Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) continue to be riddled with Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), and 2012 will prove to be an increasingly challenging year, specifically as it relates to the prevention of HAIs and the demand for public transparency.

Many health professionals extol the benefits of reminiscence and caregiving. From conflict resolution and improved social connections to discovering the value of one's life, reminiscing helps build trust and comfort among patients, caregivers and family members. Reminiscing can engage people with dementia, provide therapeutic benefits for Alzheimer's patients, ease depression and offer comfort for hospice patients to reflect on their lives and their legacies.

There is no doubt residents in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities are using more medications and taking them more frequently than patients in community and other traditional hospitals. The challenges associated with this situation ripple through facility administration, billing and reimbursement, professional staffing and drug sourcing. This represents an equally daunting set of challenges for the alternate site pharmacies supporting these residents and facilities.