Did You Know?

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One of the most common questions my readers ask nowadays is how can we support our residents who live with dementia while protecting them from COVID-19.

All senior living communities face new and difficult challenges in the face of the pandemic. These challenges multiply when our residents don’t understand what’s happening, and they can’t choose to follow infection control policies.

[Read more…] about 7 Guidelines For Dementia Care During The Pandemic

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links.

Some of you may find this topic a bit unsettling, and you’ll wonder why I’m addressing it on my blog. Well, here’s the thing. Each of us will eventually die, including our residents, and our bodies will need to go somewhere.

When we understand the options for our bodies after death, it helps us make better decisions. And, it helps us feel more comfortable discussing this sensitive subject.

That’s why today, I’ll briefly describe several of the most common options for our bodies after we die. I also include links to other resources in case you wish to explore a topic in more detail.

[Read more…] about Where Can Our Residents Go After They Die?

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

While working or volunteering at the nursing home, you’ve probably met at least one resident with aphasia. The National Aphasia Association defines aphasia as “an impairment of language, affecting the production or comprehension of speech and the ability to read or write.”

I decided to talk briefly about this condition today because sometimes people feel uncomfortable when trying to communicate with a person who has aphasia. We don’t know how to respond when someone doesn’t understand us, or when we can’t understand them.

[Read more…] about What You Need To Know About Aphasia

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links. 

A reader recently asked if I could talk about what’s happening when a resident at the nursing home requires isolation. This reader is a volunteer. She described coming to the nursing home and seeing people entering a resident’s room wearing yellow disposable gowns, gloves, and paper masks. The staff tells volunteers that they can’t go into the resident’s room.

There are many reasons a resident may require isolation. Usually, it’s done to help prevent the spread of a contagious disease. Sometimes, because of HIPAA regulations, staff can’t tell you the specific reason the resident needs to be in isolation.

A nursing home will only isolate a resident when they deem it to be necessary. That’s because isolation can be emotionally stressful for a person. However, it’s sometimes necessary to protect others, especially nursing home residents who may be medically fragile.

[Read more…] about Why Is This Resident In Isolation?

This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links.

This month, I’m completing my 5-part series on how our senses change as we age. Today we’ll look at our sense of sight. (No pun intended!) We’ll also consider how we can support our residents who experience declining vision.

While some people avoid significant changes in their other four senses, we all can pretty much guarantee that our vision will decline to some degree as we age. Many of the changes are a natural part of growing older. Others result from diseases that become more common with aging.

[Read more…] about How Our Senses Change As We Age: Sight