Advancing Excellence Campaign: Be Sure to Join or Re-Join! - click here to read more A Message to all Nursing Homes from the Chair of the Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes Campaign: click here to read more H1N1 Update and Information - click here to read more DON Certification: To learn more about how past DON certifications from other associations can be used to obtain AALTCN DON Certification, click here AALTCN Advocates onbehalf of Resident, Patients and Caregivers on the DEA Letter (Drug Enforcement Administration's)- Read More Five Star Rating System - Read More Generational Diversity- Read More Life Expectancy at All Time High;Death Rates Reach New Low, New Report Shows- Read More Electronic Records Enhances Resident Care & Nursing Effectiveness at Four Seasons - Read More Are You a Worrier?- Read More Easing Bathing Struggles - Read More AALTCN Advocates for Improved Funding for Staffing - read more - for letter sent click here Culture Change and Nursing Issue Paper Read More Advancing Excellence Campaign Offers Culture Change Manual Read More National Front Line Caregiver Coalition Urges Supports Economic Stimulus Bill Read More Simple Balance Test May Predict Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease A study conducted in 16 university hospital departments of neurology, geriatrics or psychiatry in ten cities with 686 outpatients suffering from Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in which the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a "one-leg balance" (OLB) test was given at intervals. Read More Guidelines to Protect Foreign Nurses There are over 100,000 foreign-educated nurses in the U.S. who have been recruited to help address the nurse shortage problem of our country’s hospitals and nursing homes. Read More Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes’ Definition of Quality The Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes campaign recognizes that quality of care impacts quality of life, including the physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects. Read More Free Toolkit for Workforce Stability Through a grant from The Commonwealth Fund, Quality Partners of Rhode Island in collaboration with B & F Consulting recently created a useful tool for nursing home leadership - The Workforce Stability Toolkit . Read More Certification: An Investment that Pays! A study of more than 11,000 nurses by the American Board of Nursing Specialties' of the Value of Specialty Nursing Certification Study found the top perceived values of certification include enhanced professional credibility and evidence of professional commitment. Read More
Age-Related Macular Degeneration The macula is the part of the eye that gives sharp central vision. Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a disease that affects the macula. Read More AALTCN Endorses Global Vision Statement on Care of Older Adults Believing that is imperative that nurses have the competence to deliver care to older adults, AALTCN collaborated with major specialty nursing associations in the development of a Global Vision Statement on the Care of Older Adults. Read More
Frontline Workforce Needs Being Addressed by Senate Senators Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) received a commitment from the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Max Baucus, that the federal recovery package would address the needs of the LTC workforce as part of health care reform. Read More
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Approximately 149,000 cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed in 2008, and an estimated 49,960 people will die from the disease. Read More
March is also DVT Awareness Month DVT Awareness Month is being sponsored by the Coalition to Prevent DVT to raise awareness of this serious medical condition among consumers, healthcare professionals, government and public health leaders. Read More
Scholarship Funds Available The AARP Foundation's Women's Scholarship Program provides scholarships ranging from $500 to $5000 to women 40+ seeking new job skills, training, and educational opportunities to support themselves and their families. Read More
National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC) NTOCC has created information to help healthcare professionals understand how poor transitions impact care delivery and how you can help improve transitions in your facility, including: Read More
Vitamin C Reduces Fractures Collagen-building vitamin C, consumed at high levels, has been shown to reduce the risk of hip and nonvertebral fractures in men and women. This was based on a study of a group of participants in the Framingham Heart Study which has followed thousands of individuals since the study began in 1988. Read More
AALTCN Featured in Long Term Care Living Magazine AALTCN’s Executive Director, Charlotte Eliopoulos, has a Guest Editorial in the February issue of Long Term Care Living. In the article, she describes what sets AALTCN apart from other associations and its reason for existence, being to: • recognize LTC nursing as a specialty • identify and promote core competencies for LTC nursing staff • change the culture of LTC • improve the image of LTC Click here to read the full article
Fellows Opportunity with the American Nurses Association The Health and Aging Policy Fellows has announced they are accepting applications for two policy fellowships for 2009-2010. The program is open to physicians, nurses and social workers at all career stages (early, mid, and late) with a demonstrated commitment to health and aging issues and a desire to be involved in health policy at the federal, state or local level. Read More
Casey Bill to Stimulate Small House Nursing Homes The Casey Bill has been re-introduced in the Senate. This Bill promotes "Small House Nursing Homes". If passed, it will provide low interest loans to organizations wanting to create home/smallhouse nursing homes through renovation and new construction. The Bill calls for $50 million a year for 5 years. Read More National Nursing Home Administrator Week March 15-21, 2009 is National Nursing Home Administrators' Week which is a time to honor NHAs for their dedication to long term care and express appreciation for the support they offer nursing. Be sure to remember to thank your administrator!
Obama Appoints Nurse to Head HRSA Last week President Barack Obama took a major step in creating a more expansive and accurate picture of healthcare expertise by appointing Mary Wakefield, RN, PhD, FAAN, a top rural healthcare professional, to be Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Read More
February is Heart Health Month Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability. Read More
Heart Disease and Women Breast cancer often is a major worry of women, yet heart disease is their number one killer. To compound this matter, most women who died suddenly of coronary heart disease had no symptoms! Read More
Music and Laughter Aid Cardiovascular Function A small recent study results suggests that laughing and listening to music that makes people feel joyful can help to improve blood vessel function. Read More
Caution: Headphones and Heart Devices A study has found that some music headphones can interfere with the operation of pacemakers and implanted defibrillators if held too close to these devices. Read More
Drug Review: Antihypertensive Drugs Good circulation becomes increasingly difficult to achieve in later life because of reduced elasticity of peripheral vessels and the accumulation of deposits in the lumen of vessels. Read More
Nurse Shortage Projected to Continue Within the next year there is projected to be a nearly 200,000 shortage of RNs, according to The Future of the Nursing Workforce in the United States report released by Peter Buerhaus and colleagues of Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Read More
A New Year…Time to Consider Time The entrance of a new year often causes us to reflect on time. What will we see in the year ahead? Read More Five Star Nursing Home Rating Program Launched The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated its Nursing Home Compare website to include a quality rating system that assigns from a low of one to a high of five stars to each of the 15,800 nursing homes in the United States that participate in Medicare or Medicaid. Read More Culture Change Leaders Take a New Look at Resident and Family Councils Culture Change leaders continue to be faced with growing challenges to provide good care for their residents, meet consumer demands, and remain economically sound. Read More
LPN Salary Survey ADVANCE for LPNs has published its 2008 national salary survey and found the average full-time LPN in the U.S. Read More
Stress and Cholesterol We hear a lot about the role of diet and exercise in reducing the risk of heart disease, however, the benefits of these healthy practices can be minimized if you’re not controlling stress. Read More
Free Johns Hopkins Courses on the Web If you’d like to engage in learning without leaving your desk, you’ll be interested in free online course offerings from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Read More To see course listings and descriptions visit: http://ocw.jhsph.edu/
Comments Regarding Turnover In AALTCN’s December e-newsletter, we shared some dismal stats about nursing home turnover and asked for readers’ thoughts. Below is a sample of the many comments we received that summarizes responses well: Read More
Congratulations to Advisory Board Member Dr Michael Gloth Dr Gloth, who is a member of AALTCN's Advisory Board, has recently been appointed Director of the Outpatient Services for the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Read More
AALTCN Part of Expert Panel on Nurses’ Role in Culture Change AALTCN was one of the representatives of the nation’s leading long-term care, aging, and nursing organizations who gathered in New York on October 27–28, 2008, in a groundbreaking Expert Panel meeting on nurses’ role in improving the quality of life and person-directed care in long-term care settings. Read More Turnover Continues to be a Problem The national average turnover rate for nursing home directors of nursing was 38% for the past year.As though having more than one-third of DONs leaving their jobs isn’t bad enough, the national average turnover rate for CNAs was 66%. Read More
Music and Laughter Aid Cardiovascular Function A small recent study results suggests that laughing and listening to music that makes people feel joyful can help to improve blood vessel function. Read More
Core Competencies for LTC Nurses Under the leadership of Diana Waugh, the AALTCN Practice Committee is moving along with the creation of Position Descriptions and Related Core Competencies for the DON, staff development director, ADON, unit manager, QA coordinator and other key positions in the nursing department. Read More
AALTCN Member Authors Inspiring Book AALTCN Member Christina Feist-Heilmeier, who also is Staff Development Coordinator at St Mary’s Nursing Center in Maryland and a faculty member at the College of Southern Maryland, has written a heartwarming book titled Nurses Are From Heaven: Nursing through the Eyes of Faith.Read More
Video Interview of AALTCN Executive Director by McKnight’s LTC News A McKnight’s Long Term Care News video interview of Charlotte Eliopoulos, Executive Director of AALTCN that offers a short description of AALTCN and its 2009 conference is posted in McKnight’s website video section. You can view it by clicking: www.mcknights.com/New-nursing-group-expands-with-more-members-conference/article/119308/
November 18th is National Memory Screening Day National Memory Screening Day is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America to promote early detection of Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses, and to encourage appropriate intervention. Read More
Economic Profile of LTC Workforce Not Great The Institute for the Future of Aging Services, in their publication The Long Term Care Workforce: Can the Crisis be Fixed? (AASHSA and IFAS, 2007) offered a profile of the LTC workforce that should give us cause for concern, including: Read More
Boost Your Immunity With cold and flu season upon us, it’s helpful to take steps to strengthen your body’s defenses against infections. Here are some actions to consider: Read More
Lose Weight with a Big Breakfast? Yes, that’s what research is telling us. A study of obese women found that those who consumed nearly half of their 1,240 daily calories at breakfast lost more weight than their counterparts who ate about a fourth of their 1,085 daily calories at the morning meal. Read More
Pain Management in Older Adults: Evidence-Based Practice Protocol The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, in their ConsultGeriRN.org section, offers a great review of issues pertaining to pain management that describes types of pain, assessment parameters, nursing care strategies, treatment guidelines, and more. To read the full paper and protocol, go to: http://consultgerirn.org/topics/pain/want_to_know_more
National Coalition is Helping Nursing Homes Make a Difference in the Lives of Residents and Staff The Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes campaign is celebrating its two-year anniversary. The campaign commemorates this major milestone, confident in its ability to support quality improvement efforts in all nursing homes. Read More
October is Customer Service Month Restaurants and stores aren’t the only settings in which customer service is important. Read More
AALTCN Recommends to CMS Elimination of Raps in MDS 3.0 On behalf of AALTCN membership, Executive Director Charlotte Eliopoulos sent a letter to Kerry Weems, Administrator of CMS recommending that the RAPs be eliminated from the MDS 3.0 and resources instead be invested in competency upgrading rather than in the production of guidelines that are poorly understood and utilized. Read More
October is Also Breast Cancer Awareness Month! With October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this may be an ideal time to review female residents’ health records to determine the dates of their last mammography. Read More
Free Webinar: Brain Fitness: Preventing Dementia-The New Frontier of Resident Wellness More long term care providers are beginning to offer brain-fitness services. McKnight’s Long Term Care News & Assisted Living is offering a free one hour webinar on November 10, 2-3PM Read More
Clinical Resources Launches Radio Show for Nurses We are pleased to announce that Clinical Resources LLC, has launched a radio show geared “To nurses, By nurses and About nursing”. Read More
Dairy Products and BP You probably are well aware that dairy products provide calcium that promotes bone health, but a new Harvard study finds that they also can aid in keeping blood pressure under control. Read More
Robert Wood Johnson Fellowships Available Nurses are invited to apply for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellowships. Read More
The Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia Scale: Determining how much help people with dementia need at mealtime. A How to Try This Resource The Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia scale is an 11-item instrument developed to assess eating and feeding problems in people with late-stage dementia. Read More
Feeling Down…Try Yoga After a day of walking up and down the halls dozens of times, lifting residents, and otherwise giving your body a workout, the last thing you may want to do when you leave work is to exercise.Read More
Free Hand Hygiene Resource The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have a 5 ½ minute video on the benefits of hand hygiene, along with posters and brochures (available in English and Spanish) that can be downloaded free of charge at www.cdc.gov/handhygiene
Using Adult Speech with Resident with AD Reduces Negative Behaviors "Elderspeak" is the term used to describe patronizing communication (e.g., terms like sweetie, honey, dearie or babytalk) that caregivers may use. A nurse researcher has found that people with Alzheimer's disease are twice as likely to be uncooperative when elderspeak is used with them than they are when spoken to in a normal adult manner. Residents with dementia were found to react to elderspeak with hitting, kicking, screaming, and verbally threatening behaviors. The study, done by Kristie Williams of the University of Kansas School of Nursing, will be published in the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias.
Women's Waistlines & BMI May Predict Stroke Risk There has been an increase in the percentage of women ages 35 to 54 who experienced a stroke from 1999-2004 as compared to the prior federal health survey from 1988-1994. There was no change in risk factors such as smoking, heart disease, or diabetes, but what did change was the size of women's waistlines, which rose 2 inches, and body mass index (BMI) which rose from 27 to 29.To calculate your BMI visit: Click Here Life Expectancy Increases The National Center for Health Statistics released new figures for life expectancy, showing an increase to 78.1 years. However, there remain gender and racial differences: for babies born in 2006, life expectancy is 81 years for white females, 76.5 years for black females, 76 years for white males, and 70 years for black males.
Advancing Senior Health Conference Oct 1- 2, 2008 AALTCN Recieve a discount a $175 discount off of the regular conference fee of $425 and we will be offering about 8 hours of accreditation for nurses, as well as for physicians, and pharmacists. Read More
Advancing Excellence Interchange Conference December 2-3, 2008 in Dallas for more information look under "Conferences" on the website www.nhqualitycampaign.org Results of LTC Leader Survey The Commonwealth Foundation surveyed long term care leaders nationwide to assess the current state of LTC and potential strategies for reform. AALTCN’s Executive Director participated in the survey to represent nursing’s views. A summary of the findings can be found at http://www.chcr.brown.edu/colco/ltc_survey_summary_6_30_08.pdf
Massage Effective for Pain Relief As nursing homes consider effective ways to manage pain beyond medications, massage may be an intervention that is important to consider. Read More
Pain Assessment Resource Pain is often undertreated and under diagnosed in older adults. Regular use of short, simple, reliable pain-rating scales provides nurses and physicians with measurable information to establish and modify a pain management plan. Read More
AALTCN Launches Culture Change Nurse Coordinator Certification The culture change movement is sweeping nursing homes and there are many fine culture change models that homes can adopt. However, sometimes readiness, cost, and other factors prohibit nursing homes from implementing these models. AALTCN Launches Culture Change Nurse Coordinator Certification. The Culture Change Nurse Coordinator Manual is now available along with a study guide to prepare nurses for certification in this area. Read More
Culture Change in Nursing Homes: How Far Have We Come? Findings From The Commonwealth Fund 2007 National Survey of Nursing Homes The first national survey to measure "culture change" within the U.S. nursing home industry finds positive signs that long-term care facilities are beginning to transform themselves from hospital-like to home-like facilities, where residents' needs and preferences—not institutional imperatives—come first. Read More
Pioneer Network Conference The Pioneer Network’s 8th National Conference, “A Call to Action”, will be held August 20-22 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. This is a premiere conference on culture change. To learn more visit http://www.pioneernetwork.net/news-and-events/08ConferenceInfo.php
Meeting Workforce Needs AALTCN was one of the associations invited to be part of the "Healthcare Professional Organizations in Aging" and participate in a meeting hosted by the American Geriatrics Society to discuss to address the Institute of Medicine's Report, "Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce". Read More
Beware of Mixing Aspirin and Ibuprofin A study led by Francis M. Gengo, PharmD, professor of neurology, University of Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and professor of pharmacy practice in the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, showed ibuprofen can counteract aspirin's effect. Patients who have experienced a stroke and use ibuprofen while taking aspirin to reduce the risk of a second stroke undermine aspirin's ability to act as an anti-platelet agent. To read about the research visit University of Buffalo News at http://www.buffalo.edu/news/9228
Prevent Heatstroke in Residents and Yourself One of the less than pleasant things that accompanies summer is the risk for hyperthermia, or heatstroke/sunstroke. This condition can occur with prolonged exposure to heat; the risk is increased with dehydration. Read More
AALTCN Supports Bill to Train Health Care Workers AALTCN joined a variety of other groups in supporting the Caring for an Aging America Act of 2008 that was introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and cosponsored by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). Read More
CMS Nursing Home Compare Data The CMS Nursing Home Compare Data, updated 5/22/08 is now available at http://www.medicare.gov/Updates.asp On this site you can access information about individual nursing homes throughout the nation, including their census, staffing patterns, and deficiencies. Scroll down on the page to "Data Updates" and you will find it the link.
AALTCN Joins Effort to Address Workforce Shortage The American Geriatrics Society has invited AALTCN to a meeting of healthcare professional organizations in aging to be held this month in Washington, DC to identify areas of common ground that can be worked on together as we face the rapid growth of our older population and a critical shortage of healthcare professionals in aging. Read More
Culture Change: State of the Art The Commonwealth Fund has recently published a report on culture change based on a national survey of nursing homes that describes reactions to culture change, progress made, barriers, and other factors. Click here to see the full report.
Assessing Healthy Weight Using BMI An effective measurement of weight for older residents and for ourselves as we age is the body mass index (BMI). BMI is a measure of body weight in relation to height. To calculate BMI: Click Here
Self Care Focus: Women and Stroke One of the areas in which women surpass men is in their risk for stroke. Women 45-54 years of age are twice as likely to suffer a stroke as men in this age group. Read More
Resource: Best Practice Tips for Reducing Eating and Feeding Difficulties in Residents with Dementias Feeding people who have dementia can be a significant challenge. One of the Try This publications of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing offers some practical tips that can be used to address feeding and eating difficulties. Click here to view this helpful resource.
The Nurses’ Anthem on YouTube Dee Jones, a VA nurse who was featured in one of AALTCN’s previous newsletters, can now be viewed on YouTube performing the "Nurses Anthem", a song she wrote to honor Florence Nightingale. In this video, Dee sings at the annual Harford Community College Nursing Commencement ceremony. It’s worth the investment of a few minutes to watch this uplifting performance. To do so, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymiwWWjR1bg
Culture Change Supported by AALTCN Chances are you have been hearing more and more about culture change. Read More
AALTCN Represented at CMS and Pioneer Network Symposium on Culture Change On April 3, AALTCN Executive Director Charlotte Eliopoulos took part in the ?Creating Home in the Nursing Home? national symposium on culture change and physical environment requirements. Read More
CMS Nursing Home Compare Data Available The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has comparative data on U.S. nursing homes. To check it out, go to their website at http://www.medicare.gov/Updates.asp, look in the box under ?Data Updates?, and click Nursing Home Compare.
AALTCN Executive Director Introduces Nursing Students to LTC Nursing In the latest edition of the text Medical-Surgical Nursing: Clinical Management for Positive Outcomes edited by Black and Hawks, is a chapter written by AALTCN Executive Director Charlotte Eliopoulos on ?Long Term Care?. ?I think it is important to give students a realistic idea of the complexities, challenges, and rewards of nursing in various LTC settings,? said Charlotte. One of the points she makes in the chapter is that ?to fill the roles and responsibilities competently, LTC nurses must be among the profession?s best.?
Self Care Focus: Fairness at Work and Your Health A study from the University College of London found that feeling that they are treated unfairly at work increases people?s risk for angina, heart attack, and other health problems. Read More
Advancing Excellence Campaign News The Advancing Excellence in Nursing Homes campaign will continue beyond the two-year period originally intended, according to the coalition's Steering Committee. Read more
American Journal of Nursing - How to Try This: Preventing Aspiration in Older Adults with Dysphagia Janice L. Palmer MS, RN and Norma A. Metheny PhD, RN, FAAN Dysphagia, the impairment of any part of the swallowing process, increases the risk of aspiration. Dysphagia and aspiration are associated with the development of aspiration pneumonia. Read more
AALTCN is Committed to Promoting & Advocating for Long Term Care Nursing The American Association for Long Term Care Nursing (AALTCN) is committed to advocating for Long Term Care Nursing and active in promoting LTC Nursing as a unique specialty. AALTCN is actively involved in over 13 campaigns and coalitions by participating on steering committees and in work groups. In addition, we are passionate about our mission to elevate the image of nursing homes and the dedicated nursing caregivers who serve. We are pleased to share some of AALTCN's efforts in advancing LTC Nursing. Read More
Congratulations to the 26 Nurses Who Completed the AALTCN Certificate Programs! Read More
Night Shift Work a Cancer Risk People need sleep at night in a dark area and without it, the risk of cancer may be increased. This is the conclusion that the World Health Organization’s cancer division, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reached after studying nurses and airline crews who worked the night shift on a regular basis. Read More
Melanoma The most serious form of skin cancer, melanoma, begins in the melanocytes which are cells that produce melanin, or the brown pigment in the skin. Read More
MDS 3.0 and Culture Change The revised Minimum Data Set, MDS 3.0, is scheduled to arrive October 2009 and will bring with it several positive changes: Read More
Belly Fat and Dementia As though being a risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and poor-fitting clothing wasn’t enough of a problem, research now tells us that large amounts of belly fat are associated with declining cognitive function. Read More
A Fool’s Dozen Tips for Working Foolishly: • Approach work without a plan • Talk constantly without listening to others • React without thinking through the issue • Ignore your own self-care needs • Always insist on having things your way • Believe there’s nothing more you need to learn • Never take anyone’s advice • Don’t care about anyone else but yourself • Complain frequently and bait others into joining you • Fail to see each of the people you care for as a unique individual • Frequently start and fuel arguments • Be quick to condemn and slow to admit you’re wrong
March is DVT Awareness Month The American Association for Long Term Care Nursing (AALTCN) is pleased to announce its support of and participation in the Coalition to Prevent DVT’s fifth annual National DVT Awareness Month. Read More
AALTCN Joins Coalition of Geriatric Nursing Organizations AALTCN has been invited and accepted the opportunity to become part of the Coalition of Geriatric Nursing Organizations (CGNO). AALTCN views this collaboration with other leading geriatric and LTC nursing associations important in making a positive impact on the care of older adults by speaking with a united voice to the public, policy makers, providers, consumers, and other professionals. Geriatric care depends on clinically competent nurses who also address issues effecting public policy in long term care. With about 24,000 geriatric nurses among the participating organizations, CGNO offers a strong and powerful voice. CGNO was founded in 2001 with the assistance of the John A. Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing who provided the impetus for the CGNO and a virtual home for the list serve.
Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes: Preliminary Results In As it continues into its second year of existence, the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign has begun to have some data to share. As you may recall, nursing homes who signed on to participate in this effort to improve the quality of care selected goals and provided information on their progress in meeting them. The good news is that Campaign participants who selected goals have been showing improvement at a faster rate than those who did not select goals. Participants report that their involvement with the Campaign has helped them to focus more attention on quality improvement. AALTCN, is a member of the Campaign’s Steering Committee, supports the Campaign’s efforts and believes it assists in improving the status and practice of long term care nursing.. To learn more about how you can become involved and to access the many resources available, visit the Campaign website at www.nhqualitycampaign.org.
Self-Care Focus: Watch That Salt! When our sweet tooth isn’t tempting us to indulge in a piece of chocolate or sundae, its wicked sister salt tooth seems to beg for chips and pretzels. Read More
Long Term Care: Rehab or Rebuild? Owners of old homes understand that along with the quaint features comes aged ones that regularly beg for repair and restoration. Fix one leaking pipe in the older bathroom and another one pops up soon. Read More
Updated Nursing Home Comparative Data from theCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) You can access recently updated information about all nursing homes in the country via the CMS website http://www.medicare.gov/Updates.asp (look under Data Updates, Nursing Home Compare). Information can be retrieved on individual facilities or facilities within specific zip codes or states. Facts available for the nursing homes include: • Information on quality indicators • Number of health deficiencies • Nursing staff hours per resident day • CNA hours per resident day
It could be beneficial to visit this site and see how your facility compares to similar ones in your geographic area. Our Professional Responsibility to Support and Serve You most likely are familiar with the famous words spoken by John Kennedy at his Inaugural Address: "Ask not what your country can do for you…ask what you can do for your country". Kennedy challenged Americans to think beyond their own needs to what they owe the country that provides so much for them. Read More
Tool for Tracking Turnover Data related to turnover can be extremely useful to the nursing department, and now you don’t have to be the greatest math whiz to compile it. The Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign website offers a free tool to assist in tracking and monitoring turnover. To access it, go to www.nhqualitycampaign.org, click Nursing Homes on menu and then click Resources; under Additional Resources click Calculation of Turnover Workbook.
Low Cost Ways to Prevent Respiratory Infection Studies continue to support the fact that simple, inexpensive measures such as handwashing and wearing gloves, masks, and gowns are more effective than drugs and other costly measures for preventing the spread of respiratory viruses like influenza and SARS. With predictions for the H5N1 avian flu viral strain being the primary cause of the next flu pandemic, attention to these basic preventive measures is important.
Sharing the Soul of Nursing: Interview with Nurse Dee Jones AALTCN believes the public and colleagues in other specialties need a better understanding of the competencies and commitments of the staff that care for older and disabled adults in long term care settings. Read More
AALTCN Committee on Long Term Care Nursing Practice In an effort to demonstrate the unique aspects of long term care nursing and the nursing staff who practice it, AALTCN has established a Committee on Long Term Care Nursing Practice. Read More
Certification Workshops Available In addition to the independent study option, the AALTCN Certification Programs are now being offered as workshops throughout the country. The workshops include: Read More
AALTCN Becomes a Member of the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign Steering Committee The Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign is a coalition-based campaign that is reinvigorating efforts to improve the quality of care and quality of life for residents of America's nursing homes. AALTCN eagerly supports the work of the Campaign and is pleased to have a seat on its Steering Committee where it can contribute to the Campaign’s efforts and be a voice for LTC nursing. We urge you to visit the website and learn more about the important work of the Campaign at: http://www.nhqualitycampaign.org/
Reimbursement News According to CMS, March 1st is a critical date. Read more
Dear Friend of Long Term Care Nursing: The launch of AALTCN has been met with a positive reception. The thousands of long term care nursing staff members who we now represent are excited that an association that recognizes and promotes their specialty now exists. Read More
Welcome to NexCare Health Systems AALTCN would like to welcome NexCare Health Systems. NexCare Health Systems is an innovative healthcare management company providing quality service for skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers throughout central and southern lower Michigan. Since 1998, NexCare has been dedicated to the practice of fostering person-centered communities in which their residents and employees thrive.
What Does It Mean To Be A Specialty? OB-GYN…Peds…OR…Geriatrics…Orthopedics…. In health care, there are many specialties. Nurses often learn about these specialties during their basic education, when they are presented the content and have experiences in clinical areas dedicated to the major specialties. Read More
Medicare Funding Protected AALTCN was one of the members of the Coalition to Protect Senior Care who gave statements at a press conference at the Congressional Office Building in Washington regarding avoiding cuts to government funding for LTC. We are pleased to announce that on December 29, President Bush signed the “Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007” into law. This legislation maintains the full 3.3 percent Medicare Market Basket update for skilled nursing facilities and does not reduce the Market Basket update for FY 2008 – thereby protecting $690 million in critical Medicare funding for long term care. This law only lasts through June 30, 2008, so more action may be needed. The Coalition will be closely monitoring activities to assure funding is protected.
Self-Care Focus: Support for Your Aching Feet Nursing positions aren’t exactly the types of jobs that allow you to spend most of your days with your feet propped. Read More
Certificate Workshops AALTCN has been offering the following Certificate Programs for independent study: * Director of Nursing in Long Term Care Certificate Program: DON-CLTC™ * Staff Development Specialist in Long Term Care Certificate Program: SD-CLTC™ * RN in Long Term Care Certificate Program: RN-CLTC™ * LPN in Long Term Care Certificate Program: LPN-CLTC™ Response to these programs has been very positive and AALTCN is proud that these high quality programs are the most reasonably priced Certificate Programs available to LTC nurses. You can learn more about these programs by visiting our website at www.LTCNursing.org and going to the Education section. We are pleased to announce that we will begin to offer these programs as live workshops throughout the country. In some situations, these workshops will be offered in partnership with other associations, groups, and facilities. If you belong to a group who would like to sponsor a AALTCN Certificate Workshop please contact Charlotte Eliopoulos at charlotte@LTCNursing.org for more information.
Golden Living Joins the American Association of Long-Term Care Nursing “We’re excited about joining the AALTCN and providing its benefits to our clinical employees, because the AALTCN is the only association that unites and serves all levels of nursing staff,” said Andrea Clark, Senior Vice President of Clinical Services for Golden Living. “Through this one organization, we will be able to address common issues and educational needs of our nurses and certified nursing assistants. Our membership in AALTCN will help to foster a sense of community and teamwork among our employees.” Read More
Is Your Company Getting the Best ROI and Impact from Your Sponsorship Dollars? “We put tremendous time and effort into planning this educational program yet only a handful of people attended” “There were more conference attendees boarding the sightseeing bus than filling the seats for the symposium.” Read More
The Gift of Caring for Others During this time of the year, many of us are rushing about, shopping, shipping, and stressing ourselves to the max. Gifts often are on our minds. As we think about gifts, we often omit thinking about a very special one: the gift of caring for others. Read More
Self-Care Focus: Immunizations Immunizations aren’t just for kids. Not only do you need certain immunizations as an adult, but your exposure to pathogens in your contact with residents increases your risk for contracting a communicable disease. Read More Integrative Care Corner: Psoriasis It is estimated that over 7 million people are affected by psoriasis––the noncontagious skin condition that causes red, raised, scaly lesions. This chronic skin condition can affect any part of the body. IRead More Reducing Legal Risks: Sexual Harassment In 2006, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 12,025 charges of sexual harassment, 15.4% of which were filed by males. Read More Ann Folmer Named Nurse of the Year by California Association of Health Facilities Golden Living’s Beverly Living Nurse Honored for More than Fifty Years of Service Medicine has always been interesting to Ann Folmer. As a child, she often pretended to be a nurse. Those childhood wishes became a reality in 1954 when Folmer graduated from the California’s Fresno County School of Nursing. Read More Culture Change Training Resources Good management practices are essential ingredients to culture change. The leadership and workplace practices that are essential to successful transformation of a facility to individualized care was the topic of a CMS webcast that you can access along with helpful handouts that we've included here for you. Read more AALTCN in Washington to Address Medicare Cuts The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administration (CMS) has recommended a 3.3% increase in funding for 2008 to help sustain the gains in key clinical areas; however, this increase is in jeopardy of being cut.Read more Clinical Capsule: Sarcopenia and Frailty It may sound like a rare disease, but sarcopenia actually is something that LTC nursing staff most likely encounter daily. Sarcopenia refers to age-related changes to the skeletal muscle tissues. Factors responsible for this condition include.... Read more It Takes a Team Al Gore, Tiger Woods, Hillary Clinton, Oprah. We are bombarded with reports on the accomplishments and activities of individuals. Even in sports teams, we tend to hear more about the contracts, activities, and antics of individual players than the work of the team. Read more AALTCN Represents YOU! Last month, AALTCN exhibited at the American Health Care Association (AHCA) in Boston and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) Conference in Orlando. We were pleased at seeing some of our members and in signing on many more. Read more Clostridium Difficile Clostridium difficile has become the most common cause of nosocomial infectious diarrhea in nursing home settings. Read more Atypical Signs of Infection in Older Residents Knowing that the season for colds, flu and other respiratory problems is fast approaching, it may be a good time to remind staff that older adults frequently have atypical symptoms of infection. Read more Depression in African Americans Like any other group of people, African-Americans experience depression. However, recognition and treatment of depression can be different in African-American individuals. Read more