Nursing Home 411 Podcast

Please subscribe to LTCCC's Youtube Channel :) https://www.youtube.com/@LongTermCareCommunityCoalition/ LTCCC's Executive Director Richard Mollot on the difference between practical vs. practicable well-being, ombudsmen vs. surveyors, the letters (A through L) in the nursing home scope and surveyor grid, and harm vs. no-harm. Interview recorded February 10, 2023 and edited for clarity. Background reading and [...]

When families and friends of nursing home residents join together, they can be a powerful force for improving care and ensuring dignity. That's why we at LTCCC have launched a Family Empowerment program dedicated to empowering families and building family councils. In our monthly Family Empower Half Hour, we cover essential topics to help [...]

The following is a recording from LTCCC's February 21, 2023 webinar, “NY Attorney General Enforcement Actions.” In the program, Amy Held (Director of NYS AG's MFCU) & Thom O'Hanlon (Chief of Criminal Investigations in NYS AG's MFCU​) discuss the recent groundbreaking lawsuits filed by NYS Attorney General James alleging widespread neglect and abuse and [...]

Lindsay Heckler (Center for Elder Law & Justice) on all things transfer and discharge: when they're legal, when they're illegal, and how to promote safe outcomes for residents. We also get into the role of ombudsmen, payment discrimination, personal needs allowance (it's only $50 per month in NY!), hockey, and more. Interview recorded October [...]

Recording of LTCCC's Oct. 18 webinar, "What Does Good Care Look Like for People Living with Dementia?" ft. Dr. Jonathan Evans. Video and slides available at https://nursinghome411.org/webinar-dementia-care/.

Technology resources like Zoom, FaceTime, Alexa, even TikTok, can open a world of possibilities and help us stay connected. Unfortunately, for many seniors and nursing home residents, these resources can be challenging and overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be that way. Stefano Selorio is a 23-year-old Founder & CEO of Carevocacy, a company [...]

U.S. health care is plagued by racism, and nowhere is that more evident than in the nation's 15,000 nursing homes. Whether it's COVID, care quality, or inappropriate drugging, research consistently shows significant disparities that impact Black nursing home residents. On this episode, Dr. Shekinah Fashaw-Walters – Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota and [...]

Many nursing home owners claim that they are operating on razor-thin margins or even in the red. But the reality of nursing home finances is a lot more complicated – perhaps, intentionally. On this episode, Bill Hammond from the Empire Center for Public Policy talks about a new report, “Following the Money,” examining the [...]

The following is a recording from LTCCC's June 22 webinar, "A Campaign Sedated: Dangerous Antipsychotic Drugging Persists Despite Federal Initiative," featuring Richard Mollot (LTCCC) and Tony Chicotel (CANHR). For video and slides, visit https://nursinghome411.org/webinar-ap-drugs/.

On this episode, we go behind the scenes of a must-watch VICE News documentary, “How Nursing Homes Hide Profits While Residents Suffer." In the interview, Tomas Navia (producer) and Joshua Hersh (correspondent) talk about how the documentary came together, what it was like investigating a nursing home chain that doesn't want to be investigated, the [...]

Last month the White House made a major announcement about nursing home reforms, perhaps the biggest news for nursing homes in 35 years. In Part 2 of this two-part episode, Lori Smetanka and Sam Brooks from the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care chat about their latest campaign supporting the White House reforms [...]

Last month the White house made a major announcement about nursing home reforms, perhaps the biggest news for nursing home residents in 35 years. In Part 1 of this two-part episode, Toby Edelman (Senior Policy Attorney, Center for Medicare Advocacy) and Richard Mollot (Executive Director, LTCCC) join the NursingHome411 Podcast to talk about the timeline [...]

The following is a recording from LTCCC's March 15 webinar, "A Matter of Justice: Racism as a Fundamental Cause of LTC Inequities," featuring Dr. Shekinah Fashaw-Walters. For video and slides, visit https://nursinghome411.org/webinar-ltc-inequity/.

On this episode, advocate and family member Mary Nichols discusses the making of "Protecting Them to Death: The Impact of Isolation in Long-Term Care" and how powerful stories can persuade policymakers and ultimately make a difference for residents. Interview recorded February 4, 2022 and edited for clarity. Mary's Recommendations: Broken in the Best Possible [...]

On this episode, advocate Cathy Unsino (LCSW) discusses the importance of providing person-centered care and shares experiences from her own work in nursing homes that show what's possible when we believe in the individual's capacity to grow. Interview recorded November 2021 and edited for clarity. Cathy's Recommendations: The Anatomy of an Illness, by Norman Cousins [...]

Eric Goldwein and Hayley Cronquist discuss LTCCC's oral history of the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes. For more interviews, visit http://nursinghome411.org/oral-history.

LTCCC's Richard Mollot, Hayley Cronquist, and Eric Goldwein discuss the expectation and reality of nursing home oversight and how lax enforcement exposes residents to substandard care and neglect. Interview recorded November 12, 2021 and edited for clarity. LTCCC's new project, "Nursing Home Oversight & Enforcement: Expectation vs. Reality." A Guide to Nursing Home Oversight [...]

Dr. Phyllis Mindell on finding the right words to communicate with nursing home staff and advocate for resident rights. Also: what it's like going in and out of hospice, misconceptions about elderly and infirm, and the art of dying well.

On this Giving Tuesday, please support LTCCC's advocacy by visiting https://nursinghome411.org/donate. This episode is a recording of LTCCC's 12th annual reception. Event Honoree: NYS AG Letitia James (6:59). Musical Performance: Singer-songwriter and guitarist Bridget St. John (11:28). Keynote speaker: Carmen Bowman, founder of Edu-Catering (22:50). For video and slides, visit https://nursinghome411.org/reception-12/. Moderated by Deborah Truhowsky (President, LTCCC Board [...]

For video and other materials from this program, visit https://nursinghome411.org/webinar-hidden-profits/. Note: This program was recorded on September 21st , 2021.

What is nursing home staff turnover and why does it matter for residents? On this episode, health economist Ashvin Gandhi (assistant professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management) discusses new research on nursing home staff turnover and its impact on resident care. Interview recorded September 9, 2021 and edited for clarity. Follow Ashvin [...]

On this episode, research scientist and vaccine guru, Beth Nivin, MPH, chats about her experiences speaking with nursing home staff about COVID-19 vaccines as a consultant for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Beth also provides an update on the latest research and data on vaccine efficacy and the Delta [...]

Resident-to-resident incidents can have devastating consequences for the residents involved as well as their families. But why do these incidents happen? Gerontologist Eilon Caspi, PhD (author of Understanding and Preventing Harmful Interactions Between Residents with Dementia) joins the NursingHome411 Podcast to discuss the causes of resident-to-resident incidents, how these incidents relate to neglect, risk-mitigation [...]

Tena Alonzo, dementia care expert, presents on strategies to reduce reliance on antipsychotics for people living with dementia at LTCCC's June webinar. For video and other materials from this program, visit nursinghome411.org/webinar-comfort-matters/. Note: This program was recorded on June 15th, 2021.

Note: The following is a replay of an episode from April 2020 (recorded February 2020), featuring Gloria Murray, ombudsman program director for the Hudson Valley in New York state. We're posting this episode ahead of a special online ombudsman town hall on Thursday, June 17. Register for the program at bit.ly/bestombuds. Submit a question [...]

Fire Through Dry Grass is a documentary that offers a rare look inside a New York City nursing home during the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode of the Nursing Home 411 Podcast features the film’s co-directors, Andres “Jay” Molina (a resident at Coler Rehabilitation & Nursing Care Center) and Alexis Neophytides, who chat about life at [...]

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) is a tremendous resource for tracking long-term care data and policy, COVID-related and beyond. On this episode, KFF senior policy analyst Priya Chidambaram chats about the latest nursing home data on vaccines and COVID, the limitations of state comparisons, and the process of collecting LTC data. Interview recorded May [...]

Cathy Unsino, LCSW, talks about how to transform nursing homes into warm, vibrant communities. For video and other materials from this webinar, visit https://nursinghome411.org/webinar-antidote-ageism/.

Direct care workers are a critical yet undervalued part of the long-term care system. On this episode, Desma Reaves, a certified nursing assistant and delegate for the healthcare workers union 1199SEIU upstate New York, chats about her experiences as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in COVID-ravaged nursing home, the difficult tradeoffs faced by nursing [...]

Geriatrician and researcher Dr. Nathan Stall has been on the front line serving Ontario’s long-term care residents both as a physician and a researcher, advocating for more humane COVID visitation policies and other critical resident rights. In the interview we discuss the collateral COVID damage for nursing home residents, Canada vs. U.S. LTC COVID [...]

Research scientist Beth Nivin on the science, history, and risks/benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines.

This two-part episode examines the evolving role of long term care ombudsmen during the COVID-19 pandemic. In part one, Pamela Mickens, Staff Long-Term Care Ombudsman with the Senior Source in Texas, discusses how ombudsmen serve as a conduit for residents and families. In part two (22:00), Texas State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Patty Ducayet chats [...]

LTCCC executive director Richard Mollot takes us back to the basics and explains the difference between: Nursing homes and Assisted Living facilities (1:25) Medicare and Medicaid (7:50) Ownership type: Non-profit vs. For-profit vs. Government facilities (11:25) Staffing positions: RN vs. CNA vs. LPN vs. LVN (16:00) Note: Episode recorded July 2020 Background reading and [...]

The Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC) celebrated 30 years of advocacy with a virtual town hall, “Where Do We Go From Here in Long Term Care?”, featuring a diverse panel discussion about the future of nursing homes with: Honorable Richard N. Gottfried (Chair, NYS Assembly Health Committee); Marcella Goheen (Family Member); Judy Johnson [...]

Journalist Katie Engelhart joins the Nursing Home 411 Podcast to discuss her investigative report on the COVID outbreak at Life Care Center in Kirkland, the experiences of the residents at the facility, and what the outbreak revealed about the systemic problems in U.S. nursing homes. Katie also chats about her new book, “The Inevitable: [...]

Texas-based attorney Ernie Tosh joins the show to discuss the relationship between nursing home finances, staffing, and resident care. Tosh also shared tips on using public nursing home data and chatted about his career path to becoming a data-driven attorney advocating for nursing home residents. Note: Interview recorded April 22, 2020. Background reading and [...]

The 2020 U.S. presidential election is fast approaching, but many long-term care residents, cut off from the outside world, may not get a vote. Professor Nina Kohn joins the show to discuss voting barriers in long-term care settings and explain why it's imperative that residents' voting rights are protected in this election. Kohn — [...]

Cathy Unsino, LCSW, discusses why nursing home reform is urgently needed to ensure a safer and more humane environment for residents.

The Maryland Baptist Aged Home, a small black-owned West Baltimore nursing home, is beating the odds during the pandemic and has kept its COVID-19 case count at zero. Johana Walburn, the nursing home's administrator, joins the show to talk about the infection control practices and socially distanced activities that have helped keep Maryland Baptist’s [...]

Many long term care residents have gone more than 100 days without seeing their families because of COVID-19 visitation restrictions. On this episode of the Nursing Home 411 Podcast, we hear from families about their challenges connecting with loved ones during the pandemic and how visitation restrictions have prevented them from providing essential services. [...]

Atlanta-based attorney Will Smith of Schenk Smith joins the show to chat about nursing home law and explain what a typical case looks like. Smith also discusses the implications of immunity laws shielding nursing homes from coronavirus related litigation, his journey from the military to nursing home law, and his podcast co-hosted with law [...]

Dr. Charlene Harrington, a renowned researcher of long-term care, talks about the perils of nursing home privatization and how the privatized system has shaped the COVID-19 response in the United States. Dr. Harrington also discusses the similarities between the long-term care systems in the U.S. and United Kingdom, and how they both differ from Norway’s [...]

Richard Mollot, LTCCC’s executive director, joins the show to talk about the hidden costs of COVID-19 and why resident abuse and neglect have been going unchecked. Mollot also discusses new federal requirements for facilities to report COVID-19 cases, fatalities, and other critical information. Background reading and references: Visit LTCCC’s Coronavirus Resource Center: https://nursinghome411.org/coronavirus/ Richard’s [...]