Top Stories

Person-centered care at the end of life

Judah L. Ronch, PhD
The end of life is not just a waiting game. It’s a time to respect the wishes of the dying and to celebrate his or her life. Surveys of older people indicate that they are not afraid of death, but they are worried about dying.

Senior housing continues slow recovery

The seniors housing average occupancy rate has risen in seven consecutive quarters and is 1.1 percentage points above its cyclical low of 87.1 percent in 1Q10, according to NIC MAP.

Mild cognitive impairment common in elderly, Mayo Clinic finds

January 26, 2012    
news
The condition appears to affect men and those who only have a high school education more than women and those who have completed some higher education, the Mayo Clinic found.

3 steps to starting your own senior care internship program

January 26, 2012     Eric Holmes
article
An internship program is a great way to find qualified staff, raise resident morale, generate new ideas and give back to the community by helping college students. The key is fostering positive relationships with local colleges.

LTC mergers, acquisitions spike 39 percent in 2011

January 25, 2012    
news
Long-term care merger and acquisition activity rose 39 percent in 2011, while total dollar volume in spending rose to $16.3 billion.

5 reasons why you should run a senior care internship program

January 25, 2012     Eric Holmes
article
Find qualified staff, raise resident morale, generate new ideas, market your community relations, save money—it's a no-brainer, really. Just ask yourself: "Can we start an internship program of our own?"

Fighting falls takes a personal approach

January 24, 2012     Jo Walters, RNC, FACDONA
article
One of the ways to prevent falls is to know who your residents are and respond to them as individuals, discouraging behaviors that could lead to injury.

AHCA finds providers commit to quality in 2011 despite threat of cuts

January 24, 2012    
news
The industry is focused on reducing hospital readmissions and improving patient and staff satisfaction, AHCA/NCAL said. However, those goals may be in jeopardy with the likelihood of diminishing reimbursement.

Study: ER visits triple the risk of infection for nursing home residents

January 24, 2012    
news
For Canadian nursing home residents who visited an emergency department, there was a three-fold risk of contracting a respiratory or gastrointestinal infection.

Growth in for-profit nursing home jobs outpaces nonprofits, report finds

January 23, 2012    
news
For-profit nursing home providers experienced job growth by 2.3 percent from 2000 to 2010, while nonprofits experienced job growth by only 1.3 percent, the report found.

MedPAC targets Medicare payments to SNFs

January 23, 2012     Bob Gatty
article
With margins averaging 18.5 percent in 2010, MedPAC contends SNFs are making a killing on Medicare. Under the proposed rebasing plan, there would be a zero update in 2013, followed by an initial reduction of four percent in 2014.

J & J to pay $158 million to settle Texas Medicaid fraud case

January 23, 2012    
news
The drug maker was accused of providing state officials kickbacks in exchange for including its Risperdal antipsychotic drug on an approved list for Medicaid recipients.

Blogs

Music works magic for seniors

January 26, 2012     Sandra Hoban, Executive Editor
Not just for groups, music therapy using MP3 and iPod devices can enable playlist to be customized to the individual resident for a more meaningful experience

5 competencies of successful sales/marketing professionals

January 25, 2012     Luke Fannon
The simple truth is that successful sales and marketing professionals are made, not born. Here are the five areas of skill and knowledge your team members must have to be successful in healthcare sales and marketing.

Delivering a successful model of memory care

January 24, 2012     Patricia Sheehan
With 91 people on its wait list, the word has spread that Silverado San Juan Capistrano, Calif., is doing some very good things in its community. And, as its proponents maintain, getting Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t have to mean the end of living—for residents or their loved ones.

Reasons to remain a nursing home resident

January 23, 2012     Kathleen Mears
At 63 years old, I am not interested in moving back into the community. The anxiety I have from living on my own years ago is still present, and I do not want to go back to being that desperate to live independently.