Literature Review

Dying Broke: The High Cost Of Help Desperate Families Search for Affordable Home CareNew York TimesDecember 2, 2023... Frank Lee’s search for trustworthy home health aides—an experience that millions of American families face—has often been exhausting and infuriating, but he has persisted. ... There is precious little assistance from the government for families who need a home health aide unless they are poor. The people working in these jobs are often woefully underpaid and unprepared to help a frail, elderly person with dementia to bathe and use the bathroom, or to defuse an angry outburst.[Editor’s Note: This article is part of The New York Times’ “Dying Broke” series examining how the immense financial costs of long-term care drain older Americans and their families. For additional coverage, see the accompanying article in this package, “What to Know About Home Care Services: Finding an aide to help an older person stay at home safely takes work. Here’s a guide.“]

Together, New England College and hospitals aim to tackle nursing vacanciesNew Hampshire BulletinDecember 1, 2023The state’s health care industry had to get creative after the pandemic exacerbated pre-existing workforce shortages, doubling the vacancy rate for nurses and LNAs between 2019 and 2022, according to the New Hampshire Hospital Association. Employers offered generous signing bonuses and paid training. The state made it easier for out-of-state practitioners to get a New Hampshire license. A team of health care leaders developed 107 strategies to recruit and retain workers.

Tomah Organizations Share $4+ Million Bequest.News ReleaseNovember 28, 2023Tomah, WI—Tomah Health, the Tomah Health Hospice Touch & Palliative Care program, the Tomah Public Library and Chasing Daylight Animal Shelter will share just over a $4 million gift commitment from a trust created by John and Velda Felton of Tomah and formerly of Warrens.

Lack of Awareness Challenging Palliative Care’s Plight in the Hospice VBID LandscapePalliative Care NewsDecember 1, 2023A main barrier to palliative care growth in the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in is a lack of understanding of these services among beneficiaries, as well as inconsistent service delivery.

Nursing Home Occupancy ‘Disappointingly Flat’ in November but States’ Medicaid Rebasing EncouragingSkilled Nursing NewsDecember 1, 2023Healthcare Real Estate Investment Trusts specializing in post-acute care facilities experienced “disappointingly flat” occupancy rates in November, according to investment analysts. BMO Capital Market’s Juan Sanabria highlighted the challenges faced by skilled nursing facilities in maintaining growth, with market share loss to home health. ... In terms of REIT exposure and risks, the note pointed out that SNF coverage appeared to have bottomed out as occupancy and labor availability had improved. This trend is evident from recent quarterly earnings from several large publicly-traded REITs.

Humana Partners With CINQCARE To Deliver Home-Based Care To Medicare Advantage MembersHome Health Care NewsNovember 30, 2023Humana Inc. has formed a partnership with CINQCARE, a health care company that delivers care in the home and community. ... As part of the collaboration, the companies will serve Humana’s New York Medicare Advantage members in their homes.

UT Medical Center expanding palliative and hospice care in rural communitiesWVLT-TV (Knoxville, TN)November 30, 2023Knoxville, TN—November marks National Palliative and Hospice Care Month, two types of treatment that the University of Tennessee Medical Center’s Dr. Adam Tyson is passionate about. Now, the hospital is working to expand that care into other communities.

Community Health Systems sells three Florida hospitals for $294MModern HealthcareDecember 1, 2023Community Health Systems sold three Florida hospitals to Tampa General Hospital in a $294 million cash deal that closed Friday, the for-profit health system announced. The transaction involves the 120-bed Bravera Health Brooksville in Brooksville, the 128-bed Bravera Health Seven Rivers in Crystal River and the 124-bed Bravera Health Spring Hill in Spring Hill, in addition to clinics and outpatient services.

High prices plague medical marijuana market in VirginiaWRIC-TV (Richmond, VA)November 29, 2023Richmond, VA—A new report is shedding light on the state of the medical marijuana industry in Virginia. The report found that because of high prices, fewer Virginians obtain medical cannabis through the state’s regulated market, compared to other states. ... The high cost means 90% of patients in Virginia obtain cannabis from sources other than Virginia’s medical market.

This grief therapist draws on her own experience with loss to help othersOrange County RegisterNovember 30, 2023Claire Bidwell Smith is no stranger to grief. She lost both of her parents to cancer at a young age—her mother when she was 18, and her father when she was 25. “I entered into my adult life with a lot of grief and was just trying to figure out everything that had happened to me. After my mom died, everybody was like ‘You’ll be fine. You’re an adult, just go forward into your life.’ And I wasn’t fine. It was really, really hard.” ... Based in Santa Monica, Smith initially worked in hospice before starting a private practice as a grief therapist, now facilitating online grief support groups and in-person retreats. And she never stopped writing. Smith has published three nonfiction books about grief; her new book, “Conscious Grieving,” comes out in March 2024.

Hospice Clinician Wages Rising at Slower Rate; Turnover FallingHospice NewsDecember 1, 2023Wages for hospice clinicians continue to go up amid widespread staff shortages, but they grew at a slower rate in 2023 compared to the prior year. The national average hourly rate for Hospice registered nurses rose 4.58% in 2023, down from a 5.95% increase in 2022, according to a new report by the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service in cooperation with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. Meanwhile, turnover rates declined in 2023, representing the first drop in several years, the report indicated.

It’s your funeral—Here’s how to plan so your loved ones don’t have toUnion Democrat (Sonora, CA)November 28, 2023Just 10% of people have told a funeral home in writing what their funeral plans are, according to NFDA surveys, and an even smaller share have pre-paid for their arrangements. So whether you are pre-planning your own funeral—as experts highly recommend by either talking with a funeral home or including it within your estate planning—or helping with a loved one’s arrangements, here are a few basics to start the conversation...