Literature Review

Videos help increase communication of care goals for hospitalized older adultsNational Institute on Aging; 1/11/24A video intervention delivered to older hospital patients by palliative care educators helped increase communication and documentation of care preferences. These findings, published in JAMA Network Open, are from a study led by NIA-funded Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers.

Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.  Paul Theroux

Executive personnel changes

Hospice of Cincinnati launches new inpatient unit at Christ HospitalThe Business Journals - Cincinnati Business Courier, by Liz Engel; 1/11/24Christ Hospital is set to debut a new unit at its flagship campus this week, and it serves as a significant expansion for one of the region’s oldest nonprofits.Full access requires a subscription

A dying person is the last to lose this sense. The scientists' discovery may be surprising.247 News Agency; 1/10/24Researchers analyzed the brain activity of 30 people to check their reactions before death. As a result of the research, it turned out that the last sense that leaves the body of a dying person is hearing. 

PeaceHealth nurses mull a strike amid wage, workload pressuresHospice News, by Holly Vossel; 1/9/24Nurses at PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart Home Care Services have voted to authorize a strike, citing low wages and staffing strains.PeaceHealth operates two hospice locations in Oregon, along with six others in Alaska and Washington state.

Lincoln County’s man and woman of the year namedLake Norman Media Group, by Michelle T. Bernard; 1/10/24... At one time, there were no hospice services in Lincoln County. [Normand] Lavasseur and a few other individuals got together and in 1987 got a license to operate Hospice and Palliative Care of Lincoln County. “I was on the board of directors and they said they needed a male nurse,” he said. “I told them I could do that and went to community college and got my CNA 1 and CNA 2. This was back when I was still working at Mohican Mill in Maiden. On my lunch hour I used to take off and go and give a bath or some other service to someone who needed it. I worked as a volunteer for hospice for 37 years.”

Community Foundation of Henderson announces grant winnersWSON AM & FM; 1/8/24St. Anthony’s Hospice received $15,000 to help sustain and grow its goal of increasing use of its palliative care program in the community which is currently not covered by Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement in the home setting. The benefit comes from patients choosing Hospice earlier in their terminal care and improving quality of life for the patient and families.

Agrace partners with nonprofit SAGE to meet needs of LGBT community eldersIn Business - Greater Madison; 1/8/24... At least 80% of the nonprofit’s staff have completed annual cultural competence training about the needs and concerns of the LGBT community. SAGE, the country’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT older adults, reports that discrimination, harassment, and violence often lead LGBT elders to become ill at an earlier age than their straight peers. Agrace has partnered with SAGE to provide services including hospice, supportive (palliative) care, adult day care, grief support, and nonmedical senior care and serve elders across southern Wisconsin.

Courageous Parents Network: Decade of helping parents cope with grief and lossFig City News, by Julie M. Cohen; 1/9/24“The reason grief can be so hard is because it can feel so isolating,” Julia Ong reflected while discussing the 2021 death of her younger child, Avery. Even before their daughter died, the Newton resident and her husband, Jordan Bray, experienced the crushing weight of grief upon learning the baby’s diagnosis. They soon learned about a Newton-based nonprofit, the Courageous Parents Network (CPN). The organization, which in 2024 is marking its 10th anniversary, “orients and empowers parents and others caring for children with serious medical conditions, by providing resources and tools that reflect the experience and perspective of other families and clinicians,” according to its website ...

Nurse pleads guilty to federal charge for stealing pain medications at Baxter clinicBrainerd Dispatch; 1/9/24A registered nurse pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining prescription opioid pain medications from a hospice clinic, United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced Tuesday, Jan. 9. ... Cambie Elizabeth Broker, 33, was a registered nurse case manager at a hospice clinic in Baxter. Broker used her position to fraudulently obtain controlled substances from the clinic. Broker entered false prescription requests into the clinic’s e-prescribing software to fraudulently obtain oxycodone, hydromorphone, and fentanyl for illegal sale and personal use. 

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.