"Concentrates on the positive aspects of nursing homes and offers strategies for identifying the best facilities--a guide for maintaining and improving relationships between the elderly and their families"--Provided by publisher.

The grassroots handbook for Edenizing nursing homes.

While life in a nursing home is rarely considered a first choice, at times it's the best choice. Still, the decision to put a loved one in a home is incredibly difficult. This book concentrates on the positive aspects of nursing homes and offers strategies for identifying the best facilities. Among the topics covered are how to recognize signs that a family member needs extra support, determining whether in-home care is a viable option, the different types of long-term care, working and communicating with the staff and preparing for the end of life. The book includes exercises for working through emotional reactions to the nursing home decision and how to maintain and improve family relationships in these circumstances. Uplifting stories of people and staff in nursing homes illustrate the concepts in the book, which is clearly written and filled with practical and positive advice.

Designated a Doody's Core Title! "Caring for the older adult population is a challenge and the goal of nursing practice is to help preserve or restore an older adult's function and maximize their well-being and quality of life. This book is a wonderful resource for assisted living clinicians and nurses who wish to serve this population. It is well written, easy to read, and well organized so it can be used as a textbook for nursing students in geriatric nursing." Score: 94, 4 stars --Doody's "This book, written by and for nurses across the spectrum of nurse providers (advanced practice nurses, delegating nurses, and the direct care workforce), covers all aspects of management as well as the many common clinical problems and syndromes we encounter among older adults. Further, this book proposes wonderful assessment and intervention material that will help the entire health care team keep residents within their AL communities through early recognition and management of acute illnesses. Kudos to our nursing colleagues for editing this publication and may it serve as the useful guide for AL residents across the country." --John B. Murphy, MD President, American Geriatrics Society Professor of Medicine and Family Medicine Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University This book provides a comprehensive overview of both management activities and clinical competencies for assisted living nurses. The authors provide practical guidelines and decision-making models to help nurses address both the large- and small-scale challenges of their daily practice. With Assisted Living Nursing, readers can gain the essential problem-solving and task management skills critical to their daily work. The contributors cover a wide range of topics, including: Management Ethics in nursing practice Regulatory oversight and reimbursement Organizational culture Leadership theories and styles Conflict resolution Finance and budget management Risk assessment Clinical Practice Admission-transfer-discharge assessment Infection Control Cultural aspects of care Geriatric clinical syndromes and disorders Palliative and hospice care principles Rehabilitation/restorative nursing Theories of aging Ultimately, this book serves as the definitive, one-stop resource, addressing virtually every topic of interest to assisted living nurses.

A layabout mutt turned therapy dog leads her owner to a new understanding of the good life. At loose ends with her daughter leaving home and her husband on the road, Sue Halpern decided to give herself and Pransky, her under-occupied Labradoodle, a new leash—er, lease—on life by getting the two of them certified as a therapy dog team. Smart, spirited, and instinctively compassionate, Pransky turned out to be not only a terrific therapist but an unerring moral compass. In the unlikely sounding arena of a public nursing home, she led her teammate into a series of encounters with the residents that revealed depths of warmth, humor, and insight Halpern hadn’t expected. And little by little, their adventures expanded and illuminated Halpern’s sense of what virtue is and does—how acts of kindness transform the giver as well as the given-to. Funny, moving, and profound, A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home is the story of how one faithful, charitable, loving, and sometimes prudent mutt—showing great hope, fortitude, and restraint along the way (the occasional begged or stolen treat notwithstanding)—taught a well-meaning woman the true nature and pleasures of the good life.

After caring for his mother at the end of her life, Thomas Gass took a job as a nursing home aide in a for-profit long term care home. This graphic, poignant & chilling book details his experiences in this 'warehouse' for the elderly & asks fundamental questions about care in American nursing homes.

From the unique experiences of nursing home residents, an empathic psychologist derives lessons for living a better life, demonstrating how people find happiness, peace, and fulfillment despite challenging circumstances. Perfect for readers who seek inspiration for living a better life at any age and who enjoy books on inspiration/motivation, wellness, psychology, self-improvement, wellness, and issues of aging. The desire to live a good life is timeless. And, sometimes, insight into what really matters emerges from where we least expect it. Even the most challenging circumstances can have a surprise silver lining. This perceptive and inspiring book shows that anyone can learn valuable life lessons from the unique experiences of nursing home residents. Using illustrative vignettes of his interactions with people facing serious physical, mental, and social challenges, the author derives twenty-eight simple, yet profoundly important, lessons for living a richer life-lessons that apply to people at any age. Dr. Dodgen, a clinical psychologist who has worked with this population for eighteen years, has discovered that when the surplus trappings of lifestyle are cleared away and lives are stripped to their most essential components, people discover new paths to happiness, peace, and fulfillment. Dodgen shares stories that demonstrate how love, meaning, purpose, and contentment can be found even in far-from-ideal circumstances. Offering deeply thoughtful reflections in an easily digestible format, this book affirms that no matter our physical, economic, or social limitations, we can remain rich in life. Readers looking for ways to improve relationships, understand and manage feelings more effectively, cope well with challenges, mitigate suffering, and discover greater serenity in their own life circumstances will find a wealth of insights in these concise, enlightening chapters.