Long term care providers have slashed their use of antipsychotic medications by nearly 6 percent, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) is expected to announce Monday. For AHCA members, the off-label use of antipsychotics fell by nearly 7 percent, the association will say Monday in a conference call with media.

The recent events in Watertown, Mass., as the hunt for perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombing ensued, and the plant explosion in West, Texas, that impacted a nursing home reminds us that providers must be ready for anything and everything.

Taste is impacted by sense of smell, which also declines significantly as one ages. Thirty percent of people between the ages of 70 and 80 have a problem with their sense of smell. Smell that declines with age is called presbyosmia, and it is not preventable.

The final seven of this year’s 20 To Watch illustrate the best of long term and post-acute care. In the third and final round of Provider’s inaugural 20 To Watch feature are two administrators, a director of health management, two chief executive officers, a dementia care program director, and an owner/administrator.

The American Health Care Association on Thursday pushed back against a report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General that accused long term care professionals of sloppy care planning.

Meet Joyce Simard, founder of Namaste Care, geriatric consultant, author, and one of this year's 20 To Watch honorees.

What are the most pressing issues facing the profession today? Gov. Mark Parkinson, AHCA president and CEO, draws upon his experience as both a long term care owner/operator, and as a former policymaker, to answer this question with clarity and candor.

Provider’s inaugural 20 To Watch continues this month with profiles of seven honorees who—just as they did last month—shine bright as glittering examples of what’s best in long term and post-acute care today. An assistant administrator, a director of engineering, a dietitian, a nurse, an administrator, an owner, and a founder of a nonprofit organization all have the spotlight this month.

Providers are increasingly recognizing the importance of providing a greater array of activities at long term care residences. Playing Lawrence Welk music and holding daily bingo games are becoming a thing of the past as today’s long term care residents become more connected to popular culture, some even bringing their own iPads when they move in.

They listen, they lead, they love their work, and they want to make a difference in the lives of elders in nursing homes, assisted living communities, and elsewhere across the country. They are Provider’s 20 To Watch in 2013. In this inaugural feature are profiled some of the most compassionate and committed folks in long term and post-acute care.