Literature Review

Today’s cyberattacks may be too advanced for traditional antivirus protection Kenosha.com; by Mark Hoffman; 12/19/25 ... The cybersecurity landscape has fundamentally shifted, with endpoint devices now the primary targets of malicious actors seeking to infiltrate business networks. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, businesses reported over $12.5 billion in losses from cyberattacks in 2023, representing a 22% increase from the previous year. Remote work has exponentially expanded the attack surface, creating millions of new endpoint vulnerabilities that traditional endpoint security tools struggle to monitor effectively.

Innovations in senior living  with Katie Smith Sloan Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Katie Smith; 12/17/25 What if aging services led the way in redesigning care—combining smart technology with deeper human connection?  That’s the challenge Katie Smith Sloan, President and CEO of LeadingAge, brings to the table as we unpack the data, the headwinds, and the promise across nonprofit senior living, home-based care, and hospice. ... Together, Chris and Katie explore how collaboration, innovation, and values-driven leadership can reshape aging services to better serve older adults—and those who care for them. 

LifeBridge Health taps Hopkins executive as new president and CEO The Daily Record; by Daily Record Staff; 12/17/25 Jennifer Nickoles will succeed Neil Meltzer, who is retiring after 13 years in the position, according to a news release. Nickoles joins LifeBridge from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where she has served as president. Her career spans nearly 30 years with Johns Hopkins Medicine in a variety of operations and leadership roles. Nickoles will assume her role on March 1. ... LifeBridge has grown into a system with five hospitals, hundreds of physician offices, more than 14,000 employees, and a wide range of programs from urgent care, hospice care, senior living and a fitness center.

Healthcare staff retention post-acquisition SOVDOC; 12/18/25 ... Stark Reality: 47% of employees leave within the first year following an acquisition, climbing to 75% by year three.

‘Heart of cancer care’: Social workers can improve advance care planning documentation Healio; by Josh Friedman; 12/16/25 Empowering social workers to discuss advance care planning with older patients with cancer could improve documentation of goals, focus treatment decisions and reduce burdens on oncologists and the cancer care team. A pilot program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health showed embedding a social worker into routine oncology visits for patients aged 65 years and older doubled documentation in the electronic health record. Editor's Note: Read this result again, using social workers doubled documention in the EHR for patients 65 years and older, underscoring the clinical and ethical impact of relationship-centered conversations led by trained professionals. 

Impact of prognostic notifications on inpatient advance care planning: A cluster randomized trialJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Jessica E Ma, Kayla W Kilpatrick, Clemontina A Davenport, Jonathan Walter, Yvonne Acker, Noppon Setji, Maren K Olsen, Mihir Patel, Michael Gao, Matthew Gardner, Jamie Gollon, Mark Sendak, Suresh Balu, David Casarett;12/25A poor prognosis is an important trigger for advance care planning (ACP) conversations, but clinicians often overestimate prognosis... A pragmatic cluster randomized trial... randomized attending physicians on the inpatient medicine team. An email and page notification was sent to physicians randomized to intervention group for admitted patients at high risk of 30-day and 6-month death based on a machine learning model. The notification recommended to have and document an ACP conversation in the electronic health record (EHR)... Patients of physicians randomized to the intervention group were more likely to have a documented ACP conversation by the randomized physician compared to the control group.

[UK] 'It’s like a weight lifted off your shoulders’: A qualitative study of adult carers taking a breakJournal of Family Issues; by Richard Meade, Debbie Cavers, Neneh Rowa-DewarView; 11/25Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting individuals with life-limiting conditions, yet without adequate support, they risk poor health and burnout. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with carers who had used temporary institutional respite services in Scotland. Six key themes emerged: ‘Caring is all-consuming’; ‘Caring changes sense of self’; ‘Relief, recovery, repair’; ‘Breaks give carers their lives back (briefly)’; ‘A break doesn’t solve everything’; and ‘Trust in the respite centre is crucial’. Findings indicate that institutional respite care provides overwhelmingly positive experiences for most carers, offering them essential relief and recovery from the demanding nature of caregiving. However, the benefits were often short-lived, with carers expressing a need for longer and more frequent breaks.

Bereavement service deserts: A 2024 statewide assessment of  bereavement services Death Studies, open access; by Christopher W. Giang, Luisa Kcomt, Joshua Truchan, Kara Dickinson, Rebecca J. Evans-Polce & Sean Esteban McCabe; 12/5/25... This paper introduces the term “bereavement service desert” to describe geographic areas with high mortality and little to no access to bereavement services. Bereavement services deserts are especially concerning where elevated death rates are met with an absence of formal grief supports, trained providers, or community-based resources. As these trends in death have continued to rise over the last decade, the social and economic costs of unresolved grief are becoming more apparent in families, schools, com munities, workplaces, and healthcare systems. ...Editor's Note: Though this research focuses on bereavement agencies across Michigan's 83 counties, its methodologies and outcomes provide data, references, and insights relevant to examining bereavement care in all U.S. states. What are the "bereavement service deserts" in the your state(s)? In the areas you serve?

A legacy of care: How Good Shepherd has served Newton for nearly 50 yearsFig City News, Newton, MA; by Parker Maslowski; 12/15/25 … The story of Good Shepherd began, fittingly, with an act of compassion that crossed an ocean. In the late 1970s, members of the Parish of the Good Shepherd learned about the revolutionary hospice movement emerging in England. … A group of parishioners believed Newton needed something similar. … Newton-Wellesley Hospital donated office space in the Ellison Building. The small program assembled a core team of nurses, a physician, social workers, and volunteers who provided direct patient support, administrative help, and fundraising. And the Hospice of the Good Shepherd opened its doors in the fall of 1979 – the first hospice in Massachusetts. 

The future of the hospice physician: HOPE, staffing & technology Maxwell TEC; podcast by Tom Maxwell with Dr. Andrew Mayo and Dr. Tiffany Richter; 12/15/25... In this episode, Tom sits down with two of the most respected clinical leaders in the country: Dr. Andrew Mayo (Chief Medical Officer, St. Croix Hospice) and Dr. Tiffany Richter (Chief Medical Officer, Agape Care Group). They break down the debate between full-time vs. contracted physicians, the "hybrid" model that is winning, and the heartbreaking regulatory gaps preventing dialysis patients from accessing hospice care. Plus, they share deeply personal stories that remind us why we do this work. 

Illinois is newest state to allow medical assistance in dying after Pritzker signs billCBS News, Chicago; by Sara Tenenbaum and Charlie De Mar; 12/12/25, 11:02 am CST Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law Friday making Illinois the newest state allowing medically assisted dying in terminally ill residents. Known as "Deb's Lawn," allows eligible terminally ill adults with a prognosis to live six months or less to request a prescription from their doctor that would allow them to die on their own terms. The legislation was narrowly approve by the Illinois Senate in October after the Illinois House passed it in May. People on both sides of the debate over the controversial legislation lobbied the governor up until the last minute. Medical aid in dying, also called assisted suicide or dying with dignity, is already legal in 12 states. Eight more are considering similar legislation. Pritzker's signature makes Illinois the first state in the Midwest to allow medically assisted death.Click here for Governor Pritzker's press release; click here for the text of SB1950.

Sunday newsletters focus on headlines and top read stories of the last week (in order) - enjoy!   Also, remember our Job Board to find staff for the new year!

A holiday gives one a chance to look backward and forward, to reset oneself by an inner compass.  ~May Sarton