For-profit hospices increasing despite poor performance 
EurekAlert!, Weill Cornell Medicine; Peer-reviewed publication; 11/18/24 
Hospices are increasingly owned by private equity firms and publicly traded companies, but recently Weill Cornell Medicine researchers found that they performed substantially worse than hospices owned by not-for-profit agencies. This is concerning as nearly 75% of hospice programs, which care for patients in their last stage of life, are for-profit. The study, published Nov. 18 in JAMA, highlights the need for policy interventions that focus on increasing transparency and accountability in hospice ownership. ... The researchers analyzed Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems (CAHPS) data from January 2021 through December 2022. CAHPS, the national standard for assessing the quality of patient care, surveyed the caregivers of those who passed away in hospice by telephone and mail. The researchers compared measures for communication, timely care, treating family members with respect, emotional and religious support, help for symptoms, hospice care training, hospice rating and willingness to recommend. ... Of the 2,676 hospices included in the final analysis, approximately 25% were owned by private equity and publicly traded companies and 40% were other types of privately owned for-profit hospices. Though only 25% of the hospices surveyed were not-for-profit, they provided the highest-rated quality care including focus on managing pain, comfort, dignity and quality of life.

Bringing stories to life, and death: Why animated movies are more than entertainment for kids 
The Stony Brook Press; 11/19/24 
... Whether it is the parents of the protagonist dying in the first few minutes in Frozen or the epic finale where the villain succumbs to a fatal fate like in The Hunchback of Notre Dame or The Princess and the Frog, it is somewhat of an oxymoron to call animated movies “childish,” as they often deal with serious topics. These movies are not outliers; there are videos dedicated to Disney’s “body count,” which counts how many characters have died in Disney movies. While these films may be magical or fantastical in plot, the moral truths of death and life covered in them often stir conversations about mortality. “Despite the fact that we would love to have people or animals or our loved ones forever, death is inevitable,” explained Bonnie Nickels, co-writer of the study End-of-Life in Disney and Pixar Films: An opportunity for Engaging in Difficult Conversation. “We can use these films as opportunities to introduce our young viewers and our young children to this idea.” To Nickels, these movies can create a dialogue between parents and children about dying and even model coping methods. “The fact that it’s a common feature in these films, kind of reiterates this idea that it’s common in life.” 
Editor's note: What movies will your intergenerational family watch through the holidays? This article's referenced study--"End-of-Life in Disney and Pixar Films"--describes, "A content analysis of 57 movies resulted in a total of 71 character deaths. For different generations, what reactions do you remember having experienced yourself, or from others with Bambi's mother; The Lion King's Mufasa; Frozen's parents of the two sisters; Coco's family members? And, what messages were instilled for young Baby Boomers by the always "wicked" stepmothers? Yes, important conversations abound. Click here for a related article, "15 Saddest Disney Deaths, Ranked." 

'My charity wedding dress brought me closer to Mum' 
BBC, Manchester, United Kingdom; 11/16/24 
Like many brides, when Jo Johnson started planning her wedding, she wanted her mother to be an integral part of the day. But as June Kiely had died nine years earlier, she faced a puzzle as to how to bring her into the ceremony, until she realised there was a way of both feeling closer to her mum and honouring those who cared for her in her final days. June Kiely died at the St Ann's Hospice in Little Hulton, Salford, in 2015, and in the run up to getting married, Jo found herself at the charity's bridal and vintage shop in Stockport. The 38-year-old said it was a "magic moment" as she knew instantly it was the place where she would find the perfect dress. Jo said getting her dress from the shop was "a really special way to include my mum but also to give back to the hospice for everything they'd done." She said the hospice had given her mum "incredible care" and as soon as she walked into the shop, she knew she was "doing the right thing."

Chaos and devastation: How the mountain fire erupted 
Ventura County Star, Ventura, CA; by Cheri Carlson and Tom Kisken; 11/17/24 
... The mountain fire that ignited 3 miles away was sweeping across Somis in a sprint accelerated by 80 mph Santa Ana winds that rattled the small ranches on their Ridgecrest Lane cul-de-sac. The fire soon leaped to the hills above Camarillo where it fed on more homes. It destroyed some 243 structures and threatened thousands more. In its first hours, the assault triggered roadside rescues, firefighters racing to get ahead of the flames and people scrambling to escape. ... It was lunch time at Bernadette’s, the residential care and hospice home at the bottom of Marissa Lane in Camarillo Heights. Four elderly residents, all in beds, had just started eating chicken nuggets and noodles. Sheriff’s deputies pounded on the door. Though smoke already filled the sky, a darker patch was coming. The home two lots away from the care center would soon burn to the ground. “It was like the apocalypse,” said Bernadette Abiera, the home's administrator. Deputies lifted the residents out of their beds and into wheelchairs. They rolled them down a hill to waiting squad cars. ...  The deputies ran back in to find two caregivers tending to a resident who was still eating his lunch. He wouldn’t stop. “I had to take the food out of his hands and carry him to the wheelchair,” said Deputy Justin Lopez. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.] 

Valley Health's 'hospice in hospital' program expands to another hospital 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Mariah Taylor; 11/19/24 
Hospice in the Hospital, a collaboration between Winchester, Va.-based Valley Health and Winchester-based Blue Ridge Hospice, has expanded to Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal, Va. The Hospice in the Hospital program provides hospice care services to hospitalized patients who meet general inpatient hospice criteria, according to a Nov. 18 news release. The patients receive emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual care from a team of social workers, music therapists, chaplains and volunteers. The program originated at Winchester Medical Center in 2020 and expanded to two additional Valley Health hospitals earlier this year. With its launch at Warren Memorial, all of Valley Health System's hospitals in Virginia now incorporate the Hospice in the Hospital program. 

Cooper Farms holds Turkey Trot [and raises more than $20,000 for EverHeart Hospice] 
Watt Global Media, Press Release, Oakwood, OH; 11/18/24 
Cooper Farms recently held its 17th annual Turkey Trot 5K on November 2, welcoming over 400 participants in Oakwood, OH. This annual event has become a meaningful tradition, raising more than $20,000 cumulatively for EverHeart Hospice [in Greenville, OH]. In addition to promoting health and wellness among employees, the Turkey Trot has expanded to include families and the broader community, showcasing Cooper Farms' commitment to community engagement and charitable support.

Local hospice organization announces dementia care program for patients and caregivers 
Southern Maryland News Net; 11/19/24 
Hospice of the Chesapeake has launched a new and innovative dementia care program for dementia patients and their caregivers. The program, in collaboration with The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) and Aliviado Health, includes free access to the “Dementia Care Patient & Caregiver Resource Guide,” which provides the best-in-class resource for dementia care. The goal is to improve the quality of life for dementia patients, reduce hospitalizations and ease burdens for families and caregivers.
Editor's note: The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) is a sponsor for our newsletter.

Stewarding loss 
Stanford Social Innovation Review; by Camille Acey; 11/19/24 - "Winter 2025" 
What happens when organizations and institutions need to die? And why is this part of the work often overlooked in systems change and social innovation practice? ... Stewarding Loss is a field-building initiative focused on the process of closure, ending, and dismantling as a journey to be designed. Over the course of several years, Stewarding Loss has engaged in a range of activities, from creating “loss circles” as spaces where people anticipating organizational closures can come to share stories and concerns; to conducting interviews with a range of practitioners involved in end-of-life care, including ritual and ceremonial hosts, grief therapists, and death doulas so we could learn how to translate practices across different contexts; to hosting roundtables with philanthropic foundations and speaking at numerous events to allow us to gather insight and feedback regarding ideas and needs for this work; to prototyping a Farewell Fund to learn what type of invitation and application might encourage organizations to become proactive about closing, and what supports might be needed by people on the journey to closure.

MUSC working to spread awareness about palliative care 
WCSC 5, Charleston, SC; by Autumn Klein; 11/19/24 
The Medical University of South Carolina is prioritizing palliative care education for both MUSC students, faculty and patients. The month of November is recognized as National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. ... Dr. Carrie Cormack is a professor at MUSC and leads the palliative care faculty. She says that treating a patient for the mental and emotional strain that comes with an illness can be just as important as treating the illness itself. ... At MUSC, they are pushing the importance of palliative care education. They are weaving palliative care into the educational curriculum for nursing students while also offering palliative care programs. The palliative care team also works hand in hand with primary care providers. At MUSC, they are even talking with international leaders and traveling internationally to offer palliative care education. Cormack just returned from an international trip offering palliative care education.

Lower Cape Fear LifeCare launches palliative care clinic
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 11/19/2024 
Lower Cape Fear LifeCare has opened the first free-standing palliative medicine clinic in southeastern North Carolina. The LifeCare Center for Palliative Medicine will provide outpatient palliative care to patients experiencing serious illness. The clinic will serve patients from the Novant Health system, including its Zimmer Cancer Institute and physician clinics. It will also accept referrals from other physicians in the community.

Hospice of Northwest Ohio will operate ProMedica's palliative care services 
CBS WTOL 11, Toledo, OH; by Karmann Ludwig; 11/18/24 
Hospice of Northwest Ohio will operate ProMedica's palliative care services at the start of next year, according to a press release from Hospice released Monday. The company said ProMedica's patients who remain in palliative care will be transferred to Sincera Supportive Care and Symptom Relief, one of Hospice of Northwest Ohio's services. Sincera will also take over responsibility for ProMedica's palliative care outpatient clinics, Hospice of Northwest Ohio said. 

People with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) face disproportionate rates of harm in hospital setting  
Parkinson's Foundation, New York and Miami; Press Release; 11/18/24 
The Parkinson’s Foundation published a new article in the December issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety titled “Protecting Parkinson’s Patients: Hospital Care Standards to Avoid Preventable Harm.” The article identifies sustainable solutions to improve care in the hospital for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and details how these solutions may be generalized to develop a practical, disease-agnostic care model for all hospital and health systems that wish to avoid preventable harm. ... People with PD are at increased risk of hospitalization, with more than 300,000 people with PD hospitalized each year. While hospitalized, people with PD face increased risk of preventable harm, including longer hospital stays and deterioration of PD symptoms. Adverse outcomes range from temporary, such as higher rates of delirium, to permanent damage, including higher mortality.

Hospices leaders: ‘Vigilant’ compliance pivotal in MAC auditing climate 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 11/18/24 
e auditing environment has heated up in the hospice industry, with inconsistencies reportedly proliferating among the various types of regulatory enforcement activity — particularly those performed by Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs). The issue has some hospice providers delving deeper into a range of compliance strategies. ... Hospices in recent years have seen a plethora of auditing types picking up steam in frequency, including MACs, Targeted Probe and Education (TPE), Supplemental Medical Review Contractors (SMRC), Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPIC) and Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC). A main purpose of most audit types is to identify hospice providers with frequent errors on their billing claims or other activity that the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) considers to be unusual.

Home health, home care companies gear up for acquisitions in 2025 
Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 11/18/24 
Acquisitions in the home care industry are poised to take off in 2025, fueled by lower interest rates and President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration. Large home care providers including Addus HomeCare, Aveanna Healthcare and the Pennant Group said during third quarter earnings calls they would aggressively look for deals next year to gain scale and better compete for hospital referrals. 

Need to boost your spirits? Here are 7 ways to volunteer on Thanksgiving. 
HuffPost; by Anna Rahmanan; 11/19/24 
This Thanksgiving, instead of spending all day stuffing yourself with food and sitting around, there’s another option that may feel a whole lot better: You can carve out at least part of your day to give back to people who might need some extra attention. After all, the season is about giving thanks and showing that we’ve got everyone’s back. Need some ideas to get started? We talked to folks who’ve done it before to get their recommendations for soul-feeding ways to spend your holiday.

• Sign Up For A Shift At A Soup Kitchen ...
• Send A Letter To A Wounded Soldier ...
• Volunteer At A Nursing Home ...
• Help Out At A Community Garden ...
• Deliver Meals To Homebound Seniors ...
• Save An Animal ...
• Lend A Hand To Hospice Care Patients ...

Hopefully, with so many options, you can find a way to spend Thanksgiving and the holiday weekend doing something that makes life a little better for the people in your community ― and for yourself, too.

What you do makes difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. ~ Jane Goodall