.

How does your leadership team lead?

Consider this truism: Your facility outcomes will never outperform the effectiveness of how your leadership team leads.

The benefits of proactive maintenance versus reactive maintenance

Knowing the difference between proactive and reactive maintenance — and doing something about it — will save you resources and energy, increase the lifespan of your facility and its capital equipment. It will also bring more efficiency, reduced downtime/inconvenience and savings.

How virtual care technology can transform long-term care facilities

The use of virtual care technology can help address a forecasted severe workforce gap for long-term care operators by enabling offsite providers to deliver critical care in a more convenient manner to residents.

Elders find purpose through service and community commitment

Unfortunately, residents of care communities are rarely tapped to provide much-needed service. Perhaps we are too busy seeing the things that residents CANNOT do, and fail to see all that they CAN do!

Why it's important to maintain protein intake and muscle mass for your elderly oncology residents

It's well known that cancer patients are prone to losing weight during their treatment, but many people may not realize how weight loss that occurs prior to diagnosis can have a major impact on response to treatment.

Why elder caregivers should focus on hearing health

Many of the challenges seniors' caregivers face are the result of communication issues since 50% of people over age 75 have some degree of hearing loss. Hearing loss makes caregiving more challenging for the caregiver, the patient, the family, and other health professionals.

Why caregivers for seniors should focus on hearing health

Many of the challenges elders' caregivers face are the result of communication issues — 50% of individuals over age 75 have some degree of hearing loss.

Positioning yourself for career advancement and growth

Is it time to take the next step up in your professional life? If so, you may have to look critically at yourself before you look at the job boards.

Therapy is key in controlling pain and curtailing opioid use

Fortunately, there is an alternative to opioid use, but it is not considered as often as it should be. Physical therapists see a lot people with injuries or illnesses who are experiencing pain, so we speak from experience when we talk about alternate options.

Your CRM isn't enough: How a digital admissions platform can help

A customer relationship management (CRM) system is an integral part of the sales process in a successful senior living community. While it has a number of capabilities essential to managing the resident relationship, what happens to residents after the sale has been made?

Does your facility's customer service pass or fail? 5 ways to enhance your brand and reputation

If your staff fails at customer service and are not helpful or knowledgeable or are unpleasant, your brand and reputation could be badly damaged. Never has this been more true than in our current Facebook, Twitter and social media universe, where viral shaming is a very commonplace and all too real occurrence.

Why should I work for you?

Be prepared to answer the question in the headline in an employee-driven market.

Are you part of the 18%?

Only 18% of skilled nursing facilities have taken the next step to integrate their electronic health records with a regional or state health information exchange.

The real cost of a fall: Falling in America — myth vs. reality

With an aging population on the rise in the United States, a great deal of attention is appropriately given to fall-related injuries, fall prevention and fall protection.

How to make the resident move-in process as easy as possible

Moving is not fun. It's stressful and exhausting, and when everything is finally into your new place, you're left with a world of cardboard, furniture placement that needs adjusting, and an endless to-do list to make the place habitable, much less comfortable.

Workplace engagement crushers: 5 Easy Ways to undermine employee engagement

Without even knowing it, you could be indulging in one of the most common barriers to creating a culture that feels engaging to employees.

Top 7 takeaways from the AHCA Quality Summit

I just returned from the AHCA Quality Summit in New Orleans with remnants of powdered sugar in my hair from Café Du Monde — and a revived energy for my role in developing software for post-acute care providers.

Understanding the superbug problem

Although studies by the CDC have confirmed that the majority of superbug cases occur within the general community, unfortunately, an increased number of diagnosed superbug cases do occur in skilled nursing facilities and hospitals.

Being mindful of light bulbs in your community can produce noticeable savings

There are several ways that operators are driving down costs, but one avenue they're taking is to replace aging components with new technologies. And one simple and effective change is swapping out old light bulbs.

Why bother with bundled payments?

Provider organizations may be tempted to take the recent cue from Washington to retreat from bundled payments and value-based models more broadly, returning more squarely to the traditional fee-for-service model. That would be a mistake.

Skilled nursing facility 'haves' and 'have nots' — a financial journey

As a result of changing referral patterns, increasing regulations and myriad of other factors, the current financial environment poses a great threat to some skilled nursing facilities while creating opportunities for others.

The importance of zinc, especially for the elderly

One to three million serious infections occur every year in nursing home facilities. Infections include urinary tract infections, diarrheal diseases, antibiotic-resistant staph infections and many more.

Award fuels expansion of telemedicine

The project's goals were significant: to reduce hospitalizations by 16% and emergency department visits by 28%, resulting in an 8.25% reduction in total cost of care. Official results on these specific goals will be available at a later date.

The secret sauce for innovative thinking: Engaged employees

Yes, the fundamental secret sauce for success is incredibly engaged employees who feel an emotional connection and commitment to their work and to their organization

Best laundry practices to help prevent bed bugs and other pests

There are many areas within long-term care facilities that are at risk for pest infestation. In fact, many of the amenities and services offered to make patients and residents more comfortable are also havens for pests.

Taking the telemedicine leap

What skilled nursing facilities should consider as they search for telemedicine solutions

Improving our industry, one project at a time

The senior living industry is hungry for modernization and improvement. Creativity, innovation and relationships are the key to bringing down some hard-to-tackle issues innate to the present backdrop of senior living.

How to care for Vietnam veterans with unique needs

By identifying the unique needs of veterans coping with life-limiting illness, caregivers and administrators can guide these men and women toward a more peaceful ending.

Injury prevention is crucial to employee retention

Everyone in the senior living industry has heard it before: Medical advancements are leading to residents living longer now than ever before.

QAPI leads to lasting change

The good news is that QAPI isn't entirely new, even though the emphasis from CMS and the surveyors is different.

'HELP' is what end-of-life care needs

Hospice care and palliative care are two beneficial options that all patients have for end-of-life care. When a patient is best suited for end-of-life care, the first step is having a conversation with the dying patient, a sensitive act that can be very difficult for the patient and their families.

From MBA to CNA: The universal caregiver model

Imagine that you're working full time, and in the middle of a 24-month MBA program that requires monthly out-of-state travel, your CEO challenges you to join him in becoming a certified nurse assistant as well.

Getting real: Ego-free leadership

Leaders have an incredible opportunity to influence and strengthen employee engagement.

The importance of monitoring black box prescription drug use

Whether you're a nurse or the owner of a LTC center, you're certainly aware of the impact of prescription drugs on your clients.

How to develop a water management program

Since legionellosis is almost exclusively contracted via inhalation of the bacteria in droplets of water, fixtures that aerosolize water pose the highest risk.

Why your resident engagement metrics aren't working

A community cannot simply use a non-drug intervention and anticipate immediate results and a person-centered status.

An easy and inexpensive way to create a home environment

The decision to transition a family member into long-term care is never an easy one. It should be no surprise that one of the most important considerations is whether or not the residence matches the comforts and standards of living that the loved one is accustomed to.

Preventing Legionnaires' disease in LTC

It is not often that we think of Legionnaires' disease, the form of pneumonia brought on by inhaling aerosolized water containing L pneumophila bacteria. But when the illness rears its ugly head, the results can be disastrous for those exposed.

How training revitalized our aquatics program

When a facility invests in a high-end modality, on-going training and programming around this equipment is vital.

The demands of a rapidly growing senior population will drive 2018 industry changes

In addition to the significant financial and regulatory changes expected to affect senior living in 2018, Health Dimensions Group anticipates major shifts in the industry as operators meet the demands of a growing senior population.

C. difficile infection in long-term care facilities: A diagnostic challenge

Clostridium difficile infection is the leading cause of gastroenteritis-associated death and has become the most common cause of health care-associated infections in US hospitals.

Boosting morale through intergenerational engagement

A University of California San Francisco study found that 43 percent of older adults reported feeling lonely. The same study found that those adults had a greater risk of health decline or death, highlighting the critical link between loneliness and health.

2018 will bring significant financial and regulatory changes

There is no crystal ball to show what challenges and changes 2018 will bring to the post-care and senior care industry.

Home for the holidays

The holiday season is a festive time when we gather with family and friends to celebrate life, enjoy each other's company, and take stock of the year that's ending while looking ahead with optimism and anticipation to the year that's about to begin.

Software can make QAPI compliance a snap

Like so many other advances, the Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement mandate from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is both a blessing and a curse for nursing homes.

Are we asking ourselves the right questions about resident engagement?

As the CMS Rules of Participation continue to roll out, providers are required to promote resident agency in making their own daily decisions and to understand their unique so that a more person-centered perspective can be realized.

How can leaders engage employees? Lessons from "Field of Dreams"

Do you remember the movie Field of Dreams? I loved that movie! It had charm, mystery, sentimentality, and a real feel-good ending.

Palliative care improves outcomes for those with COPD

Almost 15.7 million Americans are diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a chronic respiratory illness with multiple disabling symptoms that impact quality of life.

Understanding tinnitus in residents

Roughly 20 million people struggle with chronic tinnitus, while 2 million have extreme and debilitating cases.

How an operational assessment can change your organization

A well-executed financial and operational assessment can change the culture of a facility from one of blame to one of cooperation, improve system and process efficiency, increase occupancy and reimbursements, decrease costs, and turn a surviving organization into a growing and thriving one.

Should I be looking for a new position in senior care?

You have been in your senior care executive director position in a well respected senior care company for a year or two.

Ensuring indoor therapy pools are a favorite destination

There are no substitutes for an indoor therapy pool's benefits of relaxing buoyant freedom of movement, soothing warmth and hydrostatic pressure pain relief. However, some therapy pool environments fall short.

3 simple steps to safe motorized wheelchair and scooter use

Most organizations recognize that access to motorized devices will improve the mobility of many of their residents, prolong their independence in some cases, and in general, improve their access to services and activities.

How to prepare for LTC's mobile future

Occupancy in skilled nursing facilities has been experiencing a downward trend as of late. According to a report by the National Investment Center for Senior Housing & Care, it might not just be a seasonal shift.