Our Articles

Read Articles by SkyCare CEO Judah Gutwein, LNHA, featured in top industry publications.

MOURNING A STATESMAN OF
LONG-TERM CARE

December 4, 2020

The Healthcare Industry lost a true statesman with last month’s passing of Joe Yurowitz, long-time senior vice president of The Grand Healthcare System in New York.

Joe’s untimely death at the age of 51 left a huge void in our collective family and in the hearts of all who were fortunate to know him. Joe was the consummate healthcare professional and a major force behind the many forward-thinking initiatives and programs that have made The Grand Healthcare brand the envy of healthcare providers across the country.

He cared deeply and passionately about every resident living in the many healthcare facilities he oversaw. With his incredible personal charm and charisma, he endeared himself to everyone.

To Joe, every resident was family. They were not just names to him and part of a census tally. They were unique individuals who were loved and beloved and deserving of being treated like one of his own.

A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON LONGEVITY

October 24, 2019

In the ever-evolving skilled nursing landscape, one thing has always remained a constant: the quest for longevity.

We tend to view longevity from the perspective of the patient or resident. For example, a skilled nursing facility that touts their large population of centenarians is associated with an exemplary level of quality care and services.

This distinction is considered a metric of their success. To be sure, there is much merit to this and indeed, I’ve brought attention to it myself.

I’d like to posit that this same logic may be equally applied to the longevity of a healthcare employee, particularly in the skilled nursing arena.

WATCH YOUR BACK

February 16, 2018

Any caregiver who works directly with patients in a healthcare setting will readily attest to the rigors and strain involved in the day-to-day help with the residents’ Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). It isn’t easy to provide comprehensive physical care without taxing the muscles of the body and the exoskeletal system, and without the proper caution it is easy to injure yourself.

The most common form of injury is to the upper and lower back—it’s the most frequent type of workers compensation claim.

The fact is, most motions affect the spine or back muscles, and the back is not an extremely resilient part of the body. Once the back has been injured, it proves to be very difficult to heal and will never be as stable as it was prior to the injury. Therefore, the old adage that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” aptly applies.

YOUR LINE STAFF OF CNAS AND NURSES WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR FACILITY’S REPUTATION

January 22, 2018

I was meeting with a new client recently at their skilled nursing and rehab facility for our in-service prior to launching their online digital marketing campaign. This rather large facility was already suffering from a terrible online reputation with many horrible reviews posted to their Google Business Page,

Yelp page and other social media and healthcare platforms, over a sustained period of years.

GIVE YOUR RESIDENTS THE MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

November 13, 2017

Here I was standing at the funeral of Rabbi Israel T, one of the beloved residents of our nursing home and a man I came to love and admire in the too short period of time that I was privileged to know him.

Not only was I at the funeral, I was in the middle of my public eulogy at the request of his family and there was nary a dry eye in the crowd, including my own.

THE BEST GIFT FOR YOUR NURSING HOME RESIDENTS

November 10, 2017

Here I was standing at the funeral of Rabbi Israel T, one of the beloved residents of our nursing home and a man I came to love and admire in the too short period of time that I was privileged to know him.

Not only was I at the funeral, I was in the middle of my public eulogy at the request of his family and there was nary a dry eye in the crowd, including my own.

EMBRACING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR YOUR RESIDENTS

September 14, 2017

The truth of the matter is, it isn’t just healthcare providers whose businesses and census numbers are impacted on both ends of the spectrum based upon the quality of their online presence and visibility. Healthcare consumers are also greatly impacted by the healthcare technology protocol on the part of the provider.

Moreover, healthcare consumers stand to derive great benefit and an enhanced quality of life, from the positive synergy between healthcare and technology. It is this latter aspect which I’d like to focus on for a moment as the topic of this article.

MINDING YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION

April 19, 2017

It’s amazing the things you hear (and discuss) in a physician’s waiting room.

I was sitting in the waiting room of my general practitioner the other day when I overheard a conversation between two other patients who were waiting.

One was telling the other about how confident they were in this doctor and how they wouldn’t use any other doctor notwithstanding the fact that his receptionist (who happens to be his wife) is an “abrasive and nasty prude.”

IGNORANCE IS NEVER
BLISS ONLINE

January 23, 2017

Some industries are slower to adapt than others and the healthcare industry is no exception. While online marketing has largely been embraced by virtually all sectors of commerce,

in the healthcare world and among healthcare providers (in disproportionally greater numbers than consumers), the internet often remains an elusive and scary place.

PROPER HEALTH FOR SENIORS

September 26, 2016

There is nothing more counter to a healthy lifestyle than inactivity and turning into a sedentary ‘couch potato.’A proper fitness and exercise and regimen, knows no distinction of age or gender.

Male and female, both young and old, need to stay active in order to stay healthy.

WHO WILL CARE FOR THE CAREGIVER?

August 30, 2016

Senior healthcare providers are naturally inclined to show compassion towards the patients and residents, who are clinically compromised and require help and assistance.

But what about their loved ones, who are placing their parent(s) after years of caring for them? Do we similarly show compassion to them as well?

Unfortunately, caring for the caregiver is a part of senior care that is often overlooked by many.

AN INTERVIEW WITH JUDAH GUTWEIN

July 19, 2016

Q: What led you to the senior care industry?

To say that my career trajectory is atypical would be an understatement!

For as long as I could remember, selling diamonds and jewelry has been a family passion. I started my career as CEO of my family’s online diamond and jewelry business,

and held that position for over 10 years before making a dramatic career change with my foray into the world of senior healthcare.

That’s a pretty dramatic career shift, right? Amen.

HOW WILL I PAY FOR MY IN-PATIENT SKILLED NURSING OR POST-ACUTE REHABILITATION CARE?

June 21, 2016

The good news is that in most instances, paying for in-patient Post-Acute Rehab in a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility is typically covered by any one of 4 insurance types, or a combination thereof.

In this essay I’d like to briefly outline the different insurances and who/what they typically cover.

While this essay is certainly not intended to be exhaustive and/or definitive, it is certainly an excellent initial point of reference and we hope it will be insightful and beneficial for you.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH SENIORS

February 8, 2016

“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.”

While it’s unknown who said that quote, I was reminded of it while visiting a patient at an adult day care center recently.

I overheard a conversation between a caregiver and one of the residents. The elderly resident seemed to be anywhere from 70- to 80-years old, yet the staff member was addressing him as though he were but a small child. It wasn’t what he was saying, but how he was saying it.

LYING CAN BE AN ACT OF COMPASSION

November 27, 2015

Some memories are painful, and painfully hard to forget.

One of my most difficult memories is a recollection of a visit to my grandfather many years ago in the nursing home where he lived.

The scene is seared into my heart and involved a particular aide who was interacting with a resident who was clearly suffering from dementia.

WHAT IS RESPITE CARE?

April 11, 2018

Being a “Parent to Your Parent” is no longer cliche in 2018.

With seniors living longer than ever before, baby boomers and millennial’s are increasingly faced with the daunting (albeit rewarding) task of caring for an elderly parent or grandparent at home.

For some, ‘home’ is the house they grew up in as children, as they coordinate and manage the daily care of their loved ones, thereby allowing them to age in place. For others, ‘home’ means bringing Mom or Dad into their own homes to care for them as one of their immediate family.

let’s work together

WANT TO BOOST YOUR ONLINE RESULTS?

Request Your Free Web Marketing Consultation from SkyCare MEDIA or call us now on 973-SkyCare