Contemporary Long Term Care articles from February 2005

Contemporary Long Term Care archives from February 2005

Image isn't everything until you lose it.(PERSPECTIVE)(nursing home quality )
February 1, 2005... As you read this, pitchers and catchers are just days away from arriving at their spring training venues. Soon a new season of baseball, with all its hope and dreams, will begin. I can hardly wait. As a Mets fan, I'm excited by the prospect...

Eight things about the industry to expect in 2005.(FRONT PAGE)(long term care industry)
February 1, 2005... Bigger. Better. Louder. Messier. Industry leaders looked into their crystal balls for 2005 and saw greater public exposure and closer scrutiny by the federal government. But the new year isn't going to be all gloom and doom. To quote the...

Changing faces give new look to Senate Aging Committee.(FRONT PAGE)
February 1, 2005... As the 109th Congress takes office, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging starts the term with a host of new faces in place of longtime, ones well-known to the long term care industry. Gone is veteran ranking member John Breaux, D-La.,...

Thompson leaves HHS, Leavitt tabbed as successor.(FRONT PAGE)(Michael Leavitt expected to replace Tommy Thompson)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Michael Leavitt is expected to gain confirmation as the new Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Though many in the industry were saddened by Sec. Tommy Thompson's departure, they expressed confidence in Leavitt's...

Patient mistakes lead to 20% of nursing home admissions.(BRIEFLY)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Twenty percent of nursing home and hospital admissions each year are the result of patient non-compliance when it comes to taking medicine or following proper therapy methods, according to a new report from Cutting Edge Information in Research...

Employee satisfaction study is NIC's 'Paper of the Year'.(BRIEFLY)
February 1, 2005... An article correlating how employee satisfaction can also determine how families rate quality of care in nursing homes was selected as the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industries' "Paper of the Year" for 2004, NIC...

Gallup poll: nurses are the 'most honest' occupation.(BRIEFLY)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Nurses are America's most honest and ethical professionals, while car salespersons are at the bottom of the barrel, according to a new Gallup survey. Seventy-nine percent of the more than 1,000 adult participants in Gallup's telephone...

AL administrator salaries rise to $54,621.(BRIEFLY)
February 1, 2005... The national median salary of the typical assisted living facility administrator was $54,621 in 2004, up 3.8 percent from 2003, according to the seventh annual Assisted Living Salary & Benefits Report published by the Hospital and Healthcare...

Battling bad PR by preparing for negative news.(Cover Story)
February 1, 2005... It was no easy task taking over a business that was partially destroyed by fire. It was even worse when that fire killed numerous elderly LTC residents. But it's a definite public relations nightmare when the blaze resulted from inadequate...

Government's report card on nursing homes shows improvement.(CAPITAL BEAT)
February 1, 2005... Leaders of the Quality First initiative and the government-led effort to improve the level of care in nursing homes announced improvements at the nation's 6,400 nursing homes, which care for approximately 1.6 million residents. But the results,...

Active year expected for assisted living financing.(MARKET WATCH)
February 1, 2005... This may be the best year in a long while for assisted living providers who want to take advantage of capital flows into the industry. But before assessing opportunities in the new year, let's look back at the past one to see the important...

Watch your (staff's) back employ a 'no-lift' policy.(SAFETY & LIABILITY)
February 1, 2005... There used to be 10 words that made Prentice Lipsey and Marianne Oliver want to bang their heads on their desks. "I need a day off because I hurt my back." In 2002, they heard these words roughly twice per month, resulting in nearly...

Dealing with deficiencies a recipe for success.(NUTRITION )(passing inspections of food services departments)
February 1, 2005... It's 9:30 a.m. on a Tuesday and the survey team has just pulled into the parking lot. Word of its arrival spreads quickly through the facility. The question is whether the staff is fully prepared or is standing with chills down its collective...

Alzheimer's drugs seem safe From MMA changes.(CAREGIVING)(Medicare Modernization Act)
February 1, 2005... Today there are more drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease than five years ago with others in the pipeline. Long term care residents with Alzheimer's generally have access to those drugs, and treatment has improved overall. And awareness of the...

Issues and opportunities facing nonprofit healthcare.(PHILANTHROPHY)
February 1, 2005... The nonprofit sector is increasingly being recognized for its impact in our country. It is an amazing sector as reflected in the following statistics: * 17 million employees * Comprises 10 percent (9.8 percent) of the GDP * Of the...