Literature Review

World Alzheimer's Month: September 2024 Alzheimer's Disease International, London, UK and Lincolnshire, IL, USA; retrieved from the internet 8/26/24Each September, people unite from all corners of the world to raise awareness and to challenge the stigma that persists around Alzheimer's disease and all types of dementia.  ... The 2024 World Alzheimer's Month will centre around the taglines 'Time to act on dementia, Time to act on Alzheimer's.' ...  Editor's Note: Click here for Alzheimer's Disease Internationals' 2024 campaign theme materials. Click here for the Alzheimer's Association in your USA location.

My motivation lies in the fact that I truly love what I'm doing. ~ Trischa Zorn-Hudson, U.S. Paralympics Swimming, most-decorated Paralympian of all time with 55 medals 

What is C-level (C-suite)? TechTarget - CIO; by Rahul Awati and Mary K. Pratt; 8/27/24... In recent years, positions like chief diversity officer (CDO), chief compliance officer (CCO), chief risk officer (CRO) and chief information security officer (CISO) have also emerged as part of the C-suite. Officers who hold C-level positions are typically considered the most powerful, influential members of an organization; consequently, they set the company's strategy, make high-stakes decisions, and ensure that daily operations align with fulfilling the company's strategic goals. ... Depending on the company type, size, country of operation and industry, the C-Suite might include some or all the following positions: [Explore this article for long-standing roles and new, emerging C-suite roles: CEO, COO, CFO, CMO, CIO, CTO, CHRO, CCO, CSO, CISO, CDO, CAO, CXO, CGO, CITA, CKI, CLO, CMIO, CPO, CPIO, CPO, CRO, CSS, CSO, CTO.]

[CMS] Disparities impact statementCMS press release; 8/20/24This tool can be used by health care stakeholders to promote efforts to identify and address health disparities while improving the health of all people, including those from racial and ethnic minorities; people with disabilities; members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities; individuals with limited English proficiency; and rural, Tribal, and geographically isolated communities. This worksheet has 5 steps to be completed over time...

VNA Hospice and Don Quijote supports Meals on Wheels with annual benefit dinner GreatNews.Life, Valparaiso, IN; by Garrett Spoort; 8/27/24 Don Quijote Restaurant hosted its fourth annual VNA Hospice NWI Meals on Wheels benefit dinner on Sunday, August 25. The event serves as a traditional fundraiser while educating the community and sharing stories about the program. Bob Franko, CEO of VNA Hospice NWI, has high anticipation every year as this event inches closer. “This is something that we look forward to every year,” Franko said. “We have about 250 people in our Meals on Wheels program. Every $125 that we raise today will feed a senior for a month. Food scarcity has become more of an issue in our community for the seniors, so this event is really important for us.” Don Quijote has supported the mission for VNA Hospice’s Meals on Wheels program. The restaurant covers all of the event costs, allowing all of the funds raised to go directly to feeding seniors in need.Editor's Note: What a wonderful community partnership. Typically, nonprofit organizations are raising money for their own services. This initiative has a larger, collective purpose and community engagement that benefits all involved.

Leaving your legacy via death bots? Ethicist shares concernsMedscape; by Arthur L. Caplan, PhD; 8/21/24I heard recently about a fascinating, important development in artificial intelligence (AI)... It has entered into a space where I think patients may raise questions about whether they should use it or seek opinions from doctors and nurses, particularly those involved with seriously ill people. That space is grieving, and what might be called "death bots..." This would allow not only spouses but grandchildren and people in future generations to have some way to interact with an ancestor who's gone. It may allow people to feel comfort when they miss a loved one, to hear their voice, and not just in a prerecorded way but creatively interacting with them. On the other hand, there are clearly many ethical issues about creating an artificial version of yourself. One obvious issue is how accurate this AI version of you will be if the death bot can create information that sounds like you, but really isn't what you would have said, despite the effort to glean it from recordings and past information about you. Is it all right if people wander from the truth in trying to interact with someone who's died?Publisher's note: The article includes several thoughtful ethical questions regarding this use of AI via "death bots".

Austin architects unveil plans for rare pediatric respite and hospice facility CultureMap Austin, TX; by Brianna Caleri; 8/26/24 Few people want to think about the end of a child's life, but pediatric care is a need nonetheless — and it's an underserved one. According to Children's Respite Homes in America, as of 2023, there were only six of such homes in the United States, which makes the plans unveiled at the August 24 Abbey Lights Up COTA Gala incredibly unique. ... The first of its kind in Central Texas, Abbey House will serve as a pediatric respite and hospice facility, meaning that it will provide full-time care to children at various stages of their illness, giving family members a chance to catch up on life outside of medical settings. ... “What we have found is that the design has to find balance between two potentially conflicting concepts – respite and hospice,” said Dr. Patrick M. Jones of Dell Children's Medical Center in a press release. He's the section chief of pediatric palliative care.

Determining the ROI of Change Retail Touch Points; by Allison Torpey; 8/27/24 ... [While] most leaders readily accept that they need to spend money on things like system configurations, vendor contracts and project managers to oversee product rollouts, they’re often hesitant to invest in the change management resources required to accelerate transformation and ensure adoption. And when belts are tightened, change management is often the first thing to go. In many cases, that’s due to a lack of awareness of the return on investment (ROI) of change management and how to measure it. ... Here's how to get started.

Doctors saved her life. She didn’t want them to. DNYUZ; by Kate Raphael;  8/26/24 Marie Cooper led her life according to her Christian faith. ... [And, she] always said that at the end of her life, she did not want to be resuscitated. ... Last winter, doctors found cancer cells in her stomach. She’d had “do not resuscitate” and “do not intubate” orders on file for decades and had just filled out new copies, instructing medical staff to withhold measures to restart her heart if it stopped, and to never give her a breathing tube. In February, Ms. Cooper walked into the hospital for a routine stomach scope to determine the severity of the cancer. After the procedure, [Ms. Cooper's daughter] visited her mother in the recovery room and saw her in a panic. ... [The daughter] called for help and was ushered to a waiting room while the medical team called an emergency code. Ms. Cooper grew even more distressed and “uncooperative,” according to medical records. Doctors restrained her and inserted a breathing tube down her throat, violating the wishes outlined in her medical chart. Ms. Uphold, livid, confronted the doctors, who could not explain why Ms. Cooper had been intubated. ... 

Leverage CAHPS Hospice changes for higher response rates, boosted scores Home Health Line; by MaryKent Wolff; 8/22/24 Emphasize the importance of upcoming changes to the CAHPS Hospice Survey and distribution process when educating staff, as hospice agencies will be required to implement assessment modifications finalized for implementation with April 2025 decedents. Providers could see significant improvements to response rates once these changes are in place. [Subscription required] 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Steve Landers, MD, MPH, Named Inaugural Chief Executive Officer of NAHC-NHPCO Alliance NAHC-NHPCO Alliance Press Release, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; by Elyssa Katz and Thomas Threlkeld; 8/26/24, 9:36 am ET Steven Landers, MD, MPH, has been named the inaugural Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the newly merged NAHC-NHPCO Alliance (The Alliance). A recognized national leader and innovator in home health, primary care and aging services, Dr. Landers brings almost two decades of experience as a physician, executive leader and health policy advocate to The Alliance, which represents care at home and community providers across the country. ... “The Alliance members provide a wide range of high-quality home- and community-based services that promote comfort, dignity and independence. I’m so proud to become a part of this organization, and am eager to serve,” said Dr. Landers. “I’ve had the opportunity in my career to see the health care industry from many vantage points, and in this new role with The Alliance, I will use all that I have learned to make a difference for our members as we continue to expand to meet the growing public needs for our care.”

Hospices facilities launch, renovate with growth in mind: Julia Hospice & Palliative refuels de novo plans Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 8/23/24 Pennsylvania-based Julia Hospice & Palliative (JHPC) has reignited plans to launch a de novo after experiencing pandemic-related setbacks. Dubbed Julia House, the facility will provide inpatient hospice and serve as an outpatient palliative care clinic. It will be the first hospice center in Erie County, Pennsylvania, the provider indicated. The new location will allow for improved support for serious and terminally ill patients that lack caregiver support or need higher levels of care, said Dr. Christopher Strzalka, medical director at Julia Hospice & Palliative Care. “For people who don’t have a caregiver in their home, we can put them in our facility and they can live there until their natural death, and they’ll have access to specially trained caregivers in end-of-life care,” Strzalka told local news.

A place for peace; After a year closed, Homestead Hospice House is working to reopen[Southern MN] People's Press; by Annie Harman; 8/23/24The news came to a shock to the community when it was announced last summer the Homestead Hospice House atop the hill behind the Owatonna Hospital would be closing. But, as with most things, there is a silver lining, and the Hospice House Board asserted the closure of the facility would lead to a new opportunity. “When we got the news it was shocking, but we always hoped it would lead us to a better situation,” said Kasey Kamholz, president of the HHH Board, on the decision by Allina Health to discontinue services at the facility in 2023. “Now we have an opportunity with Seasons Hospice that feels like a perfect marriage. They will bring their experience a little further out, and in the end it will benefit everyone.” Seasons Hospice, a nonprofit hospice care organization based out of Rochester, moved into Steele County to provide services in Owatonna and Blooming Prairie in April. With home-based services being their current program provided locally, including at a private residence or a senior living facility, Executive Director Kristina Wright-Peterson said they identified early on an interest to partner with the HHH Board, also a nonprofit, to reopen the Owatonna facility. Seasons Hospice has a 24-hour care facility in Rochester, Seasons Hospice House.