News of the Week
Observations About Some Things That Caught My Eye
I’m a Longtime Union Organizer. But I Had Never Seen Anything Like This.
This is an enthralling account of one community’s attempt to organize a union, the good, the bad and most definitely the ugly. As the author points out, they did not get the union but did unite together and quit together.
Observation - the lengths that the facility went through and the cost to do it to have a “union buster” on site should tell you all you need to know about the resources they have. That money, which should have been spent on staffing and working conditions, was spent on trying to bust a union. I believe in this case one was needed. Nonetheless, the facility paid in reputation damage if nothing else. We need to expose more of the bad apples.
The 35 Best Betty White Quotes in Honor of What Would've Been Her 100th Birthday
Here are just a couple from Good Housekeeping.
“People say, ‘But Betty, Facebook is a great way to connect with old friends.’ Well, at my age, if I want to connect with old friends I need a Ouija board.”
“My mother always used to say, 'The older you get, the better you get. Unless you’re a banana.'”
Observation - we can all agree on liking Betty right!?
COVID deaths and cases are rising again at US nursing homes
COVID-19 infections are soaring again at U.S. nursing homes because of the omicron wave, and deaths are climbing too, leading to new restrictions on family visits and a renewed push to get more residents and staff members vaccinated and boosted. Nursing homes reported a near-record of about 32,000 COVID-19 cases among residents in the week ending Jan. 9.
Despite the rising numbers, the situation is not as dire as it was in December 2020, when nursing home deaths per week topped out at about 6,200. Nursing home officials say they are responding to the outbreak by limiting visitors to common areas instead of allowing them into residents’ rooms, and by reinstituting social distancing.
Observation - yes I will not miss a chance to promote Sage Stream, our Senior Education and Entertainment Network. Our goal is relieve social isolation and increase social engagement. This is the new normal in senior living. Do not kid yourself.
97-year-old pianist, and last surviving pupil of Rachmaninov, signs landmark record deal
Ruth Slenczynska just celebrated her 97th birthday. At this landmark age, Slenczynska has achieved an astonishing nine-decade long career, having begun performing as a child prodigy in the 1920s.
To mark the occasion, Slenczynska has announced her resigning with the record label, Decca Classics for her first album with the company since the 1960s; Slenczynska’s new solo piano album, My Life in Music is due to be released later this year.
Observation - It’s good to know I can still get a record contract!
Working in long-term care can be hazardous to your health
John O’Connor writing for McKnight’s, says that beyond the normal hazards of the job, Covid has brought more hardship.
According to AHCA, 67 COVID-related deaths occurred among nursing home staff in the week ending Jan. 9 alone, two shy of the all-time weekly record.
John says it won’t be long before the death total for workers in this field surpasses the number of people killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11 (2,763).
John’s Observation - “What I find especially troubling is that vaccinations and mask wearing might have prevented many of these deaths from taking place.
As a kind mentor once told me, life is hard enough without making it more difficult. It’s a lesson many workers may soon learn at a very high price.”
Do You Feel Old? It Could Be Aging You
A U.S. News and World Report article notes a study that reports that people who believe their bodies and minds will break down with age may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Observation - in my Keynote Speech, The Meaning of Life, I talk about eight attributes of older people that lead to a quality of life as you age no matter the circumstances. Attitude is certainly one. That said, my mother lived to 94, survived breast cancer without any chemo or radiation, then an operation to put a screw in her neck at 88. And she smoked like a fiend. Her heart was as strong as ever on the day she died. Oh and she had a lousy attitude! Of course she did ballroom dancing into her eighties so maybe that had something to do with it. Nonetheless, I think there is a combination of genetics and lifestyle that contribute to longer, meaningful lives.
Assisted living CEOs see 4.12 percent salary increase
From McKnight’s. Across the country, average salaries for assisted living community presidents/CEOs increased 4.12% over the past year, according to “2021-2022 Assisted Living Salary & Benefits Report,” published by Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service. Average salaries for the position grew from $116,807 in 2020 to $121,615 in 2021, based on survey participants who participated in both years.
Observation - You have to buy the report to see all the other positions so I have no idea how much if any positions like activity director increased. The sample pages I could see showed that the average ED make 2 1/2 times more than the AD. Enough said.
Patient Satisfaction: Is It Overrated?
Ask doctors about patient surveys and you'll likely draw a shrug or an eye roll. Some physicians and hospital administrators find them useful, while others find them flawed. This is an interesting article that explores the topic.
Observation - as someone who help launch the patient experience movement, I fear we have created another level of bureaucracy that has proved ineffective. Satisfaction surveys are retrospective and real time satisfaction measurement has not gotten off the ground. Part of that is industry resistance. I wrote in Fierce Healthcare questioning whether the HCAHPS business, a multi-billion dollar business, was really producing actionable data? Hard to uncover the systemic issues. Tools like Yelp (and there will be more) cut right to the chase. They provide actionable data and they include not only patient--but also the family caregiver--voices. This is not much different than sharing customer experiences through Twitter. And use of the Net Promoter Score is valuable and easy for older people to wrap their heads around. Simply - would you recommend. If experience professionals started looking at real-time data and narrative, they might get to systemic issues faster.
Unvaccinated seniors nearly 50 times more likely to be hospitalized than boosted peers
Unvaccinated adults age 65 or older who contracted the coronavirus were 49 times more likely to require hospitalization than seniors who had received booster vaccine doses, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Observation - Not sure why industry is so up in arms about vaccine mandates for health care workers. You are attending to the oldest, most vulnerable populations and while many if not most in formal settings have been vaccinated, not all people have been. Those aging in place and being attended to by home care certainly come to mind. Believe me, we anecdotally know of more people than we wish we did who are our age and not vaccinated.