​​​There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of trauma for many residents and staff members. Behavioral health experts advise leaders to acknowledge when an individual’s mood, attitude, or behavior have changed and be there to support them through it, says Contributing Editor Joanne Kaldy in the first cover story feature.

The second feature covers grief, a common corollary of trauma, but one that looks different in the COVID world where people are grieving many losses beyond death. Just reaching out and expressing a willingness to be there for the person is a good way to start, experts say. Offering grief counseling and opportunities to share their feelings can comfort people and make them feel less alone.

In the final cover feature, Kaldy asks providers to share changes, innovations, and inspiring stories that have come out of the pandemic. For example, one provider tells how their activity department devised ways for residents to connect, interact, and have fun without leaving their rooms and later turned visiting rooms into beautiful places.

Following enactment of a new law in California mandating SNF medical director certification, Karl Steinberg, MD, CMD, makes the case that all SNFs should require​ their medical directors to pursue CMD credits.

In a special feature, AHCA’s Andrea Todd interviews the administrators of the two facilities achieving Gold in the 2021 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award​ recipient list: Angela Watkins, RN, of Magnolia Manor of Marion Country in Buena Vista, Ga., and Greg Urban of Maine Veterans’ Home - Bangor.​

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