Futures Fellows at PALTC24
Participants at this years Futures Program at PALTC24 enjoyed a stimulating program full of talks, career coaching, and networking. Our managing editor stopped in to take a few photos of their experience. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - April 1, 2024 Category: Health Management Tags: FUTURES FELLOWS SPOTLIGHT Source Type: news

Promoting Nursing Home Success: A Business Model Supporting Frontline Staff Retention and Resident Outcomes
Since the pandemic, employment stabilization has been an ongoing issue. Post-acute and long-term care communities, including skilled nursing facilities, are lagging behind other fields in returning to pre-COVID staffing levels (I. Telesford et al., “What Are the Recent Trends in Health Sector Employment?” Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, Dec. 13, 2023, https://bit.ly/42hH708). Staffing challenges have a direct impact on resident care, staff morale, regulatory compliance, and operational success. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - April 1, 2024 Category: Health Management Authors: Beth Hercher, Alyssa Pischel Source Type: news

It ’s Personal: On Gaining an Inclusive Consciousness and Becoming an Ally
In retirement (after I caught up on sleep) my brain was ready for some non-medical activation, so I joined my college ’s online book club. The first book we read was Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (Random House, 2020). Caste likens racism in the United States to the caste system in India, as well as Hitler’s antisemitism in Germany. I learned that Hitler’s bureaucrats were inspired by our own country’s Jim Crow laws in developing their anti-Jewish policies. The main point of Caste is that “otherism” — the act of declaring one group of people as better than or less than another group...
Source: Caring for the Ages - April 1, 2024 Category: Health Management Authors: Cheryl Huckins Tags: DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION Source Type: news

No Fear of Heights: Ladders and Lattices for CNAs
Senior contributor Joanne Kaldy talks to Claire Enright, executive director, Quality Care Health Foundation, and Lori Porter, CEO and cofounder of the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA) about advice they have for those looking to expand their career. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - April 1, 2024 Category: Health Management Source Type: news

Goals-of-Care Discussions: Is Your Team Conversation Ready?
Having meaningful goals-of-care discussions is vital for delivering person-centered care that aligns with each individual ’s unique goals, preferences, and priorities. These conversations can be difficult, and staff don’t always feel empowered or competent when talking with patients or health care surrogates about life-sustaining treatments. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - April 1, 2024 Category: Health Management Authors: Carolyn Kazdan Source Type: news

Clostridioides difficile: New Insights on Management in the Older Patient
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated infective diarrhea in the United States. According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) clinical practice guidelines, antibiotics are the standard-of-care treatment for CDI (Clin Infect Dis 2018;66:e1 –e48); however, 20% to 35% of patients who initially respond to antibiotics experience recurrent CDI, and up to 60% of these individuals experience additional recurrences (Clin Infect Dis 2012;55(Suppl 2):S154–61; Can J Hosp Pharm 2013;66(6):361–8). (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - April 1, 2024 Category: Health Management Authors: James E. Lett, Cirle A. Warren, Glenn Tillotson Source Type: news

Recognizing Excellence Takes Center Stage
Post-acute and long-term care practitioners often wear many hats, and they keep their heads down and their eyes on the goal of the best possible care and quality of life for their patients. Those around them are equally busy, so there is little time for accolades. When theFoundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine started its awards program years ago, it was designed to recognize both the visionaries whom the awards were named after and the members of AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine who are paving their own way in PALTC medicine. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - April 1, 2024 Category: Health Management Source Type: news

Identifying New Funding Opportunities: How One Society Chapter Weathered the Pandemic
A typical chapter of AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine relies on membership dues and state conference revenue to maintain its level of services. But, as we all know, there are risk factors that we often cannot control. From estimating the number of exhibitors or attendees, the amount of sponsors hip income, or the impact of a deficit, the best hedge against these risks is to diversify your income streams so that in those years when the financial results are less than expected, the chapter has sufficient cash reserves to cushion the impact. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - February 27, 2024 Category: Health Management Authors: Ian Cordes Tags: AMDA in The States Source Type: news

American Assisted Living Nurses Association: The Best Hidden Resource for Assisted Living Nurses
As the demand for assisted living communities continues to rise, so does the need for competent and skilled nursing professionals to care for the older adult population residing in these communities. The American Assisted Living Nurses Association (AALNA) is a professional nursing association dedicated to promoting safe, effective, and dignified nursing practice in assisted living settings. With over one million older adults currently residing in assisted living communities, AALNA plays a crucial role in ensuring the well-being of these individuals and maintaining the highest standards of nursing care. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - February 27, 2024 Category: Health Management Authors: Mandy K. Curtis Tags: Partner Perspective Source Type: news

Reflecting on Death and Grief in the Nursing Home
When the first resident I ’d cared for at the nursing home died, I was overwhelmed with sadness. I was unsure what to do or what would happen next. Should I call her family to offer my condolences? I had only known Mrs. G and her family for three months, yet I had felt connected to them. During the frequent visits needed f or various medical complications, we talked about her long life, her children and grandchildren, and her previous stint on hospice after her first stroke a few years back. I had watched her gracefully break up an argument between other residents and persevere through the communication challenges tha t ...
Source: Caring for the Ages - February 27, 2024 Category: Health Management Authors: Collin Burks Source Type: news

Honoring Women Living in Long-Term Care
Working in long-term care (LTC), I have had the privilege of interacting with and caring for numerous extraordinary women. Today, one of my residents told me she is publishing a word-search for chronic diseases to help other residents who experience boredom or loneliness in LTC. Another resident with whom I discuss the new respiratory syncytial virus vaccine recounts her work as a public health nurse during the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome pandemic. Thes remarkable residents are just two examples of women in LTC who deserve a tribute. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - February 27, 2024 Category: Health Management Authors: Elena Cabb Tags: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Source Type: news

Don ’t Miss These Events
MARCH 9-11, 2024 (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - February 27, 2024 Category: Health Management Source Type: news

In the Thick of It: How to Survive as a Caregiver of an Aging Relative
I am in the thick of it now, and honestly, I don ’t know how I am surviving. But the sun continues to rise every day and with it, brings new challenges and new responsibilities. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - February 27, 2024 Category: Health Management Authors: Elizabeth Galik Tags: Caring Collaborative Source Type: news

Medicare Quality Improvement Programs
A Medicare program aimed at improving quality among poorly performing nursing homes may have only minimal impact, a study found. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - February 27, 2024 Category: Health Management Authors: Jeffrey S. Eisenberg Tags: Journal Highlights Source Type: news

Reasons for Staff Turnover in Nursing Homes
Individuals who have spent less time in the field and who experience resident aggression are more likely to report burnout and fatigue, resulting in staff turnover, a study in Hong Kong found. (Source: Caring for the Ages)
Source: Caring for the Ages - February 27, 2024 Category: Health Management Authors: Jeffrey S. Eisenberg Tags: Journal Highlights Source Type: news