Literature Review

Remote SNF monitoring partnership promises 25 percent rehospitalization reduction McKnights Senior Living, by Josh Henreckson; 4/15/24 A new partnership between technology company Circadia Health and 81 skilled nursing facilities operated by Ciena Healthcare aims to significantly improve preventive care and reduce preventable rehospitalizations. Circadia’s C100 remote monitoring devices ... will be installed in residents’ rooms. They are capable of continuously monitoring key vital signs like residents’ breathing rate, heart rate and unusual motions and compare them with personalized profiles. 

Shared decision-making between nephrologists, patients key to conservative kidney management Healio, by Mark E. Neumann; 4/15/24 ... Conservative kidney management: Patients who decline dialysis treatment do so for many reasons, Fahad Saeed, MB, BS, and colleagues wrote in a paper published in the American Journal of Nephrology. Patients told researchers that quality of life; fewer symptoms caused by dialysis; more personal time; avoiding the burden of dialysis, including for family and friends; witnessing a family member or friend on dialysis and wanting to have a peaceful death were reasons to select conservative kidney management.

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?” ...

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.

'I'm dying, you're not': Those terminally ill ask more states to legalize physician-assisted death The Washington Post, by Jesse Bedayn, AP; 4/12/24 On a brisk day at a restaurant outside Chicago, Deb Robertson sat with her teenage grandson to talk about her death. She’ll probably miss his high school graduation. ... “Medical aid in dying is not me choosing to die,” she says she told her 17-year-old grandson. “I am going to die. But it is my way of having a little bit more control over what it looks like in the end.” ... At least 12 states currently have bills that would legalize physician-assisted death. ... Two states have gone in the opposite direction. ...

Medi Home Health and Hospice comes to CulpeperCulpeper Star-Exponent, by Richard Horner; 4/13/24Medi Home Health and Hospice held a grand opening celebration for its new Culpeper (VA) location on Tuesday. Sponsored by the Culpeper County Chamber of Commerce, Medi is an arm of Medical Services of America, which offers home health and hospice care. It had several locations throughout the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, including Virginia. According to Ashley McDonald, director of marketing for Medi, the business offers in-home care, including various forms of therapy and nursing care. Medi also offers hospice and palliative care.

Canyon Lake Hospice Care extends compassionate services to El Cajon community Iowanews Headlines; 4/12/24 Canyon Lake Hospice Care, known for its unwavering commitment to providing compassionate end-of-life support, is extending its services to the El Cajon community. This expansion heralds a significant milestone, not just for Canyon Lake Hospice Care, but also for the residents of El Cajon who seek specialized hospice care.

Pilot program leads to 42 percent reduction in resident falls McKnights Senior Living, by John O'Connor; 4/15/24 A tech-based pilot program has helped Allegro Senior Living reduce resident falls by 42%, the company announced Thursday. As a result, the Grayslake, IL-based firm plans to expand the program to more of its 16 communities. For the pilot, Allegro partnered with SafelyYou. The tech-based firm uses a blend of AI video technology and around-the-clock remote clinical support. The combination helps  detect falls and identify underlying causes.

Message-based telehealth an increasingly important part of seniors’ healthcare, study findsMcKnights Senior Living, by Aaron Dorman; 4/11/24 Many healthcare experts, and even government agencies, are working to try to expand telehealth coverage for older adults. But much of that work considers telehealth in terms of video and/or phone conversations. E-mails and digital messaging across patient portals, however, also are part of seniors’ healthcare regimen, particularly those who are Medicare beneficiaries, finds a new study published in Health Affairs Scholar. As such, updated telehealth coverage decisions should factor in the time that older adults, their caregivers and clinicians need to exchange these messages, the researchers said.

[$300k to inpatient hospice care] Youngkin presents budget reflecting compromise Blue Ridge Leader & Loudon Today; 4/13/24 Gov. Glenn Youngkin on April 8, released a package of 242 budget amendments to find common ground with the General Assembly on a new, two-year budget. The propose package eliminates all tax decreases and increases, includes a $21.3 billion record investment for K-12 education, and provides $3.2 billion on new spending on health and human resources. ... [Among many other line items, this includes:] $300,000 for inpatient hospice care in Aldie. 

Oaks sells nursing home to national operator The Times and Democrat, by Gene Zaleski; 4/13/24 The Oaks Healthcare, the nursing home segment of The Oaks of Orangeburg (SC), has sold its nursing home services to Cascade Capital Group, a Skokie, Illinois-based private health care real estate investment and asset management firm. ... The Oaks will become PACS' 25th nursing home in the state and will join over 220 other nursing homes that PACS operates throughout the country. ... [The Oaks of Orangeburg manager] Clay Fowler said the changes will enable a greater focus on the PACE program. The program was rebranded as the Orangeburg Senior Helping Center-A PACE Healthcare Program in February 2022.

Reno Little Theater’s ‘The Quality of Life’ explores the complications of death and grief ThisIsReno, by Taylor Harker; 4/14/24Reno Little Theater’s “Quality of Life” brilliantly interweaves the lives of two families confronting profound grief and mortality. ... Together, ... two families navigate the turbulent waters of existential crises, each bringing their unique perspectives on faith, resilience and the ethics surrounding end-of-life decisions. ... “Quality of Life,” a dramatic comedy by Jane Anderson, explores how individuals and families confront and converse about death. The narrative is both tender and perceptive, delving into the internal conflicts and strong familial bonds that challenge and uphold them.