Literature Review

Is healthcare relying too much on family caregivers?Modern Healthcare, by Diane Eastabrook; 1/10/24The Biden administration is demanding hospitals offer more clarity to family members on their role in home-based services. Access requires a subscription to Modern Healthcare

Impatiently waiting for my mom to dieYour Tango, by Kai Larsen; 1/10/24... I never hear her voice or see her face or think it’s her when a light burns out. She’s just gone. I write my portion of her obituary while she is still alive, but only because there’s not much to do while you’re living on the floor of the hospital that is designated for dying, and because it is taking her so long to do so. ...

Maine governor dedicates $2.5 million to support elderly population through innovative programBNN, by Saboor Bayat; 1/9/24In an unprecedented move, Governor Janet Mills is allocating $2.5 million of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to bolster support for Maine’s aging population. Aiming to enhance the lives of older adults and their caregivers, this initiative pioneers the establishment of community-based navigator roles for a more efficient connection to essential resources.

This Florida resort gives critically ill children the chance to just be kidsUSA Today, by Eve Chen; 1/9/24Eight-year-old Zachary Doyle was in hospice when his family got a chance for one more adventure. “We adopted Zachary when he was 7 weeks old, and he had spina bifida and hydrocephalus, which at the time seemed like manageable diagnoses that we could tackle as a family,” his mom, Susan Doyle. ... She said he underwent around 40 brain and heart surgeries like ”a champ,” but ran out of treatment options last year. “We were pretty resigned to being at home and finishing out the end at home,” Doyle said. That was until Zachary was granted a rush wish trip to Walt Disney World through Gentle Shepherd Hospice in Lynchburg, Virginia. 

How to ensure your passwords don't die with youCyberGuy Report, by Kurt Knutsson; 1/7/24As technology becomes more integrated into our lives, we need to consider how it affects our legacy and our loved ones. There are some uncomfortable but necessary end-of-life conversations we should all have with our loved ones, but passwords usually aren’t one of them. Yet with so much of our professional, personal and financial life online, it is more important now to include how to handle your digital life in those conversations.  

The income gap jeopardizing retirement for millionsThe New York Times, by Paula Span; 1/6/24Paula Span explores the unprecedented challenges posed by a rapidly aging population.

After loved ones' long-awaited organ transplants, caregivers often find challenges are just beginningSTAT, by Annalisa Merelli; 1/4/24By the time his wife Glenda Daggert received a double organ transplant in 1999, Ira Copperman already had a lot of experience as a caregiver. ... After the transplants, Daggert had a new kidney and a new pancreas, and was no longer diabetic. Yet this was not the ending to all her health issues, nor to Copperman’s role as a caregiver. “Transplantation is not the end story. You don’t stop what you do as caregiver or care partners the day after a transplant,” said Copperman, who serves as vice president of the nonprofit Transplant Recipients International Organization. “It is a lifelong journey.”

Sleep pods, coffee bars, and coworking spaces: Hospital staff lounges get a makeoverHealthcare Brew, by Shannon Young; 12/7/23Health systems are looking at how they can better attract, retain, and support staff with respite spaces. Picture this: a large coworking environment with collaboration areas, cappuccino bars, and programmable spaces. No, it’s not a Silicon Valley startup, a student union, or even a swanky airport lounge. It’s the next generation of hospital employee break rooms. After years of optimizing hospital spaces to focus on the patient experience, more health systems are looking at how they can better attract, retain, and support staff, Mike Pukszta, codirector of CannonDesign’s global health practice, told Healthcare Brew.Editor's Note: Consider implications for today's hospice staffing. Office-based leaders, have you ever spent a day with a team member making visit after visit? While you want staff out in the field, do they have a home base where they can easily collaborate, eat, communicate with each other? Seek feedback and consider adjustments that can make a big difference in employee satisfaction and well-being.

Man 'accidentally' fires gun in Iowa hospital: policeBecker's Clinical Leadership, by Mackenzie Bean (Twitter); 1/2/24 Police are investigating an incident in which a gun was discharged at MercyOne Waterloo (Iowa) Medical Center Dec. 29, according to NBC affiliate WHO 13 News. Authorities found damage from a single gunshot in a restroom after responding to a report of a gun being fired at the hospital around 9:40 a.m. CST. No injuries were reported.

South Carolina NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough has diedPost and Courier, by Chris Day; 12/13/23 South Carolina racing legend Cale Yarborough died the morning of Dec. 31 at McLeod Hospice House in Florence. The Timmonsville native is closely linked to historic Darlington Raceway where he made his big-league debut. ... Yarborough was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012 as part of the stock-car shrine’s third class of inductees. NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim France called Yarborough one of the toughest competitors ever to compete in NASCAR.

How dog saved from euthanasia sparked movement to help terminally ill petNewsweek, by Alice Gibbs; 1/1/24A very special dog who was saved from euthanasia has sparked a heartwarming movement to help terminally ill pets. Opie, a 9-year-old terrier with cancer, was facing imminent euthanasia due to the weather, a harsh Texas winter. Austin Pets Alive! (APA) was called. ... The situation opened the eyes of staff at Austin Pets Alive to the need for specialized care for dogs with terminal illnesses. Opie's original foster, supported by a dedicated team of volunteers, established the shelter's "fospice" program—offering end-of-life care to animals in similar situations.

2023 saw several health care deals that changed the landscapeThe Boston Globe, by Bob Herman and Tara Bannow; 12/30/23Every year, the health care industry behaves more like a balloon: Squeeze one side, and the other expands. Companies that were once just insurers or just pharmacies are tacking on new business lines. The idea is that when profit inevitably gets squeezed in one, it'll expand in another. That trend of vertical integration was on full display in 2023, a year when the country's biggest pharmacy chain bought a primary care provider, and the biggest private insurer branched further into home health. Hospitals, meanwhile, continued to push the boundaries of expansion — their leaders following through on their promises to grow market power. Here are some of the biggest and most consequential health care transactions in 2023.Editor Note: Article appears behind paywall.

Terminally-ill dogs find love through hospice foster programFox7 Austin, by John Krinjak; 12/26/23AUSTIN, Texas - Some Austin-based volunteers are making sure terminally ill dogs get the love they deserve. Austin Pets Alive! recently launched a hospice foster program, and it was all inspired by a very special pooch named Opie.