Literature Review

Ransomware spikes after Change hack Becker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 6/13/24 Following Change Healthcare's admission that it paid off hackers after its ransomware attack, there has been a spike in healthcare-related cyber incidents, Wired reported June 12. In April, cybersecurity firm Recorded Future identified 44 instances of cybercriminal groups targeting healthcare organizations with ransomware attacks. These attacks involved stealing data, encrypting systems and demanding ransom payments while holding networks hostage. This marks the highest number of healthcare ransomware victims recorded in a single month during Recorded Future's four years of data collection, Allan Liska, a threat intelligence analyst at the company told Wired. 

Celebrate CNA Week Toolkit: June 13-19, 2024 NAHCA - The CNA Association; retrieved from the internet 6/14/24 This year, CNA Week is from June 13th to June 19th. With the theme of "We'll Be There For You," NAHCA created this toolkit for CNAs and for the skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, and staffing and home health agencies they work for so that everyone can celebrate, recognize, and pay their respects to the incredible work that the nearly 1 million-strong contingent of frontline heroes does everyday for elders and people with disabilities. Editor's Note: We apologize for the late date of this notice, as it has not been showing up in our many newsfeeds. That fact illustrates how healthcare leadership neglects our valued Certified Nursing Assistants, too often. What are you doing to celebrate your CNAs? Here are a few hospice examples we found:

Mental distress, depression, drug deaths increasing among older adultsBecker's Behavioral Health; by Rylee Wilson; 6/7/24Rates of mental distress and other behavioral health conditions are on the rise among older adults, according to America’s Health Rankings 2024 Senior Report. The annual report, published by UnitedHealth Group, ranks states on over 50 dimensions of health.

Psychological health in Palliative Care: Thematic analysis of a psychiatrist's and an art therapist's clinical reflexive journals Palliative Medicine; by Wen Phei Lim, Roxanne Jia Yu Chew, Clare O'Callaghan; 6/19/24 online ahead of print Aim: This study aims to describe how patients receiving palliative care experience psychological health, explore the meaning of a palliative care clinician's work and contribute to the understanding of psychological health in palliative care through the reflexive and visual journals of clinicians.

Exploring Experiences of Pain Management Among Family Caregivers of Community-Dwelling Older Adults With DementiaAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care; by Hui Zhao, Pamela A Kulbok, Ishan C Williams, Carol Manning, Jeongok G Logan, Rafael D Romo; 8/24Pain is often underreported and under-treated in older adults with dementia. The role of family caregivers (FCGs) in managing pain for their loved ones with dementia living in community has been significantly burdensome. ... Family caregivers follow their values to make decisions in pain management. Barriers existed for effective pain management. Adaptation and support from professional or formal caregivers greatly improved FCGs' perception of their competence in pain management. The finding underscores the need for further research and the development of interventions aimed at enhancing FCGs' perception of self-efficacy in this crucial aspect of caregiving.

Psychosocial distress among spouses of persons with dementia before and after their partner's deathJournal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Ashwin A Kotwal, Irena Cenzer, Lauren J Hunt, Claire Ankuda, Jacqueline M Torres, Alexander K Smith, Melissa Aldridge, Krista L Harrison; 6/24Results emphasize a need for clinical and policy approaches to expand support for the psychosocial needs of spouses of partners with dementia in the years before their partner's death rather than only bereavement.Publisher's Note: Also see McKnight's Long-Term Care News story Spousal caregivers need emotional support before losses, not just after, study finds.

The efficacy of Hospice-In-Place Care versus Traditional Inpatient CareAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care; by Emily Butler, Claire Hanson, Taaseen Khan, Tuzo Mwarumba, Derek Daniels, Maxim Turchan, Kemberlee Bonnet, David Schlundt, Kelly Harper, Marc Bennett, David Charles; 8/24The hospice-in-place program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is available to patients and families who elect for hospice benefits and are too unstable to be transported for hospice care. The goal of this study was to assess the satisfaction of family members of patients who died while hospitalized at VUMC and received hospice-in-place compared to the families of patients who did not receive hospice care. ... Quantitative findings of this study showed improved satisfaction but were unable to show a significant difference in satisfaction with hospice-in-place compared to traditional care. Questionnaire results suggest that both types of care yield high satisfaction scores and are successfully supporting patients and families. The conceptual framework also adds to the understanding of end-of-life experiences at VUMC.

Interdisciplinary Pain Board for managing patients with palliative care needs and substance use disorder: A pilot study Journal of Palliative Medicine; Sarah Hauke Given, Patricia Reid Ponte, Kate Lally, Isaac S Chua; 6/20/24 online ahead of print Context: Patients with cancer-related pain and concurrent substance use disorder (SUD) present a unique set of challenges for palliative care clinicians. A structured forum for interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to effectively manage this complex population. Objectives: Describe the feasibility and acceptability of a palliative care Complex Pain Board (CPB), an interdisciplinary team meeting to provide concrete care recommendations for patients with cancer-related pain and concurrent SUD and/or psychosocial complexity. 

Narrating final memories from spousal loss: The role of place and quality of deathAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Emily L Mroz, Susan Bluck; 8/24Personal memories of the death of a spouse can guide bereavement adjustment. Place of death and quality of death are end-of-life factors that are likely to influence death experiences and formation of subsequent personal memories. The current study employs narrative content-analysis to examine how place and quality of death relate to affective sequences present in older adults' final memories from the death of their spouse. ... Final memories are carried with the bereaved long after their loss. Positive final memories appear to stem from witnessing a comfortable, medically appropriate death outside of a hospital setting. End-of-life 'that is' between care and aligned with patients' values for place and treatment may be critical for spouses' formation of constructive final memories and bereavement adjustment.Editor's Note: Per Yale press release: Emily Mroz, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Yale Department of Internal Medicine’s Section of Geriatrics, recently received the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) Edie Stark-Shirley Scott Early Achievement Award. The honor is presented annually to a woman in the initial years of a career in thanatology—the study of death, dying, and bereavement—who has distinguished herself through activity in scholarship, service, research, clinical practice, or social action.

Saturday newsletters focus on headlines and research - enjoy!

Rendever and Lenovo collaborate to bring virtual reality experiences to Carolina Caring seniors Fox 8, Boston, MA; by Rendever; 6/19/24 Rendever, the Boston-based company pioneering the future of aging through virtual reality (VR), announces the deployment of its virtual reality platform with Lenovo to Carolina Caring patients. The rollout allows clinicians and caregivers to bring expansive, once-in-a-lifetime VR experiences to older patients whose worlds have become limited. Over the last year, Rendever and Lenovo combined their products into a joint solution that senior living providers can easily adopt to improve the quality of life for older adults through positive shared experiences. Rendever’s award-winning virtual reality solution delivered on Lenovo’s ThinkReality VRX headset provides an all-in-one standalone solution that meets the evolving needs of enterprises with modern virtual reality with six degrees of freedom, full color, and high-resolution experiences. Rendever is deployed in over 700 communities nationwide and looks to further expand with the addition of Carolina Caring in collaboration with Lenovo. 

Pennant and Hartford HealthCare partner to transform home care services CBS News 13, Eagle, Idaho; by Pennant Group, Inc.; 6/18/24 The Pennant Group, Inc., the parent company of the Pennant group of affiliated home health, hospice and senior living companies, announced today that it has entered into a management and consulting services agreement to provide operational support to Hartford HealthCare at Home (HHCAH), the home health and hospice business of Hartford HealthCare. Hartford HealthCare is the highest ranking in quality, comprehensive non-profit integrated health system in Connecticut, and HHCAH’s home-based care spans the state, with eight locations, more than 1,000 employees, and more than 33,000 home health admissions and approximately 4,000 hospice admissions over the trailing 12 months. Hartford HealthCare has provided home-based care for over a century, and this engagement of Pennant reflects its continued commitment to home-based care as an essential and growing part of the care continuum and a central component of Hartford HealthCare’s future. Hartford HealthCare at Home remains owned by Hartford HealthCare and is a critical part of Hartford HealthCare’s ecosystem of care.

At the Summer Solstice, all is green and growing, potential coming into being, the miracle of manifestation painted large on the canvas of awareness. At the Winter Solstice, the wind is cold, trees are bare and all lies in stillness beneath blankets of snow. – Gary Zukav