Literature Review

Families are often unaware of benefits of palliative hospice care, says retired oncologist KSMU Ozarks Public Radio; radio segment by Linda Regan; 5/5/24 In this episode of our local program Making Democracy Work, host Linda Regan speaks with returning guest Dr. Robert Carolla, retired medical oncologist and board member for Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks. Carolla discusses palliative hospice care and says that families often sign up too late to receive all of the supportive benefits. He says “death is a part of life” and explores common misconceptions associated with hospice care.

The power of art in palliative care InSight+, Melbourne, Australia; by Caitlin Wright; 5/6/24 ... Melbourne artist Jeffrey Kelson is known for his thought-provoking portraits, several of which have been exhibited at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. He believes a portrait is a window into a subject’s heart and mind. However, after being diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer, it wasn’t this style of art that Mr. Kelson was drawn to. As soon as he felt well enough to return to his studio, he started work on a series of colourful collages. “At one point, my wife came into the room and commented on how bright they were and how full of life force. She was surprised that I could create pieces that were so energetic when I felt so ill. I hadn’t really thought about it. I just needed to work,” he told InSight+. ... Palliative care specialist Dr Eric Fairbank was one of Mr Kelson’s art students for several years before Mr. Kelson’s diagnosis. He said Mr Kelson’s approach to his diagnosis has confirmed his belief that the best outcomes of cancer treatment are achieved when they’re complemented by the patient’s own resources of mind, will and spirit. [Click on the title's link to view several of his paintings.]

Second Opinion Expert announces strategic relationship with Intra Care Home Health Providers Cision PRWeb; by SecondOpinionExpert, Inc / PRNewswire; 5/3/24 SecondOpinionExpert, Inc. (SOE), a leading healthcare technology company, announced today that it has formed a strategic relationship with Intra Care Home Health Providers, Inc. and its affiliated home health and hospice companies. ... Intra Care Home Health Services, Inc., a Los Angeles, CA based healthcare company, along with the related Intra Care SFV, Inc., Specialized Home Health Services, Inc., and Intra Care Hospice, Inc., (Intra Care) will all work with SOE as part of this relationship.

Workers at two Essentia Health facilities file for union representation Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA); by Sam Fettig and Lauren Bloomquist; 5/2/24 Registered nurses at Essentia Miller Hill Surgery Center and nurses and other healthcare workers at Essentia Solvay Hospice House announced this week that they have filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board to form a union represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association ... because they want a voice in their workplace to improve both working conditions and how care is provided to their patients. ... At Essentia Solvay Hospice House, workers across the board, including Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Nursing Assistants, Administrative Assistants, Environmental Services workers, and Cooks, filed for a union election.

Elder abuse is easy to missNextAvenue; by Leida Snow; 5/6/24 Here is what to look for if you suspect a caregiver--whether a relative or a professional--is mistreating a loved one. ... People are living longer in their own homes outside of nursing homes or other institutional settings, which means that at some point each of us is likely to be a caregiver or looking for continuing health care for a loved one or ourselves. ... "My husband was in home hospice for the last months of his life." ... [A bereaved caregiver describes incidents with her husband's care.]  Then I ... went to the other room and called the agency's 24-hour number. 'I want her out of here,' I said. 'Please send someone else as soon as you can.' Lou briefly rallied the next morning, but he died later that day. Did the aide hasten his death? I believe she did."

Hospice remains a blind spot for Medicare Advantage Axios; by Maya Goldman; 5/6/24 As Medicare Advantage grows bigger and bigger, there's one area the industry and regulators haven't figured out how to make work yet: hospice. Why it matters: The end-of-life care option is the only Medicare service that can't be offered in the private-run alternative, which now covers over half of enrollees. ... Catch up quick: Usually, when a Medicare Advantage beneficiary decides to enter hospice after receiving a terminal diagnosis, traditional Medicare pays for this care while they remain enrolled in their private plan. ... Editor's Note: This practical, user-friendly article outlines the purposes, challenges, and outcomes of Medicare Advantage with hospice patients. Share this with your leaders and board members.

Pro-life hospice group launches ‘Do Not Euthanize’ Registry to protect Canadians patients InfoWars / LifeSiteNews; by Anthony Murdoch; 5/6/24 One of  Canada’s only fully pro-life hospices, the Delta Hospice Society (DHS), has launched a new Do Not Euthanize (DNE) National Registry that it says will help “defend” vulnerable citizens’ lives from “premature death by euthanasia.” Angelina Ireland, executive director of the DHS, told LifeSiteNews that the new DNE National Registry is live as of May 1, 2024, with the goal being to have everyone who has already signed, or will sign, a DNE, added to the registry.

Cuddle beds bringing comfort and compassion to palliative care WarwickToday [Australia]; by Lucy Waldron; 5/3/24 The Warwick Hospital has welcomed a double-sized palliative care cuddle bed, generously donated by the Warwick RSL Sub-branch through the Belinda McGowan Foundation. The Belinda McGowan Foundation is dedicated to providing cuddle beds to rural, remote, and regional healthcare facilities, aiming to offer comfort and companionship to patients and their families during palliative care and end-of-life moments.

Updated guidance on workplace harassment covers misgendering pronouns, bias over bathroom use, more McKnights Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 5/2/24 Final guidance published last week by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission aims to clarify for employers, employees and others their obligations related to harassment in the workplace. ... This is the first update to the guidance in 25 years, aimed at enforcing more recent changes in federal law. EEOC clarified that harassment by any person — including employers, coworkers, customers and clients — can violate federal law. ... According to the EEOC, the new guidance “updates, consolidates and replaces the agency’s five guidance documents issued between 1987 and 1999 and serves as a single, unified agency resource on EEOC-enforced workplace harassment law.” Among other guidance, the EEOC calls out asking intrusive questions about a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, gender transition or intimate body parts as forms of harassment. ...

Curricular reform in serious illness communication and palliative care: Using medical students' voices to guide change  Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges; by Jennifer A Reidy, Kate Brizzi, Stephanie H Chan, Hollis Day, Scott K Epstein, Melissa Fischer, Priya S Garg, Anna Gosline, Carolina Jaramillo, Emma Livne, Suzanne Mitchell, Sarah Morgan, Molly W Olmsted, Patricia Stebbins, Isabella Stumpf, Tamara Vesel, Irene M Yeh, Megan E Young, Roberta E Goldman; 5/1/24 Purpose: To gather and leverage the voices of students to drive creation of required, integrated palliative care curricula within undergraduate medical education in Massachusetts, which is lacking in a majority of U.S. medical schools. Conclusions: This study confirms long-standing themes on students' experiences with SIC and palliative care topics, including feeling inadequately prepared to care for seriously ill patients as future physicians. Our study collected students' perspectives as actionable data to develop recommendations for curricular change.

Big Bend Hospice, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Partner on transformative approach to transitional careBusiness Wire; 5/2/24 Big Bend Hospice (BBH) and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) announced a partnership today to improve patient navigation within the healthcare system. This collaboration aims to streamline transitions between hospitals, doctor's offices, rehabilitation centers, and home care. The signing of the Affiliation Agreement creates a governance structure that will develop a transformative approach to improving transitions of care in the Big Bend community. Transitions of care involve a patient's movement between healthcare settings, such as doctor's offices, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, long-term care, home health, hospice, etc. This partnership establishes a network of connected healthcare services, creating a seamless patient journey regardless of specific needs.

What Walmart’s exit means for the future of telehealthModern Helathcare; Brock E.W. Turner; 5/3/24 There is a dark cloud hovering over virtual care as big companies have struggled to launch telehealth-centric businesses. Retail giant Walmart announced Tuesday it was closing all of its clinics and shuttering its virtual care platform. The decision impacted 51 clinics across five states and represents a sharp reversal of a five-year strategy. ... Here is what five telehealth executives and investors had to say about recent challenges in virtual care. ...