Literature Review

Award and Recognitions: July 2024We congratulate these honorees and celebrate your contributions to our collective hospice and palliative care mission, vision, and compassionate care throughout our world.

Proactive fall prevention: Elevating patient safety and healthcare excellenceHealthCare Business News; by Amy Hester; 7/26/24... The significance of fall prevention cannot be overstated, as it directly impacts patient outcomes and overall healthcare quality. With the patient safety solutions market growing at an expected rate of 11.2%, the importance of proactive fall prevention strategies becomes even more evident. ... In the United States, preventable medical errors, including falls, are the third leading cause of death. The impact of falls on patient health and recovery is profound, often leading to longer hospital stays, delayed recovery and increased risk of subsequent falls.Editor's Note: Proactive fall prevention is especially important for persons needing palliative or hospice care. As the person's health and mobility declines, they have to adjust to these changes mentally, emotionally, physically, and relationally. Recognizing decline can feel like defeat. Asking for help can be tough. Family members can expect the person to move more independently more than possible, leading to falls.

Loss of a loved one early in life may accelerate aging: StudyThe Hill - Health Care; by Miranda Nazzaro; 7/29/24 The experience of losing a loved one early in life could make a person age faster, according to a new study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. ... Losing a parent or sibling early in life can often be traumatic, causing mental health or cognitive issues, higher risks of heart disease and earlier mortality, researchers noted, adding repeated losses can increase the likelihood of heart disease, dementia or mortality. ... “Future research should focus on finding ways to reduce disproportionate losses among vulnerable groups. For those who experience loss, providing resources for coping and addressing the trauma is essential.”Editor's Note: Click here for the study, "Familial Loss of a Loved One and Biological Again: NIMHD Social Epigenomics Program." Calling all executive leaders who decide staffing and resources for your hospice's bereavement services: examine the long-term mission of your bereavement services for (1) children and teens, (2) young adults, (3) persons with racial and ethnic disparities. 

‘Good’ death different for everyone Altoona Mirror, Altoona, PA; 7/26/24 The social and economic inequities patients suffer in life often shapes their death” was a key point of a July 13-14 article in the Review section of the Wall Street Journal. ... In the article, which was written by Dr. Sunita Puri, a palliative care physician and the author of “That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour,” Puri focuses on the conundrum many families face when dealing with the question of where to spend the final days of life. ... “New research classifies the rise in home deaths as progress,” the message immediately under the article’s headline begins, “but we need to look more closely at what these deaths look like.” ... Puri, now 10 years into her physician career, says it is now clear to her that there is much more to a “good” death than where it occurs. “Presuming a home death is a success obscures important questions about the process,” she wrote. “Did this person die comfortably? Did their caregivers have the resources and guidance they needed? Was dying at home a choice or simply the only option?” 

Despite past storms’ lessons, LTC residents again left powerless: How a long-term care facility prepares for and handles power outages is one of the first questions potential residents should ask KFF Health News - Rethinking65; by Sandy West; 7/29/24 ... Even after multiple incidents of extreme weather — including a 2021 Texas winter storm that caused widespread blackouts and prompted a U.S. Senate investigation — not much has changed for those living in long-term care facilities when natural disasters strike in Texas or elsewhere. ... [While] nursing homes face such federal oversight, lower-care-level facilities that provide some medical care — known as assisted living — are regulated at the state level, so the rules for emergency preparedness vary widely. ... Editor's Note: While this article is written for the public, its content applies to all hospices that (1) provide hospice facility care, and/or (2) partner with senior care facilities: nursing homes, long-term care, assisted living, senior living communities, and PACE. This can be an important QAPI analysis and gap improvement. 

Hiring, Covenant Care transaction propelling growth at Vitas Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/25/24 Vitas Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp., is reaping the benefits of this recent $85 million purchase of Covenant Health and Community Services hospice business, along with one assisted living facility location. The deal is structured as an asset purchase, which allows the buyer to assume liability for assets included in the transaction. It also brought Vitas into the Alabama market and expands its geographic footprint in Florida and marked the company’s entry into the assisted living space. This is Vitas’ first deal in several years, but more are likely on the way, according to Chairman and CEO Nick Westfall.

Death can be a gentler exit for those enrolled in hospice care The Blade; by Kimberly Wynn; 7/28/24 A baby coming into the world needs a lot of care, and families prepare for that wailing, cooing bundle of life with cribs, and changing tables and advice from mothers-in-law. When baby formula was in short supply, family members branched out to scour retail shelves for the necessities. For those leaving this world, care is also needed, according to Victoria Palenske, branch director for Elara Caring, which offers home health and hospice services in the Toledo area. Such souls may need oxygen, pain medications, and spiritual counseling, as well as a hand to hold. “People deserve a lot of care at the beginning of life, but they also deserve care at the end of their life,” said Ms. Palenske, who began her career as a registered nurse whose focus turned to hospice services. “It is a calling.”Editor's Note: Thank you Elara Caring for this mission-oriented description of hospice care that gently addresses "dying," in contrast to some hospice materials that deny or completely divert purposes related to terminal illness, dying, death, or bereavement.  

A rabbi shares what he’s learned speaking with people in their final moments of life: Exploring the final moments before death is a reminder of what really matters in life  Forward - Jewish. Independent. Nonprofit.; by Rabbi Daniel Cohen; 7/28/24  I have been at the bedside of many people in their final moments on earth. The experience can be either haunting or inspiring. Ironically, my first experience of saying goodbye to someone I loved was as a 9-year-old boy. My grandfather was dying from lung cancer ... I remember the final moments as if they were yesterday. ... I have seen people call out to loved ones in the days or moments before their body and soul separate. I have seen people wait for a loved one to arrive at their bedside, further testimony that the body may be dying but the soul is very much alive. ... In truth, exploring the final moments before death is not intended to be depressing, but a reminder of what really matters in life. ... Looking at the day of death can awaken us to invest more fully in life. Each of us possesses an inner voice beckoning us and pushing us towards greatness. Do we hear that voice and do we invest in it?

Skagit Regional Health nurses five months into contract negotiations Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon, WA; 7/27/24 Nurses at Skagit Regional Health have been negotiating a new contract for nearly five months. Their latest contract ended May 31. The contract covers more than 600 registered nurses at Skagit Valley Hospital, its clinics and at Hospice of the Northwest, said Skagit Regional Health nurse Liz Rainaud, who is the local chair of the nurses' union, the Washington State Nurses Association. She said the nurses at Skagit Regional are the lowest paid in the region. During the most recent negotiating session July 9, tentative agreements were made on items such as bonus shifts, shift rotation, calculation of shift differential and sick leave accumulation. 

Governor’s Invitational Golf Classic raises money for Central Wyoming Hospice Oil City News, Casper, WY; by Tommy Culkin; 7/26/24 On Friday, dozens of golfers took part in the 11th annual Governor’s Invitational Golf Classic, one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for Central Wyoming Hospice. All proceeds raised from the tournament will be used to ensure as many people receive hospice care as possible, Central Wyoming Hospice Executive Director Kilty Brown said. “The money will primarily be going back to our hospice homes,” Brown said. “We have 14 beds that are open to the public, and anyone can come in, whether they have insurance or a way to pay or not.” Brown estimated that the event will bring in upwards of $70,000 ... 

The bereavement care crisis in hospice facilities MedCity News; by Cara McCarty Abbott; 7/28/24 Bereavement care is an essential part of the hospice experience, designed to support those coping with loss. Bereavement care is not just a compassionate gesture; it is a critical component of the hospice care continuum. So why is it so underserved in the U.S.? ... Instead of pushing harder on hospice providers to find more ways to deliver comprehensive bereavement care with less, it's key to address the systemic forces hampering their ability to deliver quality care at the scale required and address these challenges. Editor's Note: Additionally, does your hospice still rely on the misnamed, overused "5 Stages of Grief"? These were determined from 1960's persons who were dying, not from bereaved persons who live on--surviving--the death. Extensive fresh, contemporary, hospice-designed grief resources to support bereavement counselors and the persons they serve are provided by Composing Life Out of Loss, a sponsor for our newsletter.

Empath Health, Trustbridge leaders are setting home health sights high after integration Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 7/26/24 Empath Health is a company in transition. In the spring, it completed an affiliation process with Trustbridge, which formed the largest nonprofit post-acute provider organization in the state of Florida. ... Since completion of the affiliation process, the company has focused on integration, synergistic opportunities and determining how best to deliver care to the communities it serves. One of the people at the helm of this transition is Tarrah Lowry, Empath Health’s chief operating officer and Trustbridge’s interim president. [Click on the title's link to read the recent interview by Home Health Care News' with Tarrah Lowry.]