Literature Review

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. - James Allen

The latest research indicates massage therapy has benefits from birth to end of life Cision PR Newswire; by American Massage Therapy Association; 6/5/24 The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) is sharing recent research on how massage therapy can provide benefits from infancy through end of life. Across all ages, massage therapy can be a therapeutic approach to enhancing physical and emotional well-being. Explore the latest studies on how massage therapy can help improve the quality of life for infants, middle-aged individuals, and older adults. ... A nationwide survey of physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners in palliative care documented recommendation rates of integrative therapies to target symptoms of palliative care patients. The survey found that massage therapy was the third most recommended integrative care modality behind mind-body interventions like meditation and biofeedback. The integrative therapies aimed to reduce pain, anxiety, mood disturbances, and distress.Editor's Note: While hiring a professional massage therapist might not be practical for your budget, explore contracting with massage therapist who is trained in working with medically-fragile persons to provide simple trainings for your nurses and nurse aides. Additionally, professionally trained massage therapists might be interested in volunteering their services, within appropriate parameters (i.e., not transferring the medically-fragile patient to a massage table, having a caregiver present to assist with communication, etc.). 

Disparities identified in palliative care use among men with prostate cancerRenal + Urology News; by Natasha Persaud; 6/4/24Palliative care utilization among men with prostate cancer is suboptimal but improving, investigators reported at the 2024 ASCO annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Stanley Ozogbo, MBBS, MPH, of St Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital in Ohio, and colleagues studied over 2 million prostate cancer hospital admissions using the 2010-2019 US Nationwide Inpatient Sample. The found an overall prevalence of palliative utilization of 5.3% even though palliative care consultations significantly improved by an average of 7.7% per year over the study period. Utilization improved from 2010 through 2016, but then began to decline from 2017-2019. The study identified disparities in palliative utilization. Black patients were 7% less likely than White patients to receive palliative care services, Dr Ozogbo’s team reported. Compared with Medicare recipients, patients with Medicaid, private insurance, or other insurance types had significant 1.5-, 1.3-, and 2.2-fold increased odds of palliative care utilization, respectively. Patients aged 70 years or older were a significant 6% more likely to receive palliative care compared with younger patients. Palliative care use was a significant 9% and 40% more likely for patients admitted to urban vs rural hospitals and teaching vs non-teaching hospitals, respectively, the investigators reported. Hospitals in the Northeast were 1.4- and 1.5-fold more likely to refer to palliative care compared with hospitals in the South or West, respectively.

It pays to know: What 100 looks like!Rafu Shimpo; by Judd Matsunaga, Esq; 6/5/24Not too long ago, seeing a person 100 years of age was a rare thing. Now, they’re becoming more commonplace. There are an estimated 90,000 centenarians living in the U.S. It’s still a small percentage of the population, but it’s a number that’s expected to keep increasing. By 2060, there could be about 600,000 people who are 100 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Is there a secret recipe for a longer life? What’s it take to get there? That’s a question geriatrician Thomas Perls, M.D., has been investigating for decades with the New England Centenarian Study. ...

NAHC President Bill Dombi reflects on tenure: We Went ‘To War’ on behalf of our providers Home Health News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 6/4/24 For more than 40 years, William A. Dombi has been one of home-based care’s fiercest advocates. He became the National Association for Home Care & Hospice’s (NAHC) vice president for law in 1987, and has been a key player in many of the advancements and milestones that have moved the industry forward. Those include the growth of the home health benefit under Medicare, the implementation of the home health prospective payment system in 2000 and much, much more. ... Home Health Care News recently caught up with Dombi to look back at his time at NAHC, and on what he believes to be the biggest accomplishments during his tenure.

Controversial conversations: Key takeaways from The Jeffrey Fudin Debates on pain and palliative care practices Pharmacy Times; Interview with Lee Kral, PharmD, FASHP, NBC-HWC, CPMC, CPE; 6/5/24In an interview with the Pharmacy Times®, Lee Kral, PharmD, FASHP, NBC-HWC, CPMC, CPE, clinical pharmacy specialist of pain management at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, shares her insights into pain management in palliative care for patients with cancer-related chronic pain. She highlights the crucial role of pharmacists in managing patient treatment regimens, including administration of opioids, the role of off-label prescribing, and the potential of deprescribing to improve patients’ quality of life. 

Behavioral health patients a challenge to nursing homesModern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 6/4/24Challenges providing care for nursing home patients with mental health and behavioral health issues are adding to discharge bottlenecks for hospitals, and the demand for such care has led some facilities to set up specialized units with additional staff just for those patients.Publisher's Note: Hospice implications?

Get to know us even before you need us[WV] The Journal; by Nikki Bigiarelli; 6/2/24Every day, we make decisions about how we want to live. What is most often not considered is how we want to live at the end of life. We can avoid a lot of uncertainty when we talk to those we love about our goals of care and end-of-life wishes before we encounter a serious illness.Publisher's Note: Helpful community outreach. Nikki Bigiarelli, CHPN, BSN, RN, is CEO of Hospice of the Panhandle.

61% of US adults will have cardiovascular disease by 2050, American Heart Association saysBecker's Hospital Review; by Ashleigh Hollowell; 6/4/24A majority of adults in the U.S. — around 61% — are likely to be diagnosed with a form of cardiovascular disease by 2050, according to new American Heart Association data. The increased burden will cost the U.S. health system $1.8 trillion in the time frame. Stroke is anticipated to see the largest increase in prevalence by 2050, according to a June 4 news release from the organization. Projections outlined in AHA data from two reports published in its flagship journal say stroke rates are likely to grow from 3.9% to 6.4%, affecting the health of 20 million adults. Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is expected to go from affecting 28 million adults to 45 million adults.Publisher's Note: Hospice implications?

Declared dead at nursing home, 74-year-old was alive at funeral home 2 hours laterNBC News; by Dennis Romero; 6/3/24A 74-year-old woman declared dead at a nursing home was found alive two hours later by funeral home employees attending to what they believed were her remains, a Nebraska sheriff's official said. The employees of the Lincoln funeral home called 911, and the woman was taken to a hospital alive, where she remained Monday, Lancaster County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Houchin said at a news conference. "At this point, we have not been able to find any criminal intent by the nursing home, but the investigation is ongoing," he said.

Screening tool predicts older adults’ need for end-of-life care interventionMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 6/2/24A computerized tool can accurately identify older adults visiting the emergency department who have a high risk of dying within six months, a new study found. The tool, called the Geriatric End-of-Life Screening Tool, or GEST, performed more reliably than reviewing diagnosed serious illnesses and estimating mortality rate. GEST uses routine medical data such as age, vital signs, blood tests and past hospitalizations to calculate each person’s individualized mortality risk over the next six months. In the study of more than 80,000 emergency department visits by older adults, GEST maintained high accuracy regardless of the person’s gender, race/ethnicity or year of visit.

Oregon reviews UnitedHealth deal for Amedisys home health, hospice The Lund Report; by Nick Budnick; 6/4/24State officials are asking members of the public to weigh on the proposed acquisition of Amedisys — a hospice and home health and company that operates in Roseburg, Salem and Portland — by an increasingly controversial health care giant called UnitedHealth Group. Inc.  UnitedHealth operates Optum, a subsidiary whose takeover of a clinic chain in the Eugene area has sparked numerous complaints. The state recently approved the company's acquisition of  The Corvallis Clinic, an 11-clinic company operating in three counties. Now, it proposes to take over the Oregon offices of a Amedisys, a publicly traded firm, and the transaction has federal officials contemplating a lawsuit to block it. UnitedHealth and Optum are under increasing scrutiny for their market dominance and allegations of anticompetitive conduct.

Reap what you sowFraud of the Day; by Larry Benson; 6/4/24Newly released Federal Trade Commission data show that consumers reported losing more than $10 billion to fraud in 2023, marking the first time that fraud losses have reached that benchmark. This marks a 14% increase over reported losses in 2022. The short of this report is that there is more opportunity in fraud than ever before. And fraudsters don’t care who they are scheming from. Including the dying. Shiva Akula owned and oversaw the day-to-day operations of Canon Healthcare, LLC, a hospice facility with offices in Louisiana and Mississippi. ... Between January 2013 and December 2019, Akula billed Medicare approximately $84 million in fraudulent claims. He was paid approximately $42 million relating to these fraudulent claims. And leaving the dying to just do that. Die without the extra care he profited from. ... [Akula was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison and to repay $42 million in fraudulent Medicare billing claims.]