Silverchair Learning Blog

Silverchair’s Senior Director, Regulatory Compliance and Content, Debi Damas, covers the long-term benefits of a positive employee orientation on McKnight’s SearchEldercare website in “Orientation: The Right Start.”

A study “breaks new ground” in Alzheimer’s and dementia research (McKnight’s LTCN).

The Assisted Living Disclosure Collaborative has created a tool to help consumers compare Assisted Living options (ALFA).

E-prescribing tool is aimed at skilled nursing and assisted living (Long-Term Living).

Overeating may contribute to memory loss in the elderly (ALFA).

Most states are not planning more Medicaid cuts (McKnight’s LTCN).

Silverchair’s client, Lexington Health Care Center of Chicago Ridge, was awarded the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval (Lexington Health Network).

A study found that the lifespan of Americans is shorter than previously thought (McKnight’s LTCN).

Healthcare jobs will account for one-quarter of new jobs by 2020 (McKnight’s LTCN).

U.S. News and World Report released the Best Nursing Homes 2012 (Long-Term Living).

A new report found salary increases for senior living professionals (ALFA Update).

A common pay system for post-acute care may be within reach (McKnight’s LTCN)

A new proposal in Massachusetts requires minimum Alzheimer’s training standards for senior care employees (Boston.com)

We released our Therapy Curriculum, in partnership with Dynamic Learning Online!

Silverchair also partnered with Indiana Health Care Association as their online training partner

Long term care M&A activity grew 39% in 2011, rising to $16.3 billion (Long-Term Living)

Occupancy rates also grew in Q4 2011 (McKnight’s LTCN)

Blood tests may show how fast Alzheimer’s disease will progress (ADVANCE for Long-Term Care Management)

SNFs are focusing more on individual therapy (McKnight’s LTCN)

The Joint Commission has posted their 2012 National Patient Safety Goals for Long Term Care (Medicare/Medicaid), Long Term Care, and Home Care. These goals are effective as of January 1, 2012. Other accrediting bodies will be close on their heels.

The purpose of the National Patient Safety Goals is to assist accredited organizations in attending to issues regarding patient safety.  These goals are developed by the Patient Safety Advisory Group that consists of professionals who have experience in dealing with safety issues in the healthcare setting.

The goals for Long Term Care (Medicare/Medicaid) include the following:

1. Identify residents correctly (use at least two ways – like name AND date of birth)
2. Use medicines safely (focus on blood thinners, complete and up-to-date medication information)
3. Prevent infection (Use CDC or WHO goals and protocols for hand cleaning. Use proven guidelines when providing central line care)
4. Prevent falls (assess for risk of falls and take actions to prevent falls)
5. Prevent bed sores (assess for risk of bed sores and take actions to prevent bed sores)

The goals for Home Care include:

1. Identify residents correctly (use at least two ways – like name AND date of birth)
2. Use medicines safely (focus on blood thinners, complete and up-to-date medication information)
3. Prevent infection (Use CDC or WHO goals and protocols for hand cleaning. Use proven guidelines when providing central line care)
4. Prevent falls (assess for risk of falls and take actions to prevent falls)
5. Identify patient safety risks (focus on patients with home oxygen and fire safety)

In the realm of senior healthcare, it is imperative to keep senior care staff up-to-date. Silverchair can help! Courses from Silverchair automatically update when federal regulation changes. So start preparing now!

The Holiday Season: It’s easy to get swept up in searching for the “big” gift, cooking a big holiday meal, and racking up big miles visiting family and friends! For many of us, the holidays are a BIG time of year.

However, we often find that the small gestures—a card from a friend, a great phone call with a family member, or a quick visit—provide the biggest return. In senior care especially, we’ve seen first-hand how a kind word or gesture can have a positive effect on caregivers and seniors alike.

For example, the end of the year is a hectic time for the Service Delivery department at Silverchair Learning Systems.  In addition to the day to day consultations with clients and end-of-the-year projects like assisting with new assignment plans, new electives catalogs, and new client-authored courses, the Service Delivery team stays busy writing and sending personalized holiday cards to more than a thousand individual clients and contacts.

In today’s ‘rapid-fire’ world of email and social media, you might wonder why put forth the effort, when you can easily send an email instead? Our holiday card project is one of many traditions founded in providing personalized customer service that Silverchair is unwilling to give up despite a rapidly-growing client base. It’s a small gesture, but we hope it nurtures the sort of client relationships that allow us to be a trusted source for providing solutions to all the complex problems that face the eldercare industry. It’s amazing to see and hear the stories of appreciation for taking the time to deliver a personalized note to someone, and it helps us to continue to cultivate our culture of caring and service.

To all of our clients, partners, and friends, we wish you Happy Holidays from Silverchair Learning Systems. As always, we’re thankful that we’ve spent another year providing the highest level of service—and we look forward to an even better 2012!

- posted by Service Delivery, December 21, 2011

A newly-introduced bill would speed Medicaid reimbursements to SNFs (McKnight’s)

$23.7 million has been awarded for the construction of new assisted living communities in five states (HUD.gov)

Therapy cap news: Republicans propose caps exception process extension and delay a Medicare physician pay cut for two years (McKnight’s)

A recent increase in young nurses brings mixed reactions (The Washington Post) 

In a recent article on further cuts to Medicare and the failure of the Super Committee to create a deficit reduction plan, LeadingAge made a simple, but intriguing, statement on how to create a budget without further cuts:

“We must innovate our way out of it.”

To expand on LeadingAge’s comment, they said that the solution will not be to cut our way out of the deficit, but to innovate our way out.  Innovation doesn’t have to be scary—it can be positively life-changing!

There are more than 500,000 apps for the iPhone—so it seems we have done a good job using innovation and new technology in our personal lives. Now what about our business lives—have you looked at the multiple ways that innovative strategies can help your organization?  If technology could make your business more efficient and more cost effective, wouldn’t you want to give that technology a try and investigate how it can help you?

As an online learning provider who has helped hundreds of thousands of users save money and time through innovation, we see every day how innovation can help you save money you didn’t even know you were spending! For example, many providers who come to us are still training staff in person on general topics that could be covered more easily in an online course, using an online tracking system.  Online learning frees up staff to do other tasks that need to be done in person.  Chances are that the person doing the inservices has other responsibilities in addition staff education; are in-person inservices and paperwork the best use of that person’s time? Switching to online training helps providers gain time, better care (since caregivers have more time to actually provide care!), and money savings—the majority of our clients see a big reduction in survey fines and punitive measures when they move their training online. Moving away from outdated processes allows providers to “innovate their way out” of wasted money—and in this economy, every dollar counts!

As senior care providers face increasing cuts and tighter budgets, think about how innovation, large or small, could have a big impact on your business and your bottom line.

- Debi Damas, December 7, 2011

We’ve partnered with Aging Services of Washington to provide Silverchair’s system to their members at a discount!

The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care states that penalties need to be in place for senior care facilities that have high rehospitalization rates. (Long-Term Living)

The Obama administration announced $1 billion in grants for hiring and training of healthcare workers. (McKnight’s)

ADVANCE for Long-Term Care Management offers advice on developing your emergency plan. Get more advice and tips from our free Emergency Preparedness course!

ALFA’s Jackie Kerin has been living in an assisted living community for a week – check out her thoughts on her ALFA blog, 50 in Five. 

A Census report on our aging population reports that the population those 90 years old and older could grow to more than 8 million by 2050. (The Washington Post)

McKnight’s recently held a webinar on the topic of technology’s ability to help providers save on staffing costs. A recap article for the webinar goes into more detail.

More Medicare cuts news: A recent survey of providers predicts a reduction in jobs totaling 40,000 for skilled nursing facilities (McKnight’s)

OSHA is targeting more than 300 nursing and personal care homes for inspections (McKnight’s)

Washington state passed a bill to increase state funding for LTC employee training (Long-Term Living)

The CDC is expanding the recommended age group for the TDAP vaccine—now it recommends adults up to age 64 receive the vaccine (The New York Times) 

The leaves are falling, football games are being played and the hobgoblins of Halloween have come and gone – the fall season has arrived. I can’t help but think, “Before you know it the holidays will be upon us!”

Some of the stores have had their Christmas stock displayed for weeks! “Where did the time go?” you may ask yourself. Or, if you are like me, you are asking yourself, “How will I be able to get it all done this year?” I haven’t even taken the Halloween decorations down and I am already stressed out about my work travel plans and how they will effect preparing for Thanksgiving, holiday shopping, regular household chores/errands, etc. Then there are the holiday parties, school shows, and entertaining friends and family.

It makes me ask myself, “How will I get it ALL done?” as well as, “How do my friends who are family caregivers get it ALL done?” Being a family caregiver is a daunting, exhausting undertaking that seems to have the biggest effect during the holidays—most caregivers are also moms and dads, so taking care of their loved one as well as caring for and entertaining their families during the holidays is a HUGE source of pressure and anxiety. So, how can caregivers (and I) get organized for the holidays and actually enjoy the season?

I have made two lists, one for work and for home, that contain all the things I think I need to accomplish before the end of the year so I can get organized before the holidays actually hit. As I accomplish each task, I valiantly cross it off the list with a sense of pride and success. But, wait, there’s more: I organized my thoughts by putting them on a list, but how do I organize myself? I asked my good friend, Dr. Mary Evans, for some tips on how to get through the holidays and the rest of the year without falling apart from the stress, travel, crazy schedules and changing weather. Here is what she offered:

1. Make time for meals, especially breakfast.
2. Choose healthy snack options.
3. Exercise for 30 minutes a day at least four times a week.
4. Get a good night’s sleep, at least 7-8 hours a night.
5. Plan light travel schedules to avoid being rushed and give your itinerary and contact information to a caregiver back home.
6. Make time for activities with partners, children, and friends, even if it is just a walk, movie, or dinner.
7. Organize a family meeting with other caregivers to delegate responsibilities and discuss concerns.
8. Pack light so you won’t be lugging around heavy luggage.
9. Think of ordering takeout or delivery, or hosting a potluck with friends with plastic dinnerware – no cooking and easy cleanup!
10. If flying, keep all medication, documentation, and valuables on you in case your luggage is lost or misplaced.

In addition to these handy tips, many senior care providers are making family resource websites available to help families learn more about their community and about the senior care experience. Silverchair has worked with several of our clients to offer a Family Website full of community information as well as courses to help families learn more. We even have courses on how to manage the stress of the holiday season!  Here are a few of the courses we offer:

• (It’s All About You) Be Kind to Yourself, You’ve Earned It: Promoting a Healthy Caregiver Lifestyle will teach you about healthy eating, sleep, and exercise habits.
• (It’s All About You) Caring From Afar: Long-Distance Caregiving demonstrates ways to stay in touch and care for a loved one long distance.
• (Tender Loving Care) Hitting the Road: Traveling with Seniors discusses precautions and suggestions for worry-free travels with an aging loved one.
• (It’s All About You) Living Life As Usual: How to Maintain Caregiver Relationships suggests steps to rekindle meaningful togetherness with your relatives, partner, children, and friends.
• (Communication) Staying Connected: What to Do and What to Say When Visiting explains how to make the most of your visits with a loved one at the care community.
• (Communication) Taming the Task of Engaging Family Members and Friends offers tips on how to conduct an effective caregiver family meeting.

Silverchair wishes everyone a wonderful start to the holiday season!  Stay tuned to your community’s Family Website for important announcements and fun pictures from the activities going on in the community.

- by Marylynn Hibdon, PHR and Director, Editorial and Product Support – SLS For Families

November 9, 2011