Literature Review

New Analysis Shows How Unaffordable Home Care Is Becoming For American SeniorsHome Health Care NewsDecember 4, 2023Most Americans will need some sort of in-home care support as they age. The issue is that many of them cannot afford it. ... Only 14% of American seniors can afford to do so [pay for personal care services], however, according to a new analysis conducted by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

Corewell Health cyberattack exposes personal data of 1M patientsCrain’s Detroit Business/Modern HealthcareDecember 4, 2023Corewell Health’s Southeast Michigan operations were victims of a cyberattack that exposed the personal data of roughly 1 million of its patients and 2,500 of its Priority Health insurance members, the company announced. The cybersecurity breach occurred at Welltok Inc., a software company that works for many healthcare companies across the U.S., and exposed the data of 8.5 million people nationally, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessell’s office announced Friday.

President Jimmy Carter’s experience dispels hospice mythsBy Aaron WheelerDes Moines RegisterDecember 4, 2023... What makes Carter’s hospice situation a little different from most is that he first received hospice services in February 2023—a full 10 months ago, shortly after the recurrence of a life-limiting cancer. While many individuals and families view hospice services as a “last resort,” it’s clear the Carters viewed it for what it is: a way to help people live as fully as they can as long as they are able. If I could change one thing about the way most people view hospice services, that would be that “hospice” is often a word people dread because of the “death sentence” connotation. In reality, hospice is not about giving up hope. It’s about maximizing quality of life based on the individual’s choices, and often about helping family members transition back from caregiver status to simply being a spouse or a son or a daughter again.[Editor’s Note: Aaron Wheeler is vice president of home and community-based services for WesleyLife, Johnston, IA].

8-year-old in hospice wants 2,000 cards for his birthday and ChristmasWEWS-TV (Cleveland, OH)December 4, 2023Cleveland, OH—If you are looking to give some love this holiday season, there is a young boy who would appreciate getting a Christmas or birthday card from you. Andrew Miller is an 8-year-old who enjoys cards and loves reading them every day. Linda Miller, Andrew’s mom, said last year, her son was diagnosed with two types of Stage Four cancers. ... “He’s got so many little tumors starting in our inoperable places and there’s nothing we could do about it,” said Linda. So, his parents came up with a plan to get his spirits up again. “Every time something comes in the mail, he’s all excited. So, for his birthday we’re trying to get him 1000 birthday cards,” said Linda. ... If you would like to send a card, the mailing information is: Buddy, Truman House Community Hospice, 716 Commercial Ave. SW, New Philadelphia, OH 44663.

Banner Health to close hospice operations; staff moves to Phoenix nonprofitPhoenix Business JournalDecember 4, 2023Banner Health, the state’s largest health system, is closing down its own hospice operations and is transitioning its patients and hospice staff to another provider. An estimated 70 hospice staff from Phoenix-based Banner Health have begun the move over to Hospice of the Valley, effective Dec. 1.

VITAS Expects a Steady 2024 for Revenue, GrowthHospice NewsDecember 4, 2023After the tumultuous years of the pandemic, VITAS Healthcare expects a stable growth trajectory heading into 2024. Florida-based VITAS is a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. Though the company has not yet released financial guidance for 2024, VITAS anticipates a “predictable” 2024 in terms of earnings and growth, executives said at Monday’s Bank of America Healthcare Conference.

How Value-Based Care, Investors Could Impact Palliative Care StaffingPalliative Care NewsDecember 4, 2023Interest in palliative care is rising among job-seeking clinicians, but the influx remains too slow to meet rising demand. ... Though far more resources are needed, more opportunities for clinical palliative care training have been emerging in recent years, according to Dr. Nathan Goldstein, currently professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Why are the holidays so hard?Jenn Flaum, LCSW, MBAExecutive Director, Heartlight Center, Denver, COThe holiday season can be filled with emotions that can be more profound and surprising than other times of the year, especially for individuals who are grieving. Subsequently, it is common for us to ask the question: Why are the holidays so hard? Editor Note: The author includes several suggestions that may be helpful for you, your patients, and their family members.

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State’s regulators under fire for not imposing ‘meaningful’ punishment on operatorsMcKnight’s Senior LivingDecember 4, 2023If provider punishments in Maine ramp up in the near future, operators won’t need to look far for the catalyst. A ProPublica investigation into what it calls the failures of the state’s oversight agencies is creating a lot of heat in and around the sector. ... In partnership with The Maine Monitor, ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network shined a spotlight on the state’s health department for citing dozens of resident rights violations and hundreds of other deficiencies between 2020 and 2022 but imposing only the “lowest intervention possible, even for some of the most serious abuse and neglect incidents.” ... Long-term care advocates said that a lack of regulatory enforcement essentially encourages bad behavior. Industry representatives called for increasing nursing hours and requiring on-site medical directors in assisted living rather than imposing sanctions.

Nurse-led geriatric primary care model offers care benefits for seniorsMcKnight’s Long Term Care NewsDecember 4, 2023A new study found that integrating Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training-Primary Care (GITT-PC) can improve primary care for older adults. Essentially, GITT-PC trains healthcare workers to function as a team while integrating geriatric care into primary care settings. It can focus on using nurses instead of doctors. Overall, the model aims to change practices by leveraging Medicare reimbursement billable codes for Annual Wellness Visit (AWV), Chronic Care Management (CCM), Advance Care Planning (ACP) and Dementia services. The study was published Friday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

CAPC Palliative Care Provider DirectoryPress Release, 12/4/23Finding palliative care services should be easy and convenient, not only for patients living with a serious illness, and their families, but also for their medical teams. CAPC’s national Palliative Care Provider Directory provides a quick and easy way for patients, families, and referring clinicians to locate and contact palliative care programs in their area.