Category: Uncategorized

Savvy Resident’s Guide Kindle edition FREE today only!

Posted by Dr. El - December 5, 2012 - Uncategorized

The Savvy Resident’s Guide Kindle edition can be downloaded for FREE today, 12/5/12 until midnight Pacific time.  Now’s your chance to check out the Kindle edition — and see why you’ll want to order the print edition for Mom or Dad for the holidays!

The Savvy Resident’s Guide/Hurricane Sandy Donation on 11/12/12

Posted by Dr. El - November 11, 2012 - Uncategorized

For the past 16 years, I’ve worked as a psychologist in long-term care and have witnessed the difficulties residents and their families have had adjusting to this strange and unfamiliar environment.  That’s why I wrote The Savvy Resident’s Guide: Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Nursing Home Stay But Were Afraid to Ask, now available on Amazon ($13.99 print, $4.99 Kindle).  It’s a large-print book for residents (and families, staff, and students) explaining how nursing homes work and how people can make the most of their stays.  It’s packed with need-to-know information and straightforward advice from me and my wise resident-narrators.  There’s no other book out there like it!

If you know someone who might benefit from this book, please tell them about this resource.  You can help spread the word:
·      Forward or share this message
·      Buy the book and review it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Savvy-Residents-Guide-Everything/dp/0985405406/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347192337&sr=8-1&keywords=savvy+residents+guide
·      “Like” the Amazon Kindle version: http://www.amazon.com/The-Savvy-Residents-Guide-ebook/dp/B009Q38X8I/ref=kinw_dp_ke
·      Post the book info/link in your forums: http://mybetternursinghome.com/savvy-guide

Special offer now through November 30, 2012:

Buy the book, get for FREE:
·      For Families: Essentials for Choosing a Nursing Home (and Becoming Part of the Team) — an audio interview with Dale Carter, $10.99 value
·      For Staff Members: Coping with Grief: Conversation with grief expert Courtney Armstrong, LPC — an audio interview, $7.99 value

Buy the book on NOVEMBER 12th, 2012, get a SPECIAL BONUS:

·      Reducing Senior Bullying: Conversation with Bullying Expert Robin Bonifas, PhD, MSW — an audio interview, $10.99 value

 

PLUS: This Monday, November 12th, $2 of each individual book sale will go toward Hurricane Sandy relief!

For more details, visit: http://mybetternursinghome.com/savvy-guide

Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Posted by Dr. El - June 15, 2011 - Uncategorized

For information from the American Psychological Association on Elder Abuse, click on the link below:

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Creative Nursing Home Holidays

Posted by Dr. El - November 17, 2009 - Communication, Engaging with families, For Fun, Resident care, Uncategorized

The holidays can be a difficult time of year, especially for residents in nursing homes. Many residents once hosted family gatherings, or were regulars at a holiday event, but now their physical disability complicates their participation in familiar rituals. Last year I wrote a post on this topic from the residents’ point of view, ‘Twas the Week Before Christmas…. This year I’m hoping to gather creative ways family members have come together to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones, despite the challenges of physical limitations. Here I offer a few suggestions, and hope you’ll add your ideas and experiences to the Comments section below.
A few years ago, my Aunt Bevy wasn’t feeling well enough to join us for our annual family gathering, so my cousins and I stopped by with leftovers and a quiet chat after the festivities. I know she appreciated that visit, especially since it was the first time she’d ever missed our party.
Most residents would like to be at the home of a family member to celebrate the season, but once they’re in the nursing home, it’s not as simple as picking them up at the door. With some advance planning, the physicians can write out the home pass orders, and the nurses can gather the necessary medications and provide instructions so loved ones can spend a few hours with the family.
If the holidays will be spent in a home that’s not wheelchair accessible, the family could gather for a separate meal in an accessible restaurant, or some members could join the resident for dinner at the nursing home.
If a resident is on a special diet, such as puree, for example, a variety of pureed soups and puddings could be offered, as recommended by the dietary department.
I once knew a man who wasn’t able to eat and was on a tube feed. At Thanksgiving, he and his children gathered at the nursing home for a gratitude ceremony, sharing aloud the things they were grateful for that year, and the qualities they treasured in each other. It wasn’t the Thanksgiving everyone was used to, but they’d created a ritual that fit for their new circumstances.

Eldercare Blog Carnival

Posted by Dr. El - April 2, 2009 - Uncategorized

What’s a blog carnival?  It’s a group of related posts from various blogs, put together by the hosting blog.  It allows the viewer to read in depth about a particular topic, and to learn about other blogs in the blogosphere that might be of interest.  Eldercare ABC recently hosted two carnivals on eldercare, the Spring edition, and the Premier edition where one of my recent posts can be found.

Talks & Workshops for Family Members

Posted by Dr. El - October 20, 2008 - Uncategorized

Facilitating the Transition to the Nursing Home

 

How to Become a Member of the Treatment Team

 

How to Advocate for your Loved One

 

Creating an Effective Family Council

 

How to Choose a Nursing Home

 

Celebrating Holidays in a Nursing Home

 

Discussing Illness, Dying, and Big Decisions

 

Making a Nursing Home Homey

 

How to Have Fun in a Nursing Home

It’s time to start a blog.

Posted by Dr. El - October 20, 2008 - Uncategorized

Every day as a psychologist in long term care, I make small improvements in the lives of the residents I work with, but there is so much that could be done on a larger scale.  I’m hoping this blog will provide a venue for radical change, sharing ideas between nursing homes and their people — staff, residents, families, and friends.

 

I’m planting a tiny mustard seed and hope to watch it grow.

 

Stay tuned.

 

~Eleanor

Talks & Workshops for Staff

Posted by Dr. El - September 30, 2008 - Uncategorized

For All Staff:

Team-Building, One Unit at a Time

Working with Aggressive Residents

Reducing Iatrogenic Depression

How to Conduct Effective Resident Council Meetings

Helping Mentally Ill Residents

Communicating with Residents to Increase Cooperation

How to Conduct Behavioral Rounds

 

For CNAs:

How to Make Your Job More Manageable

Psychological Tools for Resident Cooperation

 

For Nurses:

Creating a Team

 

For Dietary Staff:

The Psychological Importance of Food in the Nursing Home

 

For Psychologists:

Becoming Part of the Treatment Team

Clinical Issues in Nursing Home Work

Protecting Yourself from Burnout

Talks & Workshops for Residents

Posted by Dr. El - September 30, 2008 - Uncategorized

Making the Most of Your Nursing Home Stay

Having Fun in a Nursing Home

Create Your Own Holidays

Becoming Your Own Advocate

Talking to Family Members about Illness, Dying, and Big Decisions

How to Reclaim the Resident Council