Literature Review

Mt. Hood Hospice honors women veterans with event NewsBreak; by Brit Allen; 6/15/24 On Wednesday, June 12, Jolie Phanton, community outreach director for the organization took Mt. Hood’s veterans services a step further with a National Women Veterans Recognition Day celebration at Clackamas County Bank. The event featured a presentation on the history of women’s involvement in American-involved conflicts, as far back as the Revolutionary War up to current day. She spoke about how women have for a long time served as nurses, supply distributers, informants, and before they were allowed to fight alongside men, some disguised themselves as men and risked their lives on the battlefield. Women have also played many other roles in the military over the past 200 years. [Click on the title's link to read more.]Editor's Note: While we have highlighted various hospice veterans' stories, this brings fresh insights, information, and ideas. Thank you, Mt. Hood Hospice!

Man living with ALS for the last 24 years knocks off an item on his bucket list: Skydiving CBS KCTV 5, Waldron, Missouri; by Joe Hennessy; 6/14/24 One of the longest-living people with ALS, 66-year-old Mark Johnson, achieved his dream of skydiving ... His passion for the skies started at a young age with his dad being an airline pilot. ... “I used to fly airplanes when I was a kid, I always wanted to jump out of one,” he said. “Being up there, being able to see everything. All of God’s creation out there.” Johnson is one of the longest survivors of ALS, living with the disease now for almost 25 years, getting assistance from the team at Shirkey Hospice in Richmond, Missouri. He’s traveled to Washington D.C. to raise awareness and pass bills to help those impacted too. ...  How did we get here ...? He was asked by the hospice care workers a while back what is one thing he wants to do and he said skydiving so they managed to find a place that would allow for that dream to come true. 

Cancer therapy at end of life may not boost survival Cure; by Brielle Benyon; 6/17/24 Patients with advanced solid cancers who received systemic therapy toward the end of life typically did not live any longer than patients who did not receive treatment, according to research published in JAMA Oncology. Because cancer treatments can damper quality of life, it is crucial that patients and their loved ones discuss goals of care and prognosis with their oncology team, two experts emphasized. “I think once we progress to advanced and metastatic cancer when cure is no longer feasible, it’s important to consider goals-of-care conversations,” said study author Maureen Canavan, associate research scientist at Yale School of Medicine.

More COVID-19 patients died in understaffed hospitals, new data showUniversity of Minnesota [reported by KFF Health News]; by Stephanie Soucheray, MA; 6/13/24A new study in the International Journal of Nursing Studies suggests chronically understaffed US hospitals had higher rates of COVID-19 patient deaths early in the pandemic. "Our study found that individuals' likelihood of surviving was related to hospitals' investments in nursing services prior to the pandemic—in terms of hiring sufficient numbers of RNs, employing nurses with bachelor's educational preparation, and sustaining favorable work environments," said Karen Lasater, PhD, RN, the lead author of the study, in a press release from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. The study was based on outcomes seen among 87,000 Medicare enrollees (ages 65 to 99) hospitalized with COVID-19 from April through December 2020 in 237 general acute-care hospitals in New York and Illinois. ... Overall, the average age of patients was 78 years, and 31.5 % died within 30 days of admission, with 23% of those patients dying during the hospitalization.

East Anglia's Childrens Hospice releases heartwarming film: Ten-year-old "wants to show other children that hospice isn't a scarey place." EACH - East Anglia's Children's Hospices, United Kingdom; 6/17/24 "What's particularly special is that it was initiated by Charlotte. She told us she wanted to be part of a film, to show other children that a hospice isn't a scary place." ... A powerful new film has been released to showcase the work of a children’s hospice through the eyes of a spirited ten-year-old receiving care. Charlotte Freegard stars in the three-minute production, speaking about her experiences at The Treehouse, in Ipswich. “What’s particularly special is that it was initiated by Charlotte. “She told us she wanted to be part of a film, to show other children that a hospice isn’t a scary place. Instead, it’s somewhere they can have fun and create special memories.

Palliative care nurses share precious lessons learnt after decades working with the dying News.com.au [Australia]; by Jessica Wang; 6/16/24 After taking care of terminal patients who are facing death for 35 years, Sydney nurse Cindy Grundy has learnt a lesson or two about living. Her most cherished is to “guard your time” and treat it like the invaluable commodity that it is, says the palliative care nurse, who works in an inner-city public hospital. “To me, time is everything. It’s so precious,” the 59-year-old said. “You need to learn how to prioritise things and let go of the things that don’t matter. I appreciate the smaller things in life from working in this job but time is a big thing for me.” ... At the heart of what she does, and other palliative care nurses do, is make sure patients can get the most out of the last few hours, days, weeks or months of life – whether that’s through managing their symptoms or fulfilling their last wishes. “They’re dying but they’re still alive and that’s a chance for laughter, love and new experiences,” says fellow Sydney-based nurse Steven Turk.

Staff training key to improving hospice quality smong LGBTQ+ patientsHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/13/24Hospice staff training models with culturally appropriate LGBTQ+ components are key to improving quality outcomes among an increasingly diverse base of underserved seniors. Ongoing staff education and communication skill building are two significant pieces of bridging gaps of hospice care among LGBTQ+ seniors, according to Jerry Farmer, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at AccentCare.

How funerals and death became the new hot things New York Post; by Alix Strauss; 6/16/24 ... Funeral homes, similar to cemeteries ... are becoming the new community centers, and people are attending events not for sad occasions, but because they have become death curious, death fascinated, and death comfortable as we all move closer to that final chapter. “The stigma around funeral homes is dissipating. The vibe of our funeral home is changing. People come to these events wanting to be here, as opposed to having to be here,” said William Villanova, president of Frank E. Campbell – The Funeral Chapel. “There’s a void we are filling in our community. We put on large-scale, high-quality, catered events with talented people at an extraordinary space.”

Congratulations NHPCO and HAN award winnersNHPCO; Press Release; 6/13/24 HAN presented three MyHospice Ambassador annual awards:

Center for Hospice Care launches ‘Kaleidoscope’ Palliative Care Program Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/17/24 The Indiana-based Center for Hospice Care (CHC) has unveiled a new palliative care program, branded as Kaleidoscope. Kaleidoscope is designed to provide patients with interdisciplinary palliative care in the home setting. Their care model includes services from nurse practitioners, palliative care nurses, community health workers, spiritual care providers and volunteers. The nonprofit also provides palliative care in a clinic setting at its Center for Palliative Care. “Kaleidoscope is a community-based palliative care program where we’re seeing patients in the privacy of their own home,” CHC Medical Director Karissa Misner told local news. “We also still have palliative care in a clinic setting. Now we’re able to offer two different entities for people that still want to go out to a doctor’s appointment.”

NIH: Hot weather safety for older adults OSHA: Heat - Working in outdoor and indoor heat environmentsOSHA - Occupational Safety and Health Administration; retrieved from their website 6/18/24 

Revenue pressures driving home care consolidation, private equity’s growing influence, provider group saysMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 6/11/24Pressures such as insufficient government reimbursement and rising Medicare Advantage penetration are contributing to consolidation in home care and hospice, LeadingAge told regulators last week in response to a February request for information surrounding healthcare market competition. “Sustainable fee-for-service rates that cover the continually rising costs of delivering care are of critical importance,” LeadingAge said. “Outside revenue pressures such as lower reimbursement rates from managed care plans, reduced units of service through accountable and managed care organizations, and an increasing need to be an organization of a certain size in order to contract with managed care organizations and accountable care organizations are also factors that drive consideration of consolidation options.” One particular concern, LeadingAge noted, is the growing investment in healthcare by private equity firms. Private equity firms have driven a significant share of home care and hospice consolidation in recent years. PE firms had a hand in 35 home health deals, 15 personal care deals and 13 hospice deals last year, according to a recent report. And studies have shown that patients receiving care from PE-owned providers may experience worse health outcomes than patients at nonprofit agencies.

Alive names hospice industry veteran as CEONashville Post; 6/13/24Nonprofit adds leader one year after nixing would-be sale in face of public pressure. Hospice care and end-of-life services provider Alive announced Thursday that Kerry Hamilton will serve as president and chief executive officer.