Spotlight
Welcome Nancy Truland ...
(Continued from page 4)
Welcome Nancy Truland ...
What are your thoughts about long term care five
years from now?
counterproductive. Large fines and the
The changes that I have seen in long term care are astounding. It is
no longer only about the little old ladies and gentlemen who come
to a facility to live out the rest of their lives. The field has become
competitive and facilities are increasingly evaluated on outcome
which is challenging to measure. “Achieving more with less” is a
theme that rings throughout and utilizing technology, resources and
making sure that the right people are in the right places doing the
right thing is imperative. Strong clinical skills and strong leadership
qualities are vital.
you need in order to provide care do not
You spent quite a while working in the North
Country. What is your take on the needs of the
aging population in that area given the vast
geographical distance among people and limited
resources?
Get all of the facts. Listen to the
I loved my work in the North Country. Despite limited resources and
support groups the people I worked with are strong and determined.
Many of them had rarely, if ever, seen a doctor and were obviously
not pleased to be living in a facility. We were faced with respecting
their privacy and their rights, including honoring their right to be
discharged back to a home setting that we may not have deemed a
healthy living environment. Many North Country folk live a simple
life that does not need to include many items that we would consider
basic needs.
path and how did they help
loss of the ability to train the staff that
seemingly lead toward a process that
will result in improvement of care.
What advice might you
give to lawmakers right
now about the future of
long term care?
providers. Talk to each other.
influencers on your career
your career?
Some of LeadingAge New York’s very
own have influenced my path. Linda
Smith was my director of nursing for
many years and was a great mentor.
Kathy Pellatt and I also worked closely
together and I served as her assistant for
Utilize technology to its fullest. Build good working relationships
with all of the health care providers, especially in the hospital setting.
Look at the changes in Medicare and Medicaid structure a s positive
and do your best to embrace them and to conquer them! Positive
energy is contagious (and so is negative energy). Utilize the services of
LeadingAge New York!
nursing and has taught me to appreciate
I would love to see a fair and consistent regulatory process across
the state, if not the nation. The results of a survey inspection are
more important than ever with the Five-Star Quality Rating System.
Additionally, the repercussions of poor performance appear to be
Technology Solutions for
the Long Term
Who have been the
What can providers do now to begin preparing for
the future?
If you could change anything within long term care
right now, what would it be?
(Continued from page 5)
a short time. My mom was a director of
and to respect the aged population.
Every person that I have worked with
has helped me to learn and to grow as
IT Assurance Delivers Peace of Mind
• Full or Part Time Onsite IT Support
• EMR implementation and planning
• On going monitoring and support of your facility’s
PCs, servers, and network equipment
• Data encryption to ensure secure transmission of
prescriptions and patient information
• Network assessments to identify security vulnerabilities
well as each resident that I was fortunate
to know.
What would surprise readers
about you?
Contact Custom’s Long Term Care Team
800.598.8989 | [email protected]
Winter is a favorite season of mine and
summer is a least favorite!
Right People. Right Results.
(See Welcome Nancy Truland on page 6)
5
Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Spring 2016
leadingageny.org 6