by Michael Wasserman, MD, CMD

How many of us have cared for frail older adults who were failing at home, yet seen them thrive in a nursing home?  The structure and socialization that is provided in nursing homes is hard to duplicate in the home setting. The delivery of care in nursing homes is the true definition of teamwork, and at CALTCM we are trying to model this.  In addition to physicians, our members include nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, social workers, psychologists, DON’s, and nursing home administrators. The field of geriatrics has always accepted and promoted teamwork.  One thing I have learned through efforts to reduce antipsychotic medications in nursing homes is that it takes a collaborative approach between facility staff and the clinicians caring for the residents. We have a responsibility to lead the way in modeling the most effective collaborative approaches to caring for some of the most vulnerable members of our society.  We also need to effectively message the value of the care that is provided along the long term care continuum. As I visit nursing homes I am often struck by the gratitude of the residents, and am profoundly humbled by the efforts of the front-line staff, many of whom find their work to be a calling. I believe that we can all join them in that regard.

Our upcoming Annual meeting will be looking at the entire breadth of the challenges we face in long term care. We will be addressing everything from disaster preparedness to the typical clinical issues of dementia and COPD.  Our speakers will touch upon how we can develop effective working relationships. We will also address the newest and latest policy and regulatory issues. The popular Friday Best Practice pre-conference is back and we’ve added a Medicolegal Summit on Thursday night.  If you work in the nursing homes, this conference is not to be missed! 

CALTCM has been making efforts to engage with the larger nursing home chains in California and has also been developing a relationship in CAHF.  In fact, we’ve developed a half day educational program for the July CAHF meeting in Monterey. We’re all in this together and it’s exciting to report that we’re working hard on this collaboration.  It’s important that we continue to grow our organization as there are definitely strength in numbers. Tell a friend or colleague about us and let’s all work together to grow CALTCM.