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Welcome to Hospice & Palliative Care Today, a daily email summarizing numerous topics essential for understanding the current landscape of serious illness and end-of-life care. Recent TCN Talks podcasts / videos reviewing Hospice & Palliative Care Today monthly content available: January 2024; February 2024; March 2024.
Hospice remains a blind spot for Medicare Advantage
Axios; by Maya Goldman; 5/6/24
As Medicare Advantage grows bigger and bigger, there's one area the industry and regulators haven't figured out how to make work yet: hospice.
Why it matters: The end-of-life care option is the only Medicare service that can't be offered in the private-run alternative, which now covers over half of enrollees. ...
Catch up quick: Usually, when a Medicare Advantage beneficiary decides to enter hospice after receiving a terminal diagnosis, traditional Medicare pays for this care while they remain enrolled in their private plan. ...
Editor's Note: This practical, user-friendly article outlines the purposes, challenges, and outcomes of Medicare Advantage with hospice patients. Share this with your leaders.
National Nurses Week 2024: RN reflects on the state of the profession, calls for change
USA Today / Columbia Daily Tribune; by Julia Gomez, USA Today; 5/6/24
Monday, May 6 kicks off National Nurses Week, and it gives folks an opportunity to show their love and appreciation for the people who take care of the sick, injured and dying. From neonatal nurses who help welcome newborns into the world to hospice nurses that provide peace and comfort to their dying patients, nurses play a crucial role in the medical industry. ... Catherine Kennedy, a registered nurse and the Vice President of National Nurses United, told USA TODAY that there needs to be systemic change on the federal level to give nurses the best chance to care for their patients. A study published by the National Library of Medicine states that in 2021, nurses would work an average of "8.2 hours of paid overtime and 5.8 hours of unpaid overtime per week that year — making up the equivalent of more than 9000 full-time jobs." ...
Hospice of South Central Indiana receives grant from MDRT Foundation
Shelby Chamber; 5/3/24
Thanks to the Greater Horizon Financial Group’s partnership, Our Hospice has received a $2,500 grant for its Pediatric Hospice Care services from the Million Dollar Round Table Foundation (MDRT). The MDRT gives to charitable organizations worldwide, demonstrating the generosity, service, and impact of MDRT members. This year, the MDRT Foundation will award over $1.8 million in MDRT member-endorsed grants to over 350 charitable organizations worldwide. ...
Hospice patient airlifted to safety during East Texas floods
The Gilmer Mirror; by Emily Foxhall, Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Alejandra Martinez, The Texas Tribune; 5/3/24
[Scroll down on this webpage to "East Texans try to reach their homes, save pets"]
Willie Rawls woke up to water at the steps of his home Thursday in the river bottoms of Coldspring – one of the first towns hit by the several hundred thousand gallons of water released from the Lake Livingston Dam. The dam was releasing water in an effort to maintain its levels as merciless rain storms drenched East Texas this week. Rawls, 73 and in hospice care, was evacuated by the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office, who arrived in an airboat and lifted him to safety.
Editor's Note: What Emergency Preparedness Planning does your organization have in place? Revisit this article we posted on 4/21/24: Hospices and emergency preparedness planning: A scoping review of the literature.
Workers at two Essentia Health facilities file for union representation
Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA); by Sam Fettig and Lauren Bloomquist; 5/2/24
Registered nurses at Essentia Miller Hill Surgery Center and nurses and other healthcare workers at Essentia Solvay Hospice House announced this week that they have filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board to form a union represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association ... because they want a voice in their workplace to improve both working conditions and how care is provided to their patients. ... At Essentia Solvay Hospice House, workers across the board, including Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Nursing Assistants, Administrative Assistants, Environmental Services workers, and Cooks, filed for a union election.
Building connections, showing compassion and bringing peace to patients and families
St. Louis Post-Dispatch; by Mary McHugh; 5/3/24
Three thousand colorfully painted rocks are artfully arranged in the landscaped outdoor meditation courtyard at Evelyn’s House, a part of BJC HealthCare, a ranch-style hospice home located adjacent to Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital. Each rock pays tribute to a patient who has spent their last days of life there. Decorated by the staff, the stones are visible through the garden window from the home’s central gathering space for families. It’s one of the first sights visitors see when they enter the facility. For the staff, including nurse Dawn Anderson, the stones are a unique and memorable way to honor the lives who have passed and prepare the staff to care for those who have yet to come. ...
Empathy exhaustion in nursing
Psychiatry Advisor; by Elizabeth Quaye; 5/5/24
This article looks at the role of empathy in nursing, the causes and symptoms of empathy exhaustion, and steps nurses can take to address it. ...
Elder abuse is easy to miss
NextAvenue; by Leida Snow; 5/6/24
Here is what to look for if you suspect a caregiver--whether a relative or a professional--is mistreating a loved one. ... People are living longer in their own homes outside of nursing homes or other institutional settings, which means that at some point each of us is likely to be a caregiver or looking for continuing health care for a loved one or ourselves. ... "My husband was in home hospice for the last months of his life." ... [A bereaved caregiver describes incidents with her husband's care.] Then I ... went to the other room and called the agency's 24-hour number. 'I want her out of here,' I said. 'Please send someone else as soon as you can.' Lou briefly rallied the next morning, but he died later that day. Did the aide hasten his death? I believe she did."
Chesapeake Life Center offers monthly LGBTQIA+ drop-in grief support group
Southern Maryland News Net; 5/6/24
Chesapeake Life Center will host a monthly drop-in grief support group for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. ... Grief is a hard and vulnerable time, and it is important to have safe spaces to process what we are going through. This group is intended for adult members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are grieving a past or approaching death. The group will be facilitated by a licensed queer therapist but will be loosely structured to offer an opportunity for participants to share their feelings and grieve with community.
Editor's Note: Hospice & Palliative Care Today does not post upcoming, local hospice events, grief support groups, volunteer trainings, etc. However, we're posting this LGBTQIA+ grief support ("past or approaching death") due to its profound need and support, with opportunities for replication by other hospices. Pair this support with the article we posted on 4/21/24: LGBTQ+ individuals have higher rates of cancer because of disparities in modifiable risk factors, ACS says.
The power of art in palliative care
InSight+, Melbourne, Australia; by Caitlin Wright; 5/6/24
... Melbourne artist Jeffrey Kelson is known for his thought-provoking portraits, several of which have been exhibited at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. He believes a portrait is a window into a subject’s heart and mind. However, after being diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer, it wasn’t this style of art that Mr. Kelson was drawn to. As soon as he felt well enough to return to his studio, he started work on a series of colourful collages. “At one point, my wife came into the room and commented on how bright they were and how full of life force. She was surprised that I could create pieces that were so energetic when I felt so ill. I hadn’t really thought about it. I just needed to work,” he told InSight+. ... Palliative care specialist Dr Eric Fairbank was one of Mr Kelson’s art students for several years before Mr. Kelson’s diagnosis. He said Mr Kelson’s approach to his diagnosis has confirmed his belief that the best outcomes of cancer treatment are achieved when they’re complemented by the patient’s own resources of mind, will and spirit. [Click on the title's link to view several of his paintings.]
Home-based pediatric hospice and palliative care provider visits: Effects on healthcare utilization
The Journal of Pediatrics; by Steven M. Smith, MD; Daniel H. Grossoehme, DMin; Kate Cicozi, MD; Audrey Hiltunen, MD; Catherine Roth, MPH, CCRP; Gwendolyn Richner, BA; Stephani S. Kim, PhD, MPH; Nguyen K. Tram, PhD; Sarah Friebert, MD; May 2024 journal issue
Objective: This hypothesis-generating study sought to assess the impact of home-based hospice and palliative care (HBHPC) provider home visits (HV) on healthcare use.
Conclusion: HBHPC provider HVs were associated with fewer inpatient admissions, hospital days, and intensive care unit days, and increased clinically relevant phone calls and phone calls before emergency department visit. These findings indicate that HBHPC HV may contribute to decreased inpatient use and increased use of the HBHPC team.
Second Opinion Expert announces strategic relationship with Intra Care Home Health Providers
Cision PRWeb; by Second Opinion Expert, Inc. / PRNewswire; 5/3/24
SecondOpinionExpert, Inc. (SOE), a leading healthcare technology company, announced today that it has formed a strategic relationship with Intra Care Home Health Providers, Inc. and its affiliated home health and hospice companies. ... Intra Care Home Health Services, Inc., a Los Angeles, CA based healthcare company, along with the related Intra Care SFV, Inc., Specialized Home Health Services, Inc., and Intra Care Hospice, Inc., (Intra Care) will all work with SOE as part of this relationship.
AI governance and cybersecurity certifications: Are they worth it?
CSO; by Maria Korolov; 5/6/24
The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), SANS Institute, and other organizations are releasing new AI certifications in the areas of governance and cybersecurity or adding new AI modules to existing programs. These may help professionals find employment, but with the area being relatively new, experts warn certifications could be out of date almost immediately. ... On the other hand, the new AI governance and cybersecurity certifications cover the basics needed to get up to speed, create a foundation layer on which people can build later, create a common language for practitioners to use, and will typically include ongoing training requirements to help people stay current.
Here, in alphabetical order by organization are all the AI governance training and certificates known at the time of publishing. ...
10 ways to honor your mom's memory on Mother's Day
95.5 FISH; by Lynette Kittle; 5/6/24
For those of us who have lost our moms, Mother’s Day can be a sad day; especially if we focus on what we’ve lost rather than remembering all we’ve gained because of their influence. Since my mom passed away, I have a growing appreciation of her role in my life and how her memory continues to impact me every day. ... Following are 10 ways to honor your mother’s memory on Mother’s Day.
Highlighting Nurses Week: Tidewell Foundation raising the next generation of hospice nurses
Observer; by Tidewell Foundation; 5/2/24
... Serving Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties [Florida], the Tidewell Foundation provides the philanthropic support needed to ensure all who need the world-class care of Tidewell Hospice ... funds the only accredited non-profit Nurse Residency program in the United States. Tidewell began its Nurse Residency Program in 2018 to combat the nursing shortage in our region. Now, 6 years later, it is the first hospice to be accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), joining a network of 264 nurse residency programs across the nation.
Families are often unaware of benefits of palliative hospice care, says retired oncologist
KSMU Ozarks Public Radio; radio segment by Linda Regan; 5/5/24
In this episode of our local program Making Democracy Work, host Linda Regan speaks with returning guest Dr. Robert Carolla, retired medical oncologist and board member for Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks. Carolla discusses palliative hospice care and says that families often sign up too late to receive all of the supportive benefits. He says “death is a part of life” and explores common misconceptions associated with hospice care.
Pro-life hospice group launches ‘Do Not Euthanize’ Registry to protect Canadians patients
InfoWars / LifeSiteNews; by Anthony Murdoch; 5/6/24
One of Canada’s only fully pro-life hospices, the Delta Hospice Society (DHS), has launched a new Do Not Euthanize (DNE) National Registry that it says will help “defend” vulnerable citizens’ lives from “premature death by euthanasia.” Angelina Ireland, executive director of the DHS, told LifeSiteNews that the new DNE National Registry is live as of May 1, 2024, with the goal being to have everyone who has already signed, or will sign, a DNE, added to the registry.
Scotland Regional Hospice Golf Tournament garners $180K
The Laurinburg Exchange; 5/3/24
The Scotland Regional Hospice Golf Tournament returned to Scotch Meadows Country Club for the 38th year on Tuesday and Wednesday raising $180,383. Since its inception in the 1987, $4.7 million has been raised and all proceeds go toward Scotland Regional Hospice. ... About 60 volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure success of the tournament. Volunteer co-coordinator Bill Hill said, “This tournament is 95% volunteer run." ... SRH is a non-profit organization that provides end-of-life care to people in the area.
Chutes and Ladders
Fierce Healthcare; by Noah Tong; 5/3/24
Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. [Click on the title's link for this extensive list.]
The Fine Print:
Paywalls: Some links may take readers to articles that either require registration or are behind a paywall. Disclaimer: Hospice & Palliative Care Today provides brief summaries of news stories of interest to hospice, palliative, and end-of-life care professionals (typically taken directly from the source article). Hospice & Palliative Care Today is not responsible or liable for the validity or reliability of information in these articles and directs the reader to authors of the source articles for questions or comments. Additionally, Dr. Cordt Kassner, Publisher, and Dr. Joy Berger, Editor in Chief, welcome your feedback regarding content of Hospice & Palliative Care Today. Unsubscribe: Hospice & Palliative Care Today is a free subscription email. If you believe you have received this email in error, or if you no longer wish to receive Hospice & Palliative Care Today, please unsubscribe here or reply to this email with the message “Unsubscribe”. Thank you.