Literature Review

The art of the obit: Longtime journalist offers tips of the trade Times Colonist, by Pedro Arrais; 4/5/24 Sandra Martin has written obituaries for everyone from Queen Elizabeth II to Margaret Thatcher, Betty Fox — mother of Marathon of Hope runner Terry Fox — Nelson Mandela, Farley Mowat and Jackie Burroughs. ... When she tells the story of an individual’s life and legacy, Martin says, she does it with the reader, not the family, foremost in mind. In that way, her work is different from a family’s death notice. ... “As a journalist, I write for the reader, not the family. That means that it has to be true. What I include has to have had an effect on the subject’s life.”

The day Ram Dass Died The New Yorker, by Christopher Fiorell; 4/6/24 He taught me to be more curious, present, and self-loving. His final lesson was more surprising. ... I woke up every thirty minutes the night before Ram Dass died. Stretching my perception through the big divider that separated his study—where I lay on a narrow couch—from his bedroom, I’d count the seconds between the short, ragged breaths churning through his sleep-apnea machine. Four years later, I still have no idea why I was chosen to watch over him that night. 

The Sunday Read: 'What deathbed visions teach us about living' New York Times Podcasts, 4/7/24 Chris Kerr was 12 when he first observed a deathbed vision. His memory of that summer in 1974 is blurred, but not the sense of mystery he felt at the bedside of his dying father. ... Kerr now calls what he witnessed an end-of-life vision. His father wasn’t delusional, he believes. ... Kerr followed his father into medicine, and in the last 10 years he has hired a permanent research team that expanded studies on deathbed visions to include interviews with patients receiving hospice care at home and with their families, deepening researchers’ understanding of the variety and profundity of these visions.

Healthcare on the brink: navigating the challenges of an aging society in the United States  npj Aging, by Charles H. Jones and Mikael Dolsten; 4/6/24 The US healthcare system is at a crossroads. With an aging population requiring more care and a strained system facing workforce shortages, capacity issues, and fragmentation, innovative solutions and policy reforms are needed. ... Through a comprehensive analysis of the impact of an aging society, this work highlights the urgency of addressing this issue and the importance of restructuring the healthcare system to be more efficient, equitable, and responsive. 

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. - Sydney HarrisEditor's Note: This quote is from today's post, "Overcome financial regret to embrace a fulfilling life," in category "Today's Inspirational Story."

5 things to know about the Waud capital-backed Senior Helpers Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 4/8/24 One of the biggest home-based care deals of the year thus far was Waud Capital’s acquisition of Senior Helpers. The Maryland-based franchise – which was previously owned by the health system Advocate Health – will be the foundation of Waud Capital’s home care platform moving forward. Overseeing that platform will be Steve Jakubcanin, the home-based care veteran and former CEO of Cornerstone Healthcare Group. Here are five important things to know about Senior Helpers as it takes a different direction under new ownership.

Telehealth access threatened as internet subsidies near endModern Healthcare, by Sarah Jane Tribble, KFF News; 4/4/24 More than 23 million low-income households — urban, suburban, rural, and tribal — are enrolled in the federal discount program Congress created in 2021 to bridge the nation’s digital connectivity gap. The program has provided $30 monthly subsidies for internet bills or $75 discounts in tribal and high-cost areas. But the program is expected to run out of money in April or May, according to the Federal Communications Commission. In January, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel asked Congress to allocate $6 billion to keep the program running until the end of 2024. 

Insurers’ response to the Change breach failed providers Modern Healthcare, by Chip Kahn and Dr. Bruce Siegel; 4/8/24 ... The Feb. 21 attack on Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group’s Optum unit, severed the electronic ties that connect patients, providers and insurance companies. The attack robbed patients of the certainty they could seek and receive care, and it robbed physicians, pharmacists and hospitals of the resources necessary for patient care. ... Overlooked in this crisis, is that insurance companies failed to act decisively and collectively to protect patients and providers. ... Here’s what should have happened immediately when the threat facing patient care became painfully obvious. 

California bill would impose more controls on private equity investments in healthcare McKnights Senior Living, by Kathleen Steel Gaivin; 4/9/24 A bill under consideration by the California State Legislature would “add scrutiny on private equity companies when considering healthcare investments, amplifying the pressure already imposed by enforcement agencies in California and throughout the country,” attorneys from Polsinelli told the McKnight’s Business Daily on Monday. ... According to attorneys at Sidley Austin law firm, the legislation would affect “direct and indirect purchases of a material amount of assets and operations of a healthcare facility or provider; changes in voting control of a healthcare facility or provider; or direct and indirect changes in control over the healthcare services or operations of a healthcare facility or provider.”

Reminder: April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day The Conversation Project, Institute for Healthcare Improvement; ongoing until 4/16/24[Read for] specific ideas and suggestions for ways to implement National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) activities in your community and at your facility. First and foremost, lead by example…be sure you have thoughtfully considered and made your own healthcare decisions known. Editor's Note: from The Conversation Project's "About Us": "The Conversation Project began 2010, when Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Ellen Goodman and a group of colleagues and concerned media, clergy, and medical professionals gathered to share stories of 'good deaths' and 'hard deaths' within their own circle of loved ones."

[Psychology Today] Facing Mortality Honestly Psychology today, by Patricia Prijatel; 4/6/24 Personal Perspective: Being Mortal, by Atul Gawander, explores end-of-life-care. I read Being Mortal by Atul Gawande when it was first published in 2014 and haven’t stopped talking about it. It shot to the top of my list as one of the most important books I’ve ever read. After 10 years, I read it again to see if it held up. It did. I was as entranced the second time as the first—even more so because, as it happens, I am also now 10 years older.

I work with dying Trump supporters. It's...confusingDaily Kos, by Scott Janssen; 4/6/24Publisher's note: There weren't a couple sentences to summarize this opinion piece. In our advocacy, we often say "death and hospice are bipartisan". This article challenges us to ethically wrestle with our biases (political or otherwise) to professionally provide excellent end-of-life care.

Northwell, Memorial Hermann and others join Aegis consortiumModern Healthcare, by Gabriel Perna; 4/2/24 Nine health systems, including Northwell Health and Memorial Hermann Health, System joined a digital consortium led by startup studio Aegis Ventures. Aegis, which creates, invests and operates digital health companies, said Tuesday the consortium will develop, invest in and deploy digital health solutions.