COVID-19 Mini-Series: Interview with Dr. Eleanor Feldman Barbera

Eleanor Feldman Barbera, PhD is a licensed psychologist and long-term care industry expert, combining her training with decades of experience to offer innovative solutions to problems affecting cost and quality of care. Dr. Barbera counsels older adults and their families as they navigate aging and the healthcare system, speaks internationally on aging and mental health issues and is the writer of the award-winning McKnight’s LTC News column, The World According to Dr. El, which offers a mental health perspective on a medical environment. Dr. Barbera has authored a large-print guidebook for residents and their families, The Savvy Resident’s Guide, contributed to AMDA The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine’s Younger Adult in the Long-Term Care Setting manual, written a chapter in Bullying in Older Adults, and has a chapter in the forthcoming tentatively-titled book Ageing Concerns Globally. She is a past columnist for iAdvance Senior Care (formerly Long-Term Living Magazine) and her work has been featured in AMDA’s Caring for the Ages magazine and has been seen in USA Today, AARP, Kaiser Health News and Next Avenue. She is writing a novel based on her work.

Dr. Barbera provides training to staff, coaching to families, and has spoken to industry audiences including LeadingAge Florida, MarcusEvans LTC and Senior Living CXO conference, ElderAbuseOntario, Maine Health Care Association Assisted Living Conference, ECRI Institute, American Psychological Association, Activity Professionals of Ontario, Montana Certification Bureau, Louisiana Nurse Home Association and many more. She developed the Violence Prevention Training Program for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. She is a long-time member of the American Psychological Association and Psychologists in Long-Term Care.

Dr. Barbera is endlessly captivated by her chosen field, from the resilience of elders grappling with life changes, to inspiring caregivers and innovative service providers, to the alternately impressive and alarming efforts of societies to handle their growing aging populations. Her past work in psychiatric hospitals, managed mental health care and other behavioral health settings informs her perspective that addressing the behavioral health needs of elders and their caregivers is the key to success.

Resources discussed in today’s episode:

1. McKnight’s LTC News Column titled The World According to Dr. El

2. Dr. Barbera’s book, titled The Savvy Resident’s Guide: Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Nursing Home Stay But Were Afraid to Ask

3. Information on point-of-care testing:

- https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/07/14/891116538/despite-shortfalls-and-delays-u-s-testing-czar-says-efforts-are-mostly-sufficien

- https://www.mcknights.com/news/specifics-of-point-of-care-covid-19-testing-coming-to-all-u-s-nursing-homes-providers-welcome-move/

- https://www.mcknights.com/news/point-of-care-tests-offer-more-flexibility-for-facilities-but-implementation-may-pose-problems-experts-warn/

4. Simard, J., & Volicer, L. (2020). Loneliness and isolation in long-term care and the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMDA, 21, 966-967.