Literature Review

Home care providers hail bill establishing standard classification for direct support workers McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 4/3/24 The Senate last week passed legislation that would address the dire shortage of direct support workers with the establishment of a classification to help stakeholders collect workforce data. Specifically, if signed into law, the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act would require the Office of Management and Budget to consider establishing a standard occupational classification (SOC) for direct support professionals (DSPs). This classification would make it easier for policymakers to gather useful data about these workers and help them better address critical workforce challenges.

Bereaved Parent Support Study: Seeking Participants Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center/University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Cancer, St. Jude Children's Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; 4/2/24This program is offered as a research study examining three types of support for bereaved parents who have lost a child to cancer. This is a National Institutes of Health-funded trial taking place at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center/University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, St. Jude Children's Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; however, families need not have received care from one of these institutions. ... For those assigned to receive counseling, services will be provided through videoconferencing, and all study activities can be completed from the participant’s home. ... There will be no charge for any support offered through the study. ... [Click on the title's link for more information.] Editor's Note: If your hospice does not have bereavement services tailored to the needs of parents who have lost a child, consider this opportunity for free support from these reputable sources. Click on the title's link for eligibility requirements and descriptions.

What home health providers need to know about the Medicare TPE Audit ProcessHome Health Care News, by Joyce Famakinwa;  4/2/24... TPE is a medical review program that began for the home health and hospice settings in December 2017. The goal of the program is to weed out improper payments by zeroing-in on providers with high claims denial rates or unusual billing practices. ... TPE has three pillars. Target refers to errors or mistakes that are identified through data in comparison to providers or peers. Probe is the examination of 20 to 40 claims. ... Education means helping providers reduce claim denials and appeals through one-on-one individualized education. 

Fostering respect and appreciation seen as keys to retaining direct care workersMcKnights Online Forum, by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 3/27/24 Expressions of appreciation and respect can go a long way in addressing senior living’s direct care workforce crisis, according to a panel of direct workers and employers who addressed what makes employees want to stay — or go. ... Nate Hamme, president and executive director of the Ceca Foundation, ... said that the most important part of employee recognition is listening to people. ... He added that there is a science to recognition backed by research into what motivates people and implementing programs around that. ... Recognition programs, Hamme added, should focus on IMPACT: inclusive, mission-aligned, public, authentic, consistent and timely. 

You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. ~CS Lewis

Wide variation in differences in resource use seen across conditions between Medicare Advantage, Traditional MedicareHealth Affairs, by Jeah Jung, Caroline S. Carlin, Roger Feldman, Ge Song; 9/23Medicare Advantage (MA) is a rapidly growing source of coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. Examining how MA performs compared with traditional Medicare is an important policy issue. We analyzed national MA encounter data and found that the adjusted differences in resource use between MA and traditional Medicare varied widely across medical conditions in 2019.

Too soon or too late: Rethinking the significance of six months when dementia is a primary diagnosisThe Hastings Center Report, by Cindy L. Cain, Timothy E. Quill; 1/24In the case of people living with advanced dementia, six months is both too early in the trajectory to facilitate conversations and too late in the trajectory to ensure decision-making capacity. This essay encourages scholars and policy-makers to consider how cultural narratives may limit what they think is possible in care for people living with dementia.

“Trying to find North”: Fathers voice the nature of their bereavementOMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying, by Christine Denhup; 3/24Fathers' lived experience of bereavement is not well understood. ... Findings amplify fathers' voice so nurses gain a deeper understanding of their experience.

It’s the truth I’m after, and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance. ~Marcus Aurelius

Association of frailty and cardiopulmonary resuscitation outcomes in older U.S. VeteransAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, by Dominique M Tosi, MD; Marlena C Fernandez, MD; Shivaan Oomrigar, MD; Lorena P Burton, MD; Iriana S Hammel, MD; Andrew Quartin, MD; Jorge G Ruiz, MD; 4/24CPR outcomes were not different depending on frailty status in our Veteran population. With these results, we cannot use frailty - as measured by the VA-FI - as a prognosticator of CPR outcomes in Veterans.

Where you begin is not necessarily where you end: the mental and physical health trajectories of cancer caregivers over timeSupportive Care in Cancer, by Maureen Wilson Genderson, Maria D. Thomson, Laura A. Siminoff; 10/23Cancer caregiving, a critical component in the cancer-care model, has deleterious effects on the caregiver’s physical and mental health. The degree to which these negative effects are uniformly experienced by caregivers is unclear; effects may be exacerbated at the end of life when caregiving is intensified. Not all caregivers have the support of an additional involved support person (secondary caregiver). The impact of the secondary caregiver’s absence on the primary caregiver’s well-being is understudied.

Community Hospice & Palliative Care recognizes National Volunteer MonthJAX Chamber, Press Release; 4/3/24 As April marks National Volunteer Month, Community Hospice & Palliative Care reaffirms its dedication to promoting and celebrating the invaluable contributions of volunteers. Volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization, providing companionship and a compassionate presence to patients and their families during challenging times. Throughout the month, Community Hospice & Palliative Care will spotlight individual volunteers and their inspiring stories through various social media platforms. These narratives will highlight the profound impact that volunteers have on the lives of those they serve and showcase the diverse ways in which they enrich our community. Editor's Note: Use this spark your own planning and recognition for your all-important hospice and palliative care volunteers!