Literature Review

HHS targets private equity, pushes for more SNF ownership transparency in new report McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Zee Johnson; 1/16/25 A new federal report is calling for greater transparency in long-term care ownership, citing “growing consolidation in the healthcare sector and the lack of meaningful competition” as main drivers in decreased patient care quality and caregiver well-being. The Department of Health and Human Services released its report Wednesday. “HHS Consolidation in Health Care Markets RFI Response” was created in consultation with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. Report authors examined a broad range of settings and deals in the healthcare sector, ultimately identifying two major trends: increasing consolidation in certain healthcare markets and a recent influx of private equity and other private investors. Some providers support the push for more ownership transparency, saying private equity acquisitions of previously nonprofit-owned healthcare providers is a symptom of a broken system.

Senior living community evacuates amid California wildfires Newslooks; by Mary Sidiqi; 1/14/25 The peaceful routine at the Terraces at Park Marino, a senior living facility in Pasadena, California, was shattered on January 7 when the Eaton fire, driven by ferocious Santa Ana winds, turned a typical evening into a harrowing battle for survival. Terraces Wildfire Evacuation Quick Looks

Guidelines for evaluating, diagnosing, and disclosing dementia published by Alzheimer’s Association Practical Neurology; 1/14/25 The Diagnostic Evaluation, Testing, Counseling, and Disclosure Clinical Practice Guideline (DETeCD-ADRD CPG) Workgroup, convened and funded by the Alzheimer’s Association, has developed new recommendations for clinicians to use when evaluating patients with possible Alzheimer disease (AD) or AD and related dementias (ADRD). An executive summary of the recommendations for use in primary care and other practice settings was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, along with a companion article summarizing specific guidance for specialists. The Workgroup included representatives from  primary, specialty, subspecialty, long-term, and palliative care disciplines as well as the fields of health economics and bioethics.  Editor's note: Click for open access to the Alzheimer's Association clinical practice guideline ..., executive summary of recommendations for primary care. 

PruittHealth acquires family-owned skilled nursing centers in middle Georgia GlobeNewswire, PruittHealth, Warner Robbins, GA; 1/9/25 PruittHealth, a family-owned and Georgia-based provider of post-acute care, today announced the purchase of two new health care centers from industry leader Debbie Meade and her Georgia-based organization Health Management. PruittHealth took over the operations of Eastview Nursing Center in Macon and Southern Pines Nursing Center in Warner Robins on December 31. The locations were rebranded as PruittHealth – Lakeside and PruittHealth – Warner Robins.

Doctors, nurses press ahead as wildfires strain L.A.’s healthcare Los Angeles Times, produced by KFF Health News; by Emily Alpert Reyes, Bernard J. Wolfson and Molly Castle Work; 1/10/25 The rapidly spreading wildfires are not only upending the lives of tens of thousands of Los Angeles County residents and business owners, but also stressing the region’s hospitals, health clinics, first responders and nursing homes. ... Amid the maelstrom, doctors, nurses and other caregivers did their jobs. ... “All hospitals in close proximity to the fires remain on high alert and are prepared to evacuate if conditions worsen,” the Hospital Assn. of Southern California said in a statement. “The fires are creating significant operational hurdles,” the association added. ... [From a nurse,] "In times like this, this is when community si the most powerful."

California wildfires and healthcare: Compiled articlesCompiled from various news sources; 1/9/25

Navigating Aging: The LGBTQ+ community relives old traumas as they face aging on their own Northern Kentucky Tribune; by Judith Graham; 1/5/25 Bill Hall, 71, has been fighting for his life for 38 years. These days, he’s feeling worn out. Hall contracted HIV, the virus that can cause AIDS, in 1986. ... This past year, Hall has been hospitalized five times with dangerous infections and life-threatening internal bleeding. But that’s only part of what Hall, a gay man, has dealt with. ... By 2030, the number of LGBTQ+ seniors is expected to double. Many won’t have partners and most won’t have children or grandchildren to help care for them, AARP research indicates. They face a daunting array of problems, including higher-than-usual rates of anxiety and depression, chronic stress, disability, and chronic illnesses such as heart disease, according to numerous research studies. High rates of smoking, alcohol use, and drug use — all ways people try to cope with stress — contribute to poor health. Keep in mind, this generation grew up at a time when every state outlawed same-sex relations and when the American Psychiatric Association identified homosexuality as a psychiatric disorder. Many were rejected by their families and their churches when they came out. Then, they endured the horrifying impact of the AIDS crisis.

‘Change in air’ for senior living and care industry in 2025 McKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 12/20/24 “Change is in the air” heading into 2025 for the senior living and care industry, particularly evidenced in regulatory shifts, dementia care, technology expansion and market rebounds, according to the Health Dimensions Group’s annual white paper outlining key issues expected to affect providers in the future.

The top long-term care stories of 2024 McKnights Long-Term Care News; by James M. Berklan; 12/20/24 Workforce issues dominated the long-term care provider landscape in 2024 — but in far more ways than just coping with the finalization of the nation’s first-ever nursing home staffing mandate. As new legal and political winds may eventually push that controversial regulation off providers’ desks anyway, it was clearly apparent this year that McKnight’s Long-Term Care News readers’ interests span a wide array of personnel and workplace issues. Below are the top stories, topics and issues that our readers showed they were most intrigued about when it came to doing their jobs better, and about the sector in which they spend so much daily energy.

Love remains the greatest gift of all The Eagle-Tribune; Commentary by Raymond Hackett, Jr.;  12/28/24 On Christmas Eve in the year 2000, an article I wrote, "Love is the greatest gift of all," was published in the Haverhill Gazette, a sister paper to The Eagle-Tribune. At the time, my grandmother Frances V. (Anderson) Marchand Mears, was a resident of Penacook Place nursing home on Water Street in Haverhill. She was afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. As young as 6 years old I knew I loved writing. That year I handed my grandmother a birthday card I made for her on her St. Patrick's Day. ... She has since passed. However, on Oct. 7 of this year, we found ourselves at Penacook Place again, this time to bring our father, Raymond Hackett. It was a difficult day for my family. We knew he was at that stage of Alzheimer's disease when he really needed 24-hour care. ... A hospice nurse showed up and checked my father's vital signs. ... My father died about a month later on Dec. 15, but we forever have that day, when we left the nursing home saddened and facing the inevitable. We also left with the knowledge that blessings come in many – sometimes unexpected – ways, and that love will always and forever be the greatest gift of all.

Sierra Hills assisted living employees in Cheyenne to strike over staffing issues' Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne, WY; by Noah Zahn; 12/18/24 In March, a resident at Sierra Hills Assisted Living in Cheyenne fell and hurt their hip and shoulder. A CNA at the facility reported that the resident could not be moved without causing shoulder pain, noting that they had likely broken their shoulder and hip, according to a report from the Wyoming Department of Health. The resident was bed-bound, in “excruciating pain” and screamed for hours, which frightened the other residents. The CNA stated this was “the worst thing she had ever experienced.” At the time, the resident was one of six hospice patients at the assisted-living facility. Sierra Hills made hospice care available at the facility shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic. When hospice nurses were unavailable, the burden of care fell to the CNAs and RNs on staff. The CNA caring for this resident in March stated it was difficult to get hospice to respond on the weekends, saying that there was an 80% chance hospice would answer a phone call and a 50% chance a hospice nurse would come to the facility. Six days later, the resident died. Editor's note: Click on the title's link to continue reading. This strike--reportedly related to staffing--appears to be related extra responsibilities on the staff, because of the hospice's limited responses on weekends. This is 2024; not 1974. How does this scenario relate to your hospice triage, hours, staffing, incident reports, community partnerships? 

Weekly US Map: Influenza summary updateCDC - U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; ongoing, retrieved from the internet 12/16/24A Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report Prepared by the Influenza Division Editor's note: Bookmark this page to your web browser to monitor flu activity in your service areas through these more vulnerable winter months. Click on the map's "State" button for macro data at the state level. Click on the map's "CBSA" to drill down to counties.

Characteristics of patients enrolled in hospice presenting to the emergency department American Journal of Emergency Medicine; by Kayla P Carpenter, Fernanda Bellolio, Cory Ingram, Aaron B Klassen, Sarayna S McGuire, Alisha A Morgan, Aidan F Mullan, Alexander D Ginsburg; 12/9/24, online ahead of print Emergency Departments (EDs) frequently care for patients with life-limiting illnesses, with nearly 1 in 5 patients enrolled in hospice presenting to an ED during their hospice enrollment. This study investigates the reasons patients enrolled in hospice seek care in the ED, the interventions they receive, and their outcomes. ... Patients enrolled in hospice most frequently presented to the ED for trauma [36%; with 15% for pain, 12% for catheter/tube malfunction]. Most received laboratory studies and imaging. Nearly half of patients were admitted to the hospital and short-term mortality was high, particularly for patients enrolled in hospice for needs for ED care? Ie.,