Today’s world of medication management includes not only making sure all residents are taking the correct dosage of the correct drug throughout an episode of care, but keeping a vigilant stance on the misuse of antipsychotics and opioids throughout any skilled nursing, memory care, or assisted living community, says cover story author Senior Writer and Editor Patrick Connole. One movement he found to be widespread was provider efforts to ease residents in distress without deploying medications. One method entails asking family members questions about what the person’s life and habits were before the onset of dementia for clues into current behavior.

A good night’s sleep has long been recognized as important to health, but research has now shown that a lack of adequate sleep can lead to or worsen such conditions as dementia, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. In Focus on Caregiving, Cathy Haines Ciolek says that nightly noises in the facility are the chief culprits of causing residents to sleep poorly and offers ideas for how to alleviate them.

A special interview this month is with Christy Hinkle, social services director for Hillcrest Health and Rehabilitation in Corbin, Ky. Managing Editor Amy Mendoza reports on Hinkle’s growth in the job, her challenges and her successes. When residents don’t want to be in the facility but have no place else to go, Hinkle focuses on helping them understand their current needs and the positives of having help available to them. Then she says to the resident, “Let’s get the best out of life. Let’s figure out how to make it pleasant and memorable for you.” And then she helps them find ways to do so.

With the rise in acuity among patients comes a higher risk of spreading infection. In this month’s Management column, Daniel Gravatt makes the case for a switch from “housekeeping” to environmental services, a type of cleaning keyed to infection elimination.
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