Texas Long Term Care Institute

Special Registration Fee for TXSTATE Students wishing to attend Guardianship and Spirituality and Aging Conferences August 19-21, 2009

Texas State University Students wishing to attend the conferences may register at the reduced fee for both conferences.

SEE STUDENT REGISTRATION FORM.

Last day to receive Discounted Rate at Embassy Suites-San Marcos for upcoming conferences is July 28, 2009. Be Sure to use the Group Code LTC when making reservations.

Welcome Jan McCann - New Director of the Institute

Jan R. McCann, RN, MSHA is a graduate of Mount Carmel School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio. She received an undergraduate degree in Health Administration at Park College in Austin, Texas. She received a Master of Science Degree in Health Professions from Texas State University and serves as an academic lecturer in the College of Health Professions at Texas State University-San Marcos.

Jan has served the healthcare industry for over 40 years in clinical and leadership roles across the United States. Her nursing expertise encompases the fields of Ambulatory Surgery, Neurology, and Geriatrics. She has served as a consultant in Long Term Care facilities, and an advisor to the Seton and Seton Northwest Ambulatory Building projects in the early 1990”s. She presented Seton's model at the American Hospital Association conference in San Francisco during this time. In 2001, Jan was named the Texas Health Care Association's "Director of Nursing of the Year" during her employment as Director of Nursing at Deer Creek Nursing Home in Wimberly, Texas. She actively supports the Parish Nursing program at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church of Wimberley, Texas.

Sandra Ransom,
Director of Texas Long Term Care Institute, retires after 15 years of service.

Sandy Ransom is recognized as a national leader in the long term care culture change movement. Under her direction the Institute has produced such notable projects as:     

• Development of Validation Training, authored by internationally know Naomi Feil
• Longitudinal study on the The Eden Alternative®
• Development of the Alzheimer's Disease Education Program
• Analyses of Warmth Surveys from organizatrions throughout the US, Canada, and Australia
• Multiple publications concerning Elders and their caregivers in LTC settings.
• Most recently, a study of the effects of using essential oils in nursing homes.

Sandy has provided training in leadership and Culture Change to hundreds of people in the US and Australia. She has given testimony to the Texas State Legislature and at the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. She has served on the Culture Change Survey Development Committee (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services). Sandy will be joining Pinon Management in Lakewood, Colorado as their Culture Change Specialist.

The Texas Long Term Institute partnered with Shannon Williams, director of the Strong for Life program, in this unique research project. Seniors from Allenwood Homes and Springtown Villa of San Marcos participated in two nine week trials. Dedicated students, Brian McAdams, Emily Padgett, Laura Rodriguez, and Doreen Ruiz collected data and monitored the seniors as they played the Interactive Wii® gaming system. Seniors played twice a week for twenty minutes per session. Dr. Denise Gobert supervised the sophisticated balance measurements taken before and after the nine week sessions. Other data collected were the Geriatric Depression Scale, the Short Form Health Survey (SF12), Mini Mental Status Exam, and cardiac changes during playing time.