Lois Bowers' Columns
Attracting medical school graduates to enter geriatrics is a challenge, as evidenced by their recent fellowship choices. Beyond that, however, is the challenge of interesting geriatricians — as well as internal medicine physicians, family practitioners, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other healthcare professionals — to practice in long-term care facilities. AMDA–The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine may have an answer.
Some types of tech use by older adults, brought on by the pandemic, may surprise you.
We know from previous research that stopping the spread of COVID in the greater community can help stop it within long-term care facilities. So is now the time to lift state-wide mask mandates and permit 100% occupancy in businesses?
At this time a year ago, we still were unsure what the coronavirus would mean for the industry, for the country or for us personally. Now, effects are clear, even if we still don’t know all of the answers.
If you’re like many over the past year, you’ve been spending more time inside than usual, often in front of a television, streaming or otherwise watching series and movies. A new list provides some new ideas for resident recommendations, programming or your personal life.
The wait is almost over. Wednesday, we begin announcing the 2021 McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards.
There’s a lot to take in related to the American Seniors Housing Association’s second national consumer survey, conducted in December with ProMatura. Results were released Monday.
As the COVID-19 vaccine continues to roll out to assisted living and independent living communities — having not reached some of those communities yet — two new surveys shed some light on feelings about vaccination among older adults, messages that motivate them to get vaccinated, and the people and places to which they expect to turn when making a decision.
When the COVID-19 pandemic finally ends, senior living operators will be able to exhale and look back to gather lessons related to workforce challenges. Some industry-wide insights that might be helpful in that effort are available right now.
We all can agree that we’d like to see an end to the illness and death caused by the coronavirus. We’d like families and residents to be able to hug one another again. We’d like to stop having to wear PPE and stop having to stay six feet apart from each other.
Five senior living industry leaders recently took the time to share with me — for you — their insights into the biggest challenges that faced owners and operators in 2020 and the challenges they will face in 2021. I’ve gleaned four lessons for the senior living industry for this year.
Many are viewing the vaccine as a gift of sorts, a solution to end the months of extra safety precautions and social isolation that everyone has endured. But if you have staff members or residents who remain leery, your fellow operators have some suggestions to alleviate their concerns.
The early bird deadline for the McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards, with reduced entry fee, is this Wednesday. The final deadline is Jan. 6. This year’s awards competition includes a new category.
As we pass the nine-month mark since the first known case of coronavirus arrived in a U.S. long-term care facility, a new survey provides more evidence that the pandemic has exacerbated long-standing workforce issues in senior living, skilled nursing and healthcare.
With many legislators and members of the lay media focusing their attention on long-term care due to the coronavirus pandemic, now may be an opportune time to educate these audiences about the industry and its needs, said panelists last week at a LeadingAge Annual Meeting Virtual Experience keynote session.
I’ll make my mother’s dressing recipe, a family favorite, and the rest of the meal, for two instead of 20, and at some point during the day, I hope to join my siblings and their families for a video chat.
As senior living and skilled nursing professionals joined together to work through pandemic-related challenges, new connections were made and long-term friendships were formed. Those are some of the “bright spots” of COVID-19, LeadingAge Board of Directors Chair Carol Silver Elliott said Tuesday when delivering the keynote address opening the 2020 LeadingAge Annual Meeting Virtual Experience.
Regardless of how long we need to wait after Election Day until we know the results, they will have “enormous implications on everything, including long-term care,” American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted-Living President and CEO Mark Parkinson told those listening to LTC Properties’ third-quarter earnings call on Friday.
Scott Tittle used to say that assisted living was hiding in plain sight, but “the reality is, more people have begun to actually see us amidst COVID,” the National Center for Assisted Living executive director said. That visibility can be both good and bad.
A debate, a tweet and a planned national moment of silence are keeping COVID in the spotlight.