Literature Review

Three local eateries join Dining Out program for Hospice Awareness Month Olean Times Herald, Allegany, NY; by Olean Times Herald Staff; 11/4/24 HomeCare & Hospice announces its Dining Out for Hospice program this month includes three local restaurants joining the effort to support compassionate end-of-life care in the region. Throughout Hospice Awareness Month, patrons at Hometown Bar & Grill, Chipotle and Charlie’s can enjoy a great meal and make a meaningful difference by contributing to HomeCare & Hospice. “We’re excited to team up with these wonderful restaurants to bring our community together for a week of giving,” said Melissa Sullivan, HomeCare & Hospice CEO. “Dine out, enjoy great food and have an opportunity to support families in need — one meal at a time.” 

How Zoom is expanding its role in healthcare Modern Healthcare; by Hayley Desilva; 11/1/24 Zoom, a company that rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, is looking to expand its presence in healthcare through artificial intelligence.  The company recently announced plans to incorporate ambient AI documentation technology from digital health company Suki in its clinical platform. Zoom plans to use the ambient AI technology, which turns a recording of a doctor-patient conversation into usable clinical notes in the electronic health record, for virtual and in-person visits.  ... Here's a closer look at Zoom's history in healthcare and where it plans to go next.

Why home health deserts are spreading across rural states Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 11/1/24 Home health deserts are increasing at an alarming rate across some rural states as home health companies close or reduce services due to financial challenges. Home health companies in Maine, Nebraska and Minnesota say a proposed Medicare rate cut, low Medicare Advantage reimbursements and workforce shortages are forcing them to make difficult business decisions — leaving many communities with limited access or no access to post-acute care in the home. ...  Approximately 800 home health providers have closed over the past five years, according to the National Alliance for Care at Home, a trade group that represents the industry. Alliance CEO Dr. Steve Landers mostly blames a Medicare home health payment model that went into effect in 2020 for reducing Medicare reimbursements and causing financial stress for providers. “While closures are significant, we are also getting reports that providers are restricting the territory they serve as a first step to addressing their financial stresses,” Landers said in an email. “This appears to be especially concerning in rural areas where no other provider is available to step in.”

Elections belong to the people. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Chicago Pacific Founders sells 20 communities valued at $725 million to Ventas McKnights Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 11/1/24 Chicago Pacific Founders sold 20 senior living communities to real estate investment trust Ventas this week, the healthcare investment firm announced Thursday [10/31]. The properties are valued at $725 million, “representing one of the most significant senior housing portfolio sales in the United States for 2024,” according to CPF. “Senior living is a core investment strategy and one we continue to grow by purchasing and establishing new institutional-quality communities, and this sale demonstrates the strength and attractiveness of this asset class,” CPF founder and Managing Partner Mary Tolan said. The 20-property portfolio includes independent living, assisted living and memory care communities located in what CPF called “strategic markets known for strong and growing demand for senior living.”

8 phrases leaders should reframe to demonstrate credibility in 2025 Forbes; by Dr. Cheryl Robinson; 11/4/24 ... The nuances of leadership communication play a pivotal role in shaping team dynamics and organizational culture. Employees are acutely attuned to the subtleties in their supervisor’s communication, using these cues to gauge trustworthiness and interpret intentions. In this context, the power of language can either reinforce a leader’s message and authority or inadvertently undermine their position. ...  As we approach 2025, aspiring and established leaders must refine their communication strategies. Elevating their linguistic toolkit can help leaders more effectively embody their potential and inspire their teams. ...

Meijer donates $10,000 in memory of longtime employee WoodTV.com, Algoma Township, MI; by Kyle Mitchell; 11/1/24 A longtime employee at the Rockford Meijer store who died earlier this year was honored Friday with a $10,000 donation made in her name. The store director presented a check to representatives of Faith Hospice in honor of Pat Julien. Julien, the mother of WOOD TV8 engineer Michael Julien, died in July following a battle with breast cancer. She worked at the Rockford Meijer for 15 years. The impact she made inspired the employees to select a charity for the store to support in her memory. ... The store selects a charity to donate to every year through the Meijer Team Gives program. This year, the employees wanted to do something in Pat Julien’s memory. The store originally planned to donate $5,000, but decided to donate the full $10,000 amount on behalf of the company, assistant store director Kurt Guarisco said. “We voted on that as a team within the store and what happened is we chose Faith Hospice,” Guarisco said. Editor's note: Click here for Faith Hospice, in Byron Center, Michigan.

Local hospice care offers services The Tribune, Seymour, IN; by Chey Smith; 11/1/24 St. Croix Hospice has recently expanded its reach locally to those in the community who need the resources they provide, ... The firm provides hospice care throughout the Midwest including three other branches in Indiana — Jeffersonville, Newburgh and Indianapolis. While in Seymour, they are able to serve Jackson County as well as those residents from Bartholomew, Brown, Jennings, Lawrence, Monroe, Scott and Washington counties. Caregivers at each hospice location live in the communities they serve, allowing in-person care for patients whenever they need it. Services are available nights, weekends and holidays. Chris Thomas, regional director of clinical operations at St. Croix’s Indiana locations, talked about the importance of this closeness and flexibility. “We wanted to move to this location because we wanted to service the local community,” Thomas said. “Try to stay closer to the community for faster response time.” This phase of someone’s life can be scary, but Thomas says that it doesn’t have to be that way. “People are scared when they hear the word hospice. We just want to let the community know that it’s okay. It doesn’t mean you’re giving up,” he said. “We really want to focus on the time they have left.”

Pennant acquires senior living communities in Wisconsin Global Newswire; by Pennant Group; 11/1/24 The Pennant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNTG), the parent company of the Pennant group of affiliated home health, hospice, home care and senior living companies, today announced that it has acquired the operations of the following premier senior living facilities in Green Bay and Appleton, Wisconsin. The acquisition is effective today, November 1, 2024, and will be subject to a long-term, triple net lease:

Mission Health Services acquires Angel’s Crossing Home Hospice Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 11/4/24 The long term care company Mission Health Services has acquired Utah-based Angel’s Crossing Home Hospice. Mission is a nonprofit provider of nursing home, assisted living, short term care, memory care and therapy services. The M&A advisory firm Agenda Health facilitated the transaction. Financial terms were undisclosed. The deal marks Mission’s first foray into the hospice space. “The sellers made the strategic decision to divest their business to pursue a new venture. Their goal was to reallocate their time, energy and resources towards founding a hospice in a different region of the country,” Stephen Walters, senior director for Agenda Health, told Hospice News in an email. 

[England] Woman doing race for hospice that helped husband BBC News; Lorna Bailey and Andrew Dawkins; 11/4/24 A woman is taking part in a 120km (75-mile) race over four days through the deserts of Jordan for a hospice that helped care for her husband. Charlotte Rochenard-Taylor, from Warwick, said running became a way for her to cope with grief, after Jamie died from a brain tumour in June last year. She is participating in the Marathon des Sables to raise money for Myton Hospice, which has sites in Coventry, Warwick and Rugby. Ms Rochenard-Taylor said it was "just a way to keep alive, if that makes sense, getting again out of my comfort zone to just feel like fully alive". One of her husband's last wishes was to die at home, stated the runner, who made it her "mission for this to happen". She added: "Thanks to the Myton Hospice, the at-home team... that was made possible." ... "I [found] that running actually became for me a way to cope with the grief, just to get out there and just get the rage out and just... mental wellbeing really." Ms. Rochenard-Taylor, who broke her pelvis a few years ago, said the charity was close to her heart, and the race starting on Tuesday was an ideal way to support it.

Physician explores family's end-of-life journey in new podcast: "There were so many places that we ran into unexpected obstacles" MedPage Today; by Rachael Robertson; 11/4/24 As host of the TED Health podcastopens in a new tab or window, Shoshana Ungerleider, MD, is no stranger to podcasting. But now, the internist turned the mic on herself to explore death and mortality through the lens of her own experience losing her father to pancreatic cancer. Her eight-episode show is called "Before We Go" and is available on all podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple) with new episodes each week through early December. ... Ungerleider: My father died from pancreatic cancer in the spring of 2023. In my experience as an internist and as someone who is an expert on end-of-life through my work with End Well, there were so many things that kind of shocked me along the way. Despite the fact that I had the knowledge, the expertise, and the resources to provide him with a good end-of-life experience, there were so many places that we ran into unexpected obstacles. I wanted to share my story, really, with the goal of helping other people who might be facing the same kind of journey, and how to find the balance between being a doctor and being a daughter.  ...