Literature Review

Longevity: Why are we all so focused on living longer instead of living better? The Montecito Journal, by Deann Zampelli; 4/16/24 I admit it. I am an obit reader. I look at the photo first to see if I know them and then almost reflexively at their age. 89? Not bad. 76? Too early. 56. ... Recently I had a client who came to see me because she wanted to live the next chapter of her life on her own terms, not as her mother did in the last decade of life before dying at the age of 93; bed pans, caregivers, wheelchairs, numerous medications, memory loss and the utter decimation of her life savings. ... In many cultures the elders are revered and live with their families until they die. They aren’t just included, they are needed, consulted, and cherished. Not surprisingly, these are often the same cultures that enjoy the healthiest and longest lives. Sadly, Americans are not among them. ...

New phase of Change Healthcare attack begins as hackers leak data KFF Health News; 4/15/24RansomHub, a hacking group, is sharing pieces of data stolen in the Change Healthcare cyberattack as it seeks ransom payments. The data include hospital bills and company contracts, Axios says. Meanwhile, UnitedHealth took an $872 million profit hit from the February attack. Editor's Note: This post provides links to related articles in Axios, Reuters, The Hill, and Modern Healthcare.

Care for Alzheimer's on Medicaid is unorganized, frustrating, inhumanThe Indianapolis Star, by Darcy Metcalfe; 4/14/24What it is like to die of Alzheimer’s in America? Without a doubt, it is nothing as it is portrayed on NBC’s hit series This is Us. At the end of this series, the character Rebecca dies from Alzheimer’s and falls peacefully asleep, snuggly tucked in her warm bed at home, surrounded by family and 24-hour skilled nursing care. Throughout the six seasons of This is Us, I simultaneously witnessed my father’s slow dying from Alzheimer’s in a reality that was worlds away from Rebecca’s. ...

Health care workers aid community members with end-of-life care directives The Journal - Martinsburg, WV; by Tom Markland; 4/16/24Health care workers from Berkeley Medical Center and Hospice of the Panhandle came together on Tuesday to help members of the community learn and assemble various advanced directives concerning end-of-life care. According to a study by the University of Chicago, only 22% of U.S. adults have completed any advanced directive for their end-of-life care. Tuesday’s event aimed to help boost that that number in the Eastern Panhandle. As of 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, more than 35 people had been through the program, completing paperwork for their medical power of attorney, living will or both for free.Editor's Note: We thank and celebrate all hospice and palliative organizations that participated in the National Healthcare Decisions Day, Tuesday April 16, 2024! Collectively, what supportive connections you have made. Individually for each person and with their families, these conversations and advance directives will continue to unfold through years ahead, when needed most.

CT Hospice says it can’t provide home care under bill to protect healthcare workersCT News Junkie, by John Ferraro; 4/16/24Connecticut Hospice has warned lawmakers it will be unable to care for gravely ill patients in their homes under a proposed law aimed at protecting home healthcare workers. At issue is Senate Bill 1, which would require organizations that care for people in their homes to conduct background checks on the clients and anyone in the location where care is being given. ... Barbara Pearce, the chief executive officer of Connecticut Hospice, urged lawmakers to remove Connecticut Hospice from entities that would be required to conduct those background checks, noting that the organization which provides end-of-life care is typically called into homes when a patient has days left to live. “Our national hospice organization could find no similar bill in any other state,” Pearce wrote in testimony to the Public Health Committee. “This bill is too broad, too unclear as to requirements, not guaranteed to achieve its aims, duplicative of other procedures required in hospice care, and contradictory to certain regulations of Medicare.” ...Editor's Note: See the previous article in our newsletter today, After death of nurses, CT lawmakers look for solutions: 'We just cannot ignore that risk'.

Health care system eats away at the doctor-patient relationship The Boston Globe; updated 4/17/24... The system economically rewards throughput (the number of patients seen per unit time) and procedures rather than the time needed to develop an open and communicative doctor-patient relationship. While a good physician might understand the tests and evaluations that are indicated by a presenting medical problem, the excellent clinician knows which tests and evaluations should not be done. This is primarily ascertained by delving into details of the patient’s physical, psychological, social, family, and economic history. This process, as James highlights, can lead to collaborative and more effective care. ...Editor's Note: This article highlights "Dr. Thea James’s remarkable work at Boston Medical Center in addressing structural inequity in medical care as a means of enhancing outcomes brings up an underlying structural problem across the entire medical care system (“Her health equity message being heard,” April 13, 2024.)

NHPCO's CaringInfo program launches new consumer blog, insights NHPCO Press Release; 4/15/24 CaringInfo, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), has launched a new consumer blog, Insights, offering timely and practical content on serious-illness care and services from a variety of perspectives in both English and Spanish. ... CaringInfo also offers more information about advance directives and free advance directives and instructions for all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and Washington DC in both English and Spanish, downloadable as PDF files.

Hospices call on Government to help fund rising staff bill ShropshireStar.com, United Kingdom; 4/14/24 Hospices are facing a huge cash shortfall because of a rising staff bill which is putting services at risk, a charity has warned. Hospice UK said the Government must provide cash urgently after its analysis showed hospices will need £120 million to match upcoming pay rises in the NHS. ... Hospice UK said rising costs, such as energy and food prices, together with squeezed donations as people cope with an increased cost of living, mean hospices are currently budgeting for a total deficit of £186 million this year.Editor's Note: Increasingly, we are seeing more articles for hospice community fundraisers throughout the UK: England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Repeatedly, the tone is dire; requests are urgent.

VR off a smartphone? Tech breakthrough could allow seniors to do away with clunky headsets McKnights Senior Living, by Aaron Dorman; 4/11/24 Virtual reality is becoming more and more popular among older adults. Could the next innovation allow them to experience VR from their smartphone? A full-color, three-dimensional display can be generated off of a smartphone screen, according to new research. Such a breakthrough would make it even easier, and cost-effective, for senior living providers to offer VR and augmented reality content for residents or allow for new telehealth opportunities. The technology would involve only a smartphone screen and a second screen called a “spatial light modulator” to create the multi-layered image

Houston hospital says doctor’s changes to a database made patients ineligible for liver transplants NBC News 13; by Jamie Stengle and Carla K. Johnson, The Associated Press; 4/12/24 A Houston hospital has halted its liver and kidney transplant programs after it says a doctor manipulated a database for liver transplant patients, making them ineligible to receive a new organ. ... Data from OPTN [The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network] shows that four patients died or became too ill for a transplant in 2021, 11 in 2022, 14 in 2023, and so far this year, that number was at five.

Experts say Shannen Doherty’s approach to cancer ciagnosis can be helpfulToday Headline; 4/16/24Shannen Doherty, the actor best known for her role in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” has stage 4 cancer. She’s getting rid of her material possessions so she can focus on spending time with her mother. On an episode of her podcast, “Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty,” released on April 1, the actor said she wants to sell off some of her stuff so her mother doesn’t have to worry about dealing with it if she dies. ... She also said she hopes to use that money to travel with her mom without dipping into her savings.

From Hardship to Healing: The power of gratitude Everyday Health, by Simran Malhotra, MD; 4/15/24 This is my journey of previvorship in a nutshell: In a span of six years, between ages 26 and 32, I welcomed two children within 19 months, worked a full-time job during early motherhood as a palliative care physician, served on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and underwent multiple breast cancer risk-reducing surgeries in 2020. When people hear my story, I often get asked the same question repeatedly: “How did you handle all that?” ...