Q

uick: If you had to tell someone what made your facility special in 21 words or less, would it make a lasting impression? Could you put into words the reasons why a person should bring a loved one into your facility? Are your services good enough to foster a good reputation and repeat business?
       These are a few of the essential questions posed by Jo Walters, RNC, FACDONA, in this month’s cover article, “The Customer Service Puzzle,” in which the author stresses the importance of viewing residents and their families as customers—on whose satisfaction your facility depends—and treating them accordingly. Too often, Walters writes, facilities fail to “walk the customer service talk.” Among her recommendations to fix that are creating a great first impression, handling complaints swiftly and positively, giving the customer 100% of your attention, and developing an “attitude of gratitude” for residents and their families. Turn to page 18 for the rest of the pieces to the puzzle.
       This issue also contains the first article, “Antipsychotic Medication for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia” in a series on mental health conditions affecting both long-term care residents and the facilities that provide for them. Forthcoming articles in ECPN will focus on topics—both clinical and financial in nature, such as bipolar disorder late in life and coding and billing for dementia across the care continuum—that are becoming more and more integral to our aging nation.
       Also included in this issue is news on efforts of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to enhance the oversight of its Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program as well as articles on the following topics: a new handbook for family members of aging persons suffering from vision loss, ways to provide high-tech nutritional care, managing your facility’s survey process, answering skin and wound care questions for OASIS in light of recent CMS changes, and the power of laughter to ease the stress and tension at times when the Minimum Data Set (MDS) workload mounts. On behalf of the staff of ECPN, I hope you enjoy this issue. As always, thank you for reading.