Literature Review

How the St. Francis Foundation supports healthcare for Santa Barbara’s most vulnerable Noozhawk - Special to Good for Santa Barbara; 11/26/24 The foundation grants nearly a million annually to local organizations focused on health, end-of-life, palliative and geriatric care. Maximize the impact of your generosity this holiday season by supporting the nonprofits that matter most to you. There’s no better way to close out the year than by giving back to your community. This #GivingTuesday, Noozhawk invites you to contribute to one of the incredible local organizations featured in our  Giving Guide. On December 3, 2024, join us and nonprofits across Santa Barbara County in celebrating this global movement of giving. Together, we can make a difference! ...Editor's note: This interview provides a great example for ways that you, too, can still fast-track your community outreach before next week's December 3rd "Giving Tuesday."

Valley Health and Hospice of the Panhandle collaborate to expand hospice care Global Data; 11/26/24 Valley Health has partnered with Hospice of the Panhandle to launch a hospice care programme within its hospitals, War Memorial Hospital (WarMH) in Berkeley Springs and Hampshire Memorial Hospital (HMH) in Romney, West Virginia, US. An agreement, effective from 1 November, integrates Hospice of the Panhandle with the hospitals' existing care teams, aiming to enhance the quality and accessibility of end-of-life care for eligible patients and their families.  The Hospice in the Hospital programme, which began in 2020 at Winchester Medical Centre, has now extended to all Valley Health hospitals in Virginia and, with this recent development, to West Virginia. HMH and WarMH operations vice president Heather Sigel said: “We are extremely thankful to the Hospice of the Panhandle team for partnering with us to offer Hospice in the Hospital at both War Memorial and Hampshire Memorial. ..."

Nutrition Shake Drive supports local hospice patientsECB Publishing, Inc.; 11/26/24 Juanice Hughes Big Bend Hospice Advisory Council Big Bend Hospice is currently seeking donations of nutrition shakes, such as Ensure vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors for its local patients. These shakes are essential for maintaining health and comfort during care. From some patients, this is the only nutrition they can tolerate. As one Big Bend Hospice administrator indicated, there is always a need for these shakes. There is not time that there is too much Ensure on hand, because it is an important sustenance for patients under hospice care. ... Editor's note: This is such a simple, significant, practical donation! Bravo to Big Bend Hospice! The privilege of my lifetime was for my Mom to live with us--with hospice care--through the last months of her life. Her chocolate similar-to-Ensure mini-cartons were essential to giving her crucial nutrition, in the midst of her dying. What a wonderful way to support patient (and caregiver!) care. Perhaps, this might be an 11th-hour idea for other hospices to use for December 3rd's Giving Tuesday? Thanks, Big Bend Hospice!

Keeping referral partners happy after dropping contracts with Medicare Advantage plans Home Health News; by Audire Martin; 11/25/24 Home health providers may walk away from specific health plans due to financial feasibility, administrative burdens, or misalignment with their patient care values and priorities. However, this decision can create short-term challenges with referral partners and health systems, as they may have patients enrolled in those plans. “If a health plan consistently under-reimburses for services or requires excessive administrative hurdles, it may compromise the ability to deliver quality care efficiently,” Preston Lucas, chief financial officer at Interim HealthCare Great Lakes, told Home Health Care News. “Additionally, if the plan’s policies restrict access to necessary treatments or fail to support the level of care required for patients, it becomes difficult to sustain the partnership.” ... Maintaining open lines of communication and emphasizing the shared goal of providing high-quality care helps mitigate the short-term consequences of leaving a health system, according to Lucas.

People who genuinely afraid of getting old usually display these 8 behaviors (without realizing it) Baseline; by Lucas Graham; 11/25/24 One might think aging is all about the wrinkles, the sagging skin, and that stubborn gray hair that won’t stay hidden. But in reality, it’s not those things that get under your skin. It’s the quiet, creeping fear of what aging really means. Will I still matter? Am I losing my edge? We all have moments where we cling to something that keeps us feeling young, whether it’s trying to keep up with the latest slang ... or avoiding a birthday candle count that feels a little too honest. But what if these subtle habits are really signs of something deeper? Let’s unpack the little things we do when aging feels like a four-letter word, and see what they tell us about our relationship with time.

Addressing barriers to advance care planning by adults with advanced cancers Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, IN; by Shelley Johns, PsyD and Susan Hickman, PhD; 11/25/24 In one of the first studies to test the utility of mindfulness to support advance care planning by adult cancer patients and their family caregivers, researchers from Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University have found that mindfulness showed promise in improving quality of life and advance care planning outcomes in patients and their family caregivers coping with advanced cancer. ... Mindfulness emphasizes paying attention to the present moment with an attitude of openness, compassion and interested curiosity accomplished through meditation and other exercises to manage stress. “Mindfulness is about noticing what’s here so we can choose the wisest response and hopefully be less emotionally reactive,” said Dr. Johns. “Mindfulness practices help individuals increase their mindfulness muscle, so to speak. Anything that we do in our life ... can be done with mindful focus, with mindful attention."

Hologram technology wows rural care patients Becker's ASC Review; by Francesca Mathewes; 11/25/24 Cancer patients in rural Tennessee are testing virtual visits from hologram health consultants, Fox 26 News reported Nov. 23. The technology allows healthcare providers, in this case a physician, to consult with patients via a lifelike hologram. Clay Jackson, MD, a palliative care specialist in Germantown, Tenn., said that the technology has expanded access to care in the rural area, where patients might otherwise have to travel more than 100 miles for in-person care. "Two words: blown away. My patients can't believe how great the technology is," said Dr. Jackson in the report. "They may be a one-car family, it may be patients for whom additional travel would cause additional pain or discomfort or stress, especially those who are undergoing active treatment for their cancer," he added. The device and AI-powered spatial computing platform cost $29,000. The technology has been used in the entertainment industry and in professional sports, but this marks the first time the technology has been used in health consultations.

How to manage sibling relationships strained by family caregiving AARP; by Christine A. Di Pasquale; 11/25/24 ... Conflict around caregiving is not unusual, especially between sisters, says Megan Gilligan, Ph.D., an associate professor of Human Development & Family Science at the University of Missouri. Gilligan is a co-author of the longitudinal Within-Family Differences Study that looks at understanding the “relationships between parents and their adult children and grandchildren, as well as between siblings in adulthood.” Gilligan and her colleagues found that sisters tend to be more critical of one another than sons when it comes to parental caregiving. “Daughters are raised with a sense of expectation, obligation, of wanting to provide that care and wanting that care to look a certain way,” she explains. “And we found that when multiple daughters were involved in care, maybe sometimes they’re kind of stepping on each other’s toes whereas … sons were more likely to kind of step back and let sisters navigate that,” she says. ... Gilligan suggests that we replace the idea of equality with equity in caregiving. Siblings should ask what the parents want each child to do and then divide that work equitably if not equally in order to reduce sources of stress for the ailing parent and among siblings.

Hospice of Baton Rouge: New grief center opens offering vital support and healing Unfiltered With Kiran, Baton Rouge, LA; by Megan Kelly; 11/25/24 As the holiday season approaches, a time often filled with joy and togetherness, it can also be a profoundly challenging period for those experiencing grief. The Hospice of Baton Rouge has recognized this need and has transformed a property into a haven of healing: The Retreat at Quarters Lake. This newly established grief center aims to address the significant gap in resources for grieving individuals, a void that became especially apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Retreat at Quarters Lake provides hope, healing, and connectivity for the grieving through counseling, support groups, alternative grief therapies, and community education,” reads a statement on their website. The facility offers both traditional grief services, such as individual counseling and support groups, and unique, holistic approaches that include art therapy, music therapy, and pet therapy. The goal is to provide a comprehensive support system that caters to individuals of all ages and backgrounds. “We are focusing on some alternative therapies like yoga, meditation, gardening, and even fishing,” said Catherine Schendel, CEO of The Hospice of Baton Rouge. “We want to utilize the beautiful landscaping here to offer non-traditional grief support as well.” 

Elevate Podcast: Marianne Muzic-Lucenti, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, Palliative Care Program Manager, St. Mary’s Healthcare System Hospice News; by Mick Stahlberg; 11/25/24 In this episode, Hospice News Senior Editor Jim Parker speaks with Marianne Muzic-Lucenti, manager of one of the oldest pediatric palliative care programs in the nation, at St. Mary’s Healthcare System in Queens, New York City. The discussion profiles the program and looks at the outlook for palliative care for 2025. 

60 harsh life realities 20-somethings don’t realize yet, according to people in their 40s boredpanda; by Viktorija Ošikaité; 11/25/24 You tend to take life for granted in your 20s, and why wouldn’t you? ... You feel invincible and perpetually ready to conquer anything. But as you grow older, you will feel Father Time’s harsh reality checks. ... These 40-somethings would know, and they are sharing their nuggets of wisdom with 20-year-olds in this Reddit thread. ...Editor's note: While this is far more pop culture than the professional information we provide, take a break and enjoy these fun (and often wise) guides. Whatever your age, what are your favorites? What would you add? Delete? Share with a 20-something in your life?

Health care workers rally at Kaiser Permanente headquarters in Pasadena as strike enters fifth week Pasadena Now, Pasadena, CA; by Eddie Rivera; 11/22/24 More than 300 Kaiser Permanente mental health workers and their supporters marched Thursday, November 21 around the healthcare giant’s regional headquarters on Walnut Street in Pasadena, marking the fifth week of a statewide strike over working conditions and patient care concerns. The Pasadena demonstration, coordinated with a similar rally in Oakland, highlighted tensions between Kaiser Permanente and its mental health professionals represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers. ... “We’re tired of the working conditions that Kaiser’s providing for us,” said Marisela Calvillo, a licensed clinical social worker who led the demonstration. ... Calvillo said she was seeing patients every 30 minutes without breaks while struggling to complete required documentation during lunch periods. She said therapists are given approximately two minutes per patient for administrative tasks, affecting her caseload of 86 patients. 

Hospital at home saves lives and money: CMS report American Medical Association; by Jennifer Lubell; 11/22/24 A federal report to Congress on the Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative shows that at-home acute care produces lower mortality rates and post-discharge spending than traditional inpatient care while also yielding positive feedback from patients and caregivers. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the home-care initiative in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, granting waivers to individual hospitals to provide Medicare patients with inpatient-level home care. With 358 approved hospitals across 137 health systems in 39 states since its start in November 2020, this innovation in care delivery has become an important feature of the Medicare program. ... Importantly, these programs demonstrate clinically, and often more cost-effective care. “Numerous studies have demonstrated that many types of care that are currently delivered in an office or facility could be provided at home, with clinically appropriate, high quality, and cost-effective outcomes,” wrote the authors of the AMA report. About 15–20% of emergency and urgent care services and up to 35% of hospice services are capable of being administered at home. As home care continues to evolve, this service could provide up to 25% of post-acute and long-term care in the home.