Literature Review

What are the most charitable counties in the United States? Harmony & Healing; by Davod Victor; 11/27/24 Since its inception in 2010, the Charities Aid Foundation’s World Giving Index has consistently ranked the United States among the top 10 most charitable countries in the world. It’s easy to see why: from donating money, food, clothing, and more to volunteering time to help neighbors and strangers alike, the charitable spirit has always been a deep-rooted part of American culture. Since the United States has historically been a notably philanthropic country, our team at Harmony and Healing collected and analyzed data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to determine where the most charitable people live in the country. ... Using the most recent tax return data from the IRS, we analyzed charitable contribution and income figures to calculate the average contribution per tax return in each county, as well as percentage of each county’s income donated to charities, to identify the most charitable counties in the United States. [Click here to access their report.]

Focusing on life rather than illness: the lived experience of children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions-a qualitative study Palliative Care and Social Practice; by Trine Brun Kittelsen, Charlotte Castor, Anja Lee, Lisbeth Gravdal Kvarme, Anette Winger; 11/29/24 This study seeks to address gaps in existing knowledge, especially the limited inclusion of children's perspectives and the exclusion of children with communicative and cognitive disabilities. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of children living with LT/LL conditions. ... The findings showed that the children's attention revolved around life rather than illness. The analysis revealed the presence of three themes: wanting to engage in life, being dependent on familiar relations, and the importance of cherished items.

[KY] Attorney General Russell Coleman files lawsuit against Optum Rx for role in opioid epidemic Northern Kentucky Tribune - Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism; 12/1/24 The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office has announced its latest lawsuit against a corporation behind the worst man-made epidemic in modern medical history. Attorney General Russell Coleman added Optum Rx and its affiliates to the list of those responsible for the opioid crisis. ... According to the Attorney General’s lawsuit, Optum Rx played a central role in the reckless promotion, dispensing, and oversupply of opioids. ... “Defendants have hidden their conduct through non-transparent business practices and by requiring each entity with whom they conduct business, such as opioid manufacturers, to enter into confidentiality agreements or otherwise keep their agreements confidential,” said the lawsuit. “No state has been harder hit by the drug crisis than Kentucky. Last year alone, nearly 2,000 Kentuckians died of a drug overdose,” Attorney General Coleman said. “These groups pushed a profit-fueled agenda at the expense of Kentucky families, who are left with empty seats at the dinner table. Our Office will continue to hold those behind the drug crisis accountable for their devastating actions.”

'Popular' tulip field's Wicked fame delights fans [rasises funds for hospice] BBC News; by Neve Gordon-Farleigh; 12/1/24 Film fans said it was "surreal" to see a tulip field they had visited appear in a Hollywood blockbuster. Belmont Nurseries near King's Lynn in Norfolk was used as a backdrop for Wizard of Oz spin-off Wicked, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as witches Glinda and Elphaba. Nine million tulips were planted on the 25-acre (10 hectares) site, where hundreds of extras brought fictional Munchkinland to life. ... Field owners Mark and Susanne Eves met a location manager and set designer in 2022 to plan the look of the field and made sure they got the "right colours in the right place". For the past four years, they partnered with The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House and raised £93,392 for the charity in 2022 through entrance fees. The hospice said about 30,000 tickets would be available for 2025.

Hospice of the Valley and CLS bridge the generation gap Arcadia News, Phoenix, AZ; by Cliff Summerhill; 12/1/24 Hospice of the Valley (HOV) and Christ Lutheran School (CLS) are entering the second year of a partnership that connects students with individuals at the Dementia Care and Education Campus. As part of HOV’s Adult Day Club, fifth-grade students visit individuals living with dementia to bridge intergenerational divides and spread enrichment, support, and joy that lasts long after the day’s activities have ended. ... Students partake in various meaningful activities with club members, including painting, coloring, gardening, and activities like cornhole, catch, and shuffleboard. The most important activity, however, is conversation. “Even though there is an age gap, both the Adult Day Club members and the students have the opportunity to learn from each other as they share stories and various interests,” CLS Service Learning Coordinator Mandi Schnepf said.

705 hospitals at risk of closure, state by stateBecker's Hospital CFO Report; by Molly Gamble; 11/22/24 More than 700 rural U.S. hospitals are at risk of closure due to financial problems, with more than half of those hospitals at immediate risk of closure. The count comes from the latest analysis from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, which is based on CMS's October 2024 hospital financial information. The center's analysis reveals two distinct levels of vulnerability among rural healthcare facilities: risk of closure and immediate risk of closure. ... The report also analyzes hospitals facing immediate threat of closure meaning financial reserves could offset losses on patient services for two to three years at most. Currently, 364 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of shutting down due to severe financial difficulties. [Click on the title's link for] a state-by-state listing of the number of rural hospitals at risk of closure in the next six to seven years and at immediate risk of closure over the next two to three years. Editor's note: Consider how these closures impact patients' trajectories of serious illness, timely treatment plans, referrals to home health, nursing facilities, and hospice care. How do these impact your service areas? What are the root causes for so many potential closures?

Michael Dowling: We've revolutionized care for aging adults, but is America's health system ready for the senior population boom? Becker's Hospital Review; by Michael J. Dowling, President and CEO, Northwell Health; 12/2/24 Like many baby boomers and those from earlier generations, I have vivid memories from my younger years of my grandparents and other aging adults struggling with an assortment of ailments that their doctors told them were just an inevitable part of growing old. ... The transformative advancements made over the past half-century in meeting the physical and emotional health needs of the nation's rapidly aging population are remarkable — and that's especially important because more Americans are turning age 65 now than in any other time in our history (4.1 million in 2024, or 11,200 a day). And as we move toward a new year, every healthcare executive must examine whether we are collectively prepared to care for them in the years and decades ahead and take steps to recruit the medical specialists we need to meet burgeoning demand. ... Lastly, all clinicians must embrace palliative care as part of their standard practice in managing the health of aging adults with serious illness. ... 

Homebound seniors living alone often slip through health system’s cracks KFF Health News; by Judith Graham; 12/2/24 Carolyn Dickens, 76, was sitting at her dining room table, struggling to catch her breath as her physician looked on with concern. “What’s going on with your breathing?” asked Peter Gliatto, director of Mount Sinai’s Visiting Doctors Program. “I don’t know,” she answered, so softly it was hard to hear. “Going from here to the bathroom or the door, I get really winded. I don’t know when it’s going to be my last breath.” Dickens, a lung cancer survivor, lives in central Harlem, barely getting by. She has serious lung disease and high blood pressure and suffers regular fainting spells. In the past year, she’s fallen several times and dropped to 85 pounds, a dangerously low weight. And she lives alone, without any help — a highly perilous situation. Across the country, about 2 million adults 65 and older are completely or mostly homebound, while an additional 5.5 million seniors can get out only with significant difficulty or assistance. ... It’s a population whose numbers far exceed those living in nursing homes — about 1.2 million — and yet it receives much less attention from policymakers, legislators, and academics who study aging.

Thanksgiving tradition brings meals to hospice families in Northeastern Pennsylvania  ABC News 16 WNEP, Scranton, PA; by Jack Culkin; 11/28/24 It's become a holiday tradition for many volunteers to fill their cars at Mansour's Market in Scranton on Thanksgiving morning, delivering meals to those in hospice care. Ray Gillette, a long-time volunteer, shared, "We've been doing this for a long time, and we've taken the boys with us. Our oldest grandson is 14. This is his 14th year that he's come to deliver with us." ... [Diane Baldi, CEO of Hospice of The Sacred Heart] says the event began as an idea. Quickly growing to not just caring for their patients, but their families too.  "19 years ago, in our very first, we may have had 20 patients. Today we have 200. So it has grown exponentially," said Baldi. ... Along with classic holiday staples like turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce, each meal includes a hand-made card. "I like it because it has like a turkey on the front and it has like all the stuff that you would eat," Said nine-year-old Olivia Catalano. She and her classmates made dozens of these cards, each featuring a Thanksgiving message or drawing. ... With each card placed and each meal delivered, workers successfully brought more than 600 meals to hospice families across Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

Softly into the night - An end of life love story Billings Gazette, Billings, MT; by Joseph Scheller; 11/29/24 This is a picture story about life — of joys and sadness, of challenges and struggles and sacrifice. It’s a story about dementia and caregiving. It’s a story about souls and spirit and deepening devotion. Mostly, though, this is a love story. It begins with Wayne Roberts, a big and burley guy with a Harley but as personable and approachable as they come. ... It was simple, really. When he wasn’t at work, he was caring for his wife, Lynne, who had onsets of dementia. When he was at work, he was thinking of her. I wasn’t looking for a story about caregiving but there was a warmth and openness about Wayne and Lynne that tugged me to tell one through my camera. ... [With] their comfort and trust, I became part of their world, in a way, and was able to photograph most anything. They were mostly simple scenes of daily living and caring, some sensitive, some not, and as dementia stole more and more of Lynne’s mind, her world got smaller and Wayne was her only gateway to it. He paved it with tenderness. ... [Click on the title's link to see photos and read this inspirational story.] 

Awards and Recognitions: Nov 2024

Understanding deep disadvantage at the end of life: A nationwide analysis of unclaimed deaths Social Science and Medicine; by Jennifer Bridte DrPH, Frank Heiland, PhD, and Deborah Balk PhD; 11/25/24 This is the first systematic examination of unclaimed deaths at the county level and offers a novel way to understand marginalized populations, such as the unhoused and others living in extreme social or economic deprivation. Unclaimed death rates may also provide an objective measure of social support that can be measured over time. ... This is of public health importance because unclaimed death can be seen as a negative health outcome that may be the result of cumulative disadvantage over the life course. ... Highlights: