Literature Review

Changes in hospice care experiences during the COVID-19 pandemicRand, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Maria DeYoreo, Rebecca Anhang Price, Ann C. Haas, Anagha Alka Tolpadi, Joan M. Teno, Marc N. Elliott; 2/12/24Demand for hospice and palliative care services increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospices strove to meet this demand despite staffing shortages and visitation restrictions that sometimes prevented family members and hospice staff from visiting patients in institutional settings such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals. We examine how the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced the characteristics of patients receiving hospice care, the settings in which they received care, and their care experiences using national data from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Hospice Survey. The survey is completed by bereaved family caregivers following the death of the hospice patient, and is the national standard for assessing patient- and family-centeredness of hospice care.

Former President Jimmy Carter spends 12 months in hospice careNewsNation, by Katie Smith; 2/14/24Sunday will mark one year since America’s longest-living president, 99-year-old Jimmy Carter, entered hospice care to spend his remaining time at home with his family. The 39th U.S. president elected to receive hospice care Feb. 18, 2023, according to a statement The Carter Center issued that day.Editor's Note: How are you addressing this length of 1+ year with the patients you serve? Click here for the CMS pdf of the 6-month rule, "Face-to-Face Requirement Affecting Hospice Recertification." 

$25k donation to Hospice of the Piedmont from the Countybank FoundationIndependent Banker, by William Atkinson; 2/12/24Countybank's Half-Century of Charitable Giving ...  One recent donation of $25,000 from the Countybank Foundation went to Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont, a community nonprofit network of care that provides specialized healthcare for those living with advanced illnesses. ... “When children lose someone they care about, it affects their entire life: their nutrition, their sleep, their relationships, their behavior and their schoolwork,” Charlene Kish, CEO of Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont, said in a statement. “With financial support from organizations like Countybank and Greenwood Capital, we are able to provide education and support to both the child and the parents.” 

Hospice of Wichita Falls gets multi-million dollar gift, renames Inpatient Care Center honoring Prothro familyKFDX 3 News, by Natalie McCain; 2/12/24, updated 2/13/24The Hospice of Wichita Falls’ Inpatient Care Center has been renamed to reflect a generous multi-million dollar gift from the Perkins-Prothro Foundation, Dianne and Mark Prothro and Dale Prothro. The largest gift in HOWF history will honor the memory of Charles “Charlie” Philbin, grandson of Dianne and Mark, and Joe Prothro, Dale’s husband, HOWF officials announced on February 12.

Hospice of Montezuma announces program to help patients care for their petThe Journal, by Bailey Duran; 2/9/24Hospice of Montezuma announced a collaboration with Pet Peace of Mind to help local hospice patients take care of and make plans for ... their pets' care after their life ends. Hospice of Montezuma will partner with local pet care providers such as Denkai Animal Sanctuary to ensure that patients’ pets receive food, veterinarian care and exercise. The nonprofit Pet Peace of Mind, based in Salem, Oregon, partners with hospices and hospitals. ... “Hospice patients fare better when they get to keep their pets and know they are getting the love and attention they need,” Pet Peace of Mind said.

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. U.S. Medicine, by Chester Buckenmaier III, MD, COL (ret), MC, USA; 2/13/24New Year’s Eve 2023 was marked with sadness for my family as my mother-in-law, Susan “Sue” Timperley, passed. ... Because of Sue’s strength in life, when her death came faster than we or her physician expected, we were spared further trauma. ... Hospice proved as helpful in death as they were in life by easing the weight of Sue’s loss through arrangements for her body. This support allowed Sue to die as she lived, with quiet strength and regal dignity. Our family was gifted with the time to focus on her memory rather than sterile hospital rules and cold machines.

Using patient narratives to evaluate a hospice serviceNursing Times - Patient Experience, by Val Stangoe and Steve Mee; 2/12/24Questionnaire surveys at a hospice proved ineffective as a tool to identify areas for service improvement, but narrative inquiry with patients and their families identified important deficits that offered clear guidance for service development. This method needed a careful, respectful approach, as well as significant time and resources, but proved to be invaluable. Many of the patients enjoyed having an opportunity to tell their stories, while nursing staff could be involved in the project, thereby enhancing their skills and raising their ambitions.

PeaceHealth hospice and home care nurses near Eugene set to begin strike over the weekendKLCC Oregon Public Broadcasting, by Rolando Hernandez; 2/8/24After almost a year of negotiations, nurses with PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Home Care Services are going on strike. More than 90 nurses with the Oregon Nurses Association will be striking for two weeks starting Feb. 10. These nurses provide hospice care and other services to patients in the Eugene area.

VNHS leveraging tech to optimize hospice patient experience: A game-changer in end-of-life careCompsMag, by Tech Desk; 2/8/24... Georgia-based hospice provider Visiting Nurse Health System (VNHS) ... has been a pioneer in implementing various technologies that are becoming increasingly common in the post-acute space. For example, VNHS implemented its remote patient monitoring program in 2007 and more recently delved into predictive analytics. According to VNHS CEO Dorothy Davis, they have invested for five years in a platform that has become the repository for claims data coming in. 

Alzheimer's: Watch for signs it's time to start hospice careThe Advocate, by Dana Territo; 2/5/24When is someone with dementia ready for hospice care? ... Some of the characteristics the affected individual may be exhibiting include the lack of ability to ambulate without assistance, incontinence of bowel and bladder, inability to dress and bathe properly, and speech limited to approximately a half dozen or fewer intelligible and different words. There are also intercurrent illnesses associated with advanced dementia in which hospice services would be a benefit. 

After almost a year closed, Longview hospice center [reopens]The Daily News (Longview, WA), by Minka Atkinson; 2/2/24PeaceHealth Richard Nau Hospice House is scheduled to begin accepting patients Monday [2/5/24]. An open house Wednesday [1/31/24] allowed community members to tour the facility and meet with care staff ahead of the center’s opening.

University of Colorado researcher uses platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ patients in hospice careMcKnights Home Care, by Foster Stubbs; 2/6/24Personal identity plays a big role in Carey Candrian’s research. An associate professor of medicine-internal medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine who identifies as a lesbian, her work primarily focuses on the experiences of older LGBTQ+ adults in hospice care. This work is especially important today in the wake of increased violence towards the community and inconsistent legal protections in recent years.

NHPCO Publishes Culturally Sensitive Communications to Enhance Care Delivery: A resource guide for healthcare professionalsNHPCO Press Release; 1/30/24The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s (NHPCO) Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) published Culturally Sensitive Communications to Enhance Care Delivery: A Resource Guide for Healthcare Professionals. ... It contains information from a multitude of NHPCO resources, such as the Hospice Through The DEI Lens report, Inclusion and Access Toolkit, Black and African American Outreach Guide, Chinese American Resource Guide, Latino Outreach Guide, and LGBTQ+ Resource Guide, as well as information from additional external research sources.