Literature Review

Death can be isolating and dehumanizing. But what if it didn’t have to be?City Life, by Ben Seal; 2/17/24... In the three years since Elaine’s passing, I’ve longed for a world where more people could be given the chance to die as she did — with the fullness of life surrounding her, and with complete support, emphasizing the emotional and spiritual, not just the medical. In Philadelphia and beyond, a growing community of death-care workers — doulas, nurses, grief counselors, social workers, even funeral directors — is trying to build that world. They are reclaiming death and dying from the institutional model that has become the norm over the past century. Editor's Note: Has hospice now become so institutionalized and medical/regulatory focused that we have lost sight of "emphasizing the emotional and spiritual, not just the medical"? I ask the question, but do not draw judgment, as answers must be contextualized. 

Hospice experts advocate for early admission to hospice The Herald-Mail, by Hospice of Washington County; 2/19/24“Former President Jimmy Carter’s months-long time in hospice has helped tens of millions of Americans realize that hospice isn’t a brink-of-death service, that it helps patients and families focus on quality of life and not just length of life,” observed Hospice of Washington County CEO Sara McKay. Editor's Note: How is your hospice organization responding to news about President Jimmy Carter's extended hospice care? This article provides a great example.

Ascension posts $708M quarterly turnaroundBecker's Hospital CFO Report, by Alan Condon; 2/19/24Ascension reported a net income of $359.5 million in the fiscal second quarter ending Dec. 31, which is a $708 million improvement on the $238.1 million net loss it reported during the same quarter in 2022. "We remain focused on improving hospital operations, ensuring sustainability for the future and making purposeful decisions that improve the health of individuals and the communities we are privileged to serve,"CFO Liz Foshage said. "Our Q2 quarterly results are a demonstration of this commitment and a signal that we continue to move in the right direction."

Poll: Md. voters support medical aid-in-dying option, but bill is far from the finish lineMaryland Matters, by Danielle J. Brown; 2/19/24The survey results, released last week, showed that 69.9% of Maryland voters think that a mentally sound but terminally ill adult with only six months to live should have the legal option to request medical aid-in-dying services, while 22% of those who responded to the poll do not support that option. About 8% of the respondents did not answer. ... The overall support for medical aid-in-dying spans political parties and demographics, according to the poll results, as 72% of Democrats surveyed were in support along with 69% of Republicans and 65% of unaffiliated voters.

Medicare home health patients more likely to eventually receive hospice care, study finds McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 2/20/24Patients who use home health later in life tend to be more likely to enter hospice for end-of-life care — particularly those without dementia. This underscores the need for better home health staff training and enhanced care continuity for Medicare patients, according to a recent study. ... Those beneficiaries who received home healthcare were more likely to enter hospice during their last year of life compared to those who did not have any home health, the study published Feb. 15 in the Journal of Palliative Medicine found.

Survey: Nearly half of healthcare workers witness discrimination against patientsMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Foster Stubbs; 2/20/24Healthcare workers (HCWs) are likely to witness discrimination in their workplaces, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund and the African American Research Collaborative. This can contribute to negative health outcomes for patients as well as emotional distress for both patients and healthcare workers.Editor's Note: What Policies and Procedures do you have in place for your hospice interdisciplinary teams,  volunteers, and non-clinical staff? What diversity education and competencies do you regularly require and update? 

To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. - Nelson Mandela

Most Pa. workers can’t take paid leave to care for sick loved ones. State law could change thatWESA Pittsburgh's NPR News Station, by Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza; 2/18/24About 66% of workers statewide don’t have paid family and medical leave benefits, according to a U.S. Census compensation survey from March 2022. And the brunt of that unpaid work often falls on any women in the household, said Meghan Pierce, CEO of the Executive Forum of Women in Philadelphia. ... The Executive Forum of Women, created in the late 1970s, is one organization in the coalition of nonprofits and businesses pushing to get paid family medical leave as a state law in Pennsylvania. 

Redefining end-of-life care: Stories of compassion and innovationBNN, by Waqas Arain; 2/18/24In the heart of compassionate care and the challenging journey of end-of-life situations, two remarkable healthcare professionals stand out for their dedication and innovative approaches to palliative support. Teresa Hovatter, a Community Liaison with Grane Hospice, and Kirsty Lazenby, an organ donation nurse at Royal Stoke's Critical Care Unit, have each been recognized for their exceptional efforts in providing comfort, dignity, and support to terminally ill patients and their families. Their stories, though distinct, converge on a singular mission: to transform the end-of-life experience into one of peace, understanding, and meaningful closure.