Literature Review

Community Crisis and Grief: Public service video for communities, healthcare orgs, and persons whose "normal" hospice bereavement can be amplified and/or disenfranchised Composing Life Out of Loss; by Joy Berger; originally 5/30/22 in response to Uvalde's shootings, updated 9/29/24 in response to Hurricane/Storm Helene September 29, 2024 – We send support to the many communities, families, and individuals affected by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Helene’s devastation and loss. This public service education video defines different kinds of community crises; different groups of persons impacted with basic roles and tasks before and during a community crisis; community grief; and potential effects of community crisis/grief for persons who are already experiencing the “normal” bereavement of a loved one. Editor's note: Disclosure, I am the author/producer of this video; Composing Life Out of Loss is a sponsor for this newsletter. To immediately share with this free, public service video, click here for the link. To embed this video on your website (and thus eliminate any Composing Life branding), click here and complete this contact form. Be sure to leave a phone number for faster turnaround. 

[Florida] 12,200 miles of roads cleared as thousands contribute to recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene CBS-10 Tampa Bay, FL; by Haley Williams; 9/28/24 As damage assessments continued after Hurricane Helene slammed the Florida coast, thousands of state officials and law enforcement officers quickly began working to clear roads and check in with storm victims in rural areas. More than 12,000 miles of roads have been cleared by more than 800 Florida Department of Transportation crews. ... The Agency for Health Care Administration reports more than a hundred healthcare facilities have been evacuated or are running solely on generator power. Saturday morning, 55 healthcare facilities reported evacuations, which included:

Polk County home health aide accused of sleeping on the job arrested in man’s death: ‘He was old anyway' Fox 13, Winter Haven, FL; by Fox 13 News Staff; 9/30/24 A home health aide in Polk County is being held without bond after investigators say she fell asleep, and an 86-year-old man died in her care. ... The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says the victim’s family hired around the clock care from Assisting Hands, which consisted of two 12-hour shifts during the day and night. The victim had recently been hospitalized and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He was also receiving services from Good Shepherd Hospice. ... After the day shift nurse left, investigators say Taylor fell asleep on the couch in the living room, which is against company policy that states she should not have been sleeping. Deputies say Taylor woke up around 1 a.m. on August 16 and heard a thump coming from the victim’s bedroom. According to PCSO, Taylor went into the bedroom and saw the victim lying on his right side, on the floor, with his head wedged in between the nightstand and the bed. She told detectives that she tried to help him back into bed but that he told her not to touch him, so she left him on the floor and did not call anyone, including 911 or her employer, which is against company policy. ... According to the Medical Examiner, had Taylor called 911 when she first found the victim, as required by her own company’s policy, the victim would not have died. The Medical Examiner ruled the victim’s cause of death positional asphyxia with a contributory cause of pre-existing health issues.

[Hurricane/Storm Helene] Workforce emergency support National Hospice Foundation; website; retrieved 9/30/24 Mission of the Hospice Workforce Emergency Support fund is to support hospice workforce needs in the wake of an emergency event. Examples of support could include post-event funding for a hospice staff member’s childcare, shelter, groceries, etc., or assistance with purchasing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). WHO CAN APPLY?

Visible, active leadership is vital to change management, says Epic emeritus CIO advisor Healthcare IT News; by Bill Siwicki; 9/26/24 [Part 1 of 2] Lost amidst talk of all the amazing technologies used in healthcare today is a subject very important to Robert Slepin: change management. ... Clinical workforce shortages and burnout, increasing costs and decreasing reimbursement, and capacity to care for patients with behavioral health/addiction issues – these are among the top issues confronting U.S. hospitals, according to the American College of Healthcare Executives. ... While there is no magic wand to accelerate progress, in my experience you can significantly improve the outcomes in a healthcare transformation initiative with an intentional focus and disciplined approach to change management. Conversely, not being thoughtful and effective in leading change could hinder your efforts or adversely impact the outcomes, and even possibly spell disaster. ... Visible, active leadership is vital. ... A hands-off approach of issuing orders from the corner office and asking others to "let me know when it's done" won't cut it. ... Besides being visible and hands-on, the best leaders I have worked with demonstrate a positive style; for example, they are authentic, coaching, transformational, engaging and compassionate. They remove fear and build trust, and inspire, educate, coach and support people in moving together toward a common, stretch goal. ...

Awards and Recognitions: September 2024 We congratulate these honorees and celebrate their contributions to our collective hospice and palliative care mission, vision, and compassionate care throughout our world. Do you know any of these leaders? We encourage you to forward this to them or to find another way to celebrate their success. 

It costs nothing to be kind Parkview Health; 9/26/24 Throughout her life, Vera Jean Burnett lived by the motto, "It costs nothing to be kind." This ideology was present in everything she did and extended to all she encountered, from supporting local charities to helping animals in need. Recently, we spoke with her husband, Kevin Burnett, about how that kindness was returned to him and his family through the care provided to Vera in her final days at the Parkview Supportive Care Unit. ...

89-year-old SoCal hospice patient wished he could skydive again, so his care team made it happen ABC-7 Los Angeles, CA; by Leticia Juarez; 9/27/24 Gary Patmor has lived a life of adventure and at 89 years old, the retired aerospace engineer is showing age doesn't mean adventures have to end. So he chose to go skydiving. "Oh, it is just fun exciting," he said. While he is a man of few words, Patmor is a man with plenty of stories he could tell. He's logged more than 1,300 jumps out of civilian, military, antique and experimental aircrafts. ... He survived 38 malfunctioning parachutes and he even doubled for Steve McQueen on film.  ... His backstory has been an incredible journey he has shared with others. "He was actually also the first person to mount a Sony camera and jump out of a plane," said Jocelyn Brito, a social worker for Suncrest Hospice in Riverside where Patmor is now a patient. ... "One of the things that he wanted to do was he wanted to skydive again," said Jessica Fields with Suncrest Hospice. "So we had to make sure that we got the doctor clearance, of course, and then the skydiving company to be able to consent to that before we offered it." On Friday afternoon, Patmor boarded a plane at Sky Dive Elsinore, making him the  oldest skydiver of the day. At 13,000 feet, he took a leap, strapped to an instructor and made his descent to the ground where his wife and Suncrest Hospice staff members cheered him on.

Carter defies odds with 19-month hospice stay: Former president's experience shines light on program The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; by Shelia Poole; 9/27/24 The Rev. Tony Lowden recently visited former President Jimmy Carter at his Plains home, where he is under hospice care. Carter, who turns 100 on Tuesday, was doing “good, fantastic,” said Lowden, who has been Carter’s personal pastor for seven years. Few would have expected such news about Carter, who has been under home hospice care for roughly 19 months.Only 10% of people on Medicare who died while under hospice care were in the program for 275 days or longer in 2022, according to MedPAC, an independent agency that advises Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program. Carter’s longevity while under hospice care continues to defy the odds, but that doesn’t surprise those who know his grit. ... Facts and Figures About Hospice Care:

Longview hospice adds handmade quilt donations under new management The Daily News; by Minka Atkinson; 9/27/24 At PeaceHealth Ray Hickey Hospice House in Vancouver, patients receive handmade quilts to drape their beds that are then donated to their family as a memento after their passing. PeaceHealth is now looking to bring this tradition to Richard Nau Hospice House, which it took over in November. “It gives the home, cozy feeling to those patients,” Hospice Volunteer Program supervisor Jennifer Linde said. The quilts are sourced through donations from local community groups, like the Kalama Quilters and Calvary Community Church, Linde said. Individual quilters are also welcome to contribute. ...

Alliance sees Hospice CARE Act as opportunity to advance hospice benefit discussionNHCPO / National Alliance for Care at Home; Press Release; 9/26/24 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance), a new national organization formed by the integration of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) recognizes the introduction of the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (CARE) Act, by Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-3).  The Alliance shares Rep. Blumenauer’s desire to update the Medicare hospice benefit to address the evolving needs of our country’s aging population while ensuring the sustainability and integrity of the hospice program. As a long-standing champion of hospice care, Rep. Blumenauer has consistently demonstrated a commitment to ensuring that hospice services remain accessible, compassionate, and of the highest quality for patients and their families. The Alliance appreciates Rep. Blumenauer’s commitment to involving a diverse group of stakeholders in developing this legislation and will continue to work closely with congressional leaders on the finer points of the proposed bill to ensure that the final legislation supports the needs of patients, families, and providers alike. 

Inside palliative care at Contessa’s Health System joint ventures Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/27/24 Contessa, the innovation and high-acuity arm of Amedisys Inc. has made large investments in expanding access to palliative care, particularly through joint ventures with health systems. Amedisys acquired Contessa in 2021 for $250 million. The subsidiary’s specialty is high-acuity care in the home, including hospital-at-home and skilled nursing facility-at-home programs, but in recent years it has also leaned hard into growing its palliative care business. For now, Amedisys shows no signs of slowing down on palliative care. Expanding palliative care relationships and joint venture partnerships is a priority for 2024, the Louisiana-based home health and hospice provider indicated in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this year.