Music & Memory℠ is designed to improve the lives of residents suffering from Alzheimer's, dementia, and other cognitive disorders. Music & Memory℠ provides training for providers in how to set up personalized music via iPods for residents, and then weave it into their daily plan of care.

Thanks to a 1.4 million dollar grant awarded to the California Association of Health Facilities (CAHF) in August 2015 from the California Department of Public Health, CAHF will be providing Music & Memory℠ training to 300 skilled nursing facility teams over the next 3 years, and distributing equipment for 4,500 skilled nursing residents in these participating facilities at no charge.

by Debra Bakerjian, PhD, APRN, FAAN, FAANP

It is hard to believe that it is already December, it seems like I just finished writing the last update – how time flies by!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!  As I think back on the months since I last wrote, it has been an eventful six months that has had a great impact on all of us!  I am sharing some of my own reflections about a few key issues and hope that will spur your thinking as well.

by Timothy Gieseke, MD, CMD

Dickens described the paradox of giving and receiving so well in the character of Ebenezer Scrooge as Ebenezer sought life and joy in pursuit of great wealth at the expense of everyone else.  The paradox is that he received the greatest wealth and joy when he was transformed from a hoarder to a giver.

In my own life I have found this particularly true in medicine, which has become so business-oriented with a “survival” mode mentality rather than being patient-friendly.  As I have progressively moved into the world of geriatrics, I have been encouraged by the focus on patient-friendly, competent care and the collaborative team approach that shares expertise, innovation, and kindness.

by Timothy Gieseke, MD, CMD

I recently had a patient with bipolar disorder who developed lithium toxicity (level 2.0) which likely had been present for several weeks prior to diagnosis.  Simultaneously, she developed hypercalcemia of 12.0.  Was the latter problem related to lithium toxicity or was there a new diagnosis to be sought?  Fortunately, I have personally subscribed to UpToDate, an evidenced based electronic library that updates on a regular basis most of the areas of clinical medicine.