Literature Review

Most Americans would rather feel 25% healthier than live 25% longer. Here’s how to lengthen your health span Fortune Well, by Alexa Mikhail; 3/15/24 Across all generations, more Americans would choose to feel 25% healthier than live 25% longer. Broken down, 60% of Gen Z and millennials say they would choose to feel healthier rather than live longer as compared to 67% of Gen X and 70% of Boomers, according to a consumer trends report from The New Consumer in partnership with Coefficient Capital. Only 15% of Boomers, 22% of Gen X, and about a third of Gen Z and millennials say they would rather live 25% longer.

Colorado Senate passes bill to shorten ‘Medical-Aid-in-Dying’ waiting period Colorado Newsline, by Sara Wilson; 3/8/24 The Colorado Senate approved a bill Friday that would alter the state’s medical aid-in-dying law by shortening the required waiting period and allowing more medical professionals to prescribe the medication. ... Senate Bill 24-68 would tweak the law by shortening the waiting period between a patient’s first and second request for the medication from 15 to seven days. ... Statistics from Denver Health’s medical aid-in-dying program show that about 1 in 4 patients died from their illness during the current 15-day waiting period... The bill would also allow advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe the medication... The bill was amended in committee to reinstate a Colorado residency requirement.

'It's been really inspiring': Grace House continues end-of-life care despite challenges Akron Beacon Journal, by Kelsie Horner; 3/13/24Through a flood and financial challenges, an Akron nonprofit has continued to provide end-of-life care and companionship for people who might otherwise die alone. Since opening its doors 1½ years ago, Grace House has cared for 66 residents during their final days. ... Grace House is one of only three organizations in the nation to provide free, “non-barrier” end-of-life care for people who are unhoused or alone.

Johns Hopkins study reveals medical marijuana lowers pain, hospital visits BNN, by Wojciech Zylm; 3/5/24Recent research highlights significant improvements in well-being for cannabis users, offering hope for those with chronic illnesses. The study showcases a potential shift in the perception and utilization of medical cannabis in healthcare.

Why home care leaders are now banking on ‘Caregiver-First’ culturesHome Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 3/4/24 Over the last several years, a notable trend is emerging in home care: Top-tier companies are shifting their focus from prioritizing customers to prioritizing caregivers. This strategic move reflects a growing recognition of the critical role caregivers play, and aims to address persistent caregiver shortages.

CMS hears you, hospice providersMcKnights Home Care, by Liza Berger; 3/8/24 Rarely does the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services succeed in shocking us. The large bureaucracy, which is not exactly known for its nimbleness, managed to do so this week when it abruptly cancelled the hospice component of the Value-Based Insurance Design Model. ... For those who wonder whether advocacy works, I’d chalk this up to a win for providers — and a clear example of advocacy in action. 

Rising suicide risk among seniors due to loneliness, mobility, financial insecurity, study finds McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 3/5/24As the number of adults over 65 continues to grow, suicide rates among older adults have also been rising, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Between 2008 and 2017, the share of suicide-related emergency department visits among adults 65 years and older more than doubled. These older adults face age-related stressors that can negatively affect mental health, such as declining physical health, reduced mental sharpness, or the loss of friends or loved ones, which can heighten the risk of suicide. 

Ethics Consult: Using hospice as "treatment" for behavioral problems of dementiaAmerican Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, by Luisa Skoble MD, Jonathan Crane MPhil, PhD; 4/24This session will present 2 cases of individuals with advanced dementia who did not meet the traditional Medicare criteria for hospice, as both were ambulatory and did not have significant co-morbid medical issues. Both had significant aggressive behaviors that responded poorly to extensive trials of various medications during extended stays on a geriatric psychiatry inpatient unit. Both were referred to a local inpatient hospice where the staff use “suffering" as a hospice criteria and were “treated” with the usual hospice medications and expired in less than 3 weeks.

The PACT Project: Feasibility of a multidisciplinary, multi-faceted intervention to promote goals of care conversationsAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, by Eytan Szmuilowicz, MD; Rebecca K. Clepp, MA, MEd, MHA; Jayson Neagle, MD; Adeboye Ogunseitan, MD; Martha Twaddle, MD; Gordon J. Wood, MD, MSCI; 4/24Patients living with serious illness generally want their physicians to facilitate Goals of Care conversations (GoCc), yet physicians may lack time and skills to engage in these conversations in the outpatient setting... A multifaceted quality improvement intervention focused on serious illness communication skills can support a diverse clinical workforce to facilitate inpatient GoCc over time.

Correcting health disparities at end-of-life in persons of colorJournal for Nurse Practitioners, by Leah D. Ward, Anthony Young; 4/24Forty years after the creation of the Medicare hospice benefit, low use of hospice and palliative care services in persons of color increases suffering and aggressive care at the end of life related to social determinants of death... This article provides tools for nurse practitioners and other health care personnel in spiritual, cultural, and goals-of-care assessments, quality improvement, and an explanation of the benefits of faith-based programs and partnerships

CourageJournal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, by Ferrell, Betty PhD, MA, RN, CHPN; 4/24This issue is a quilt I would call “Courage,” with bold colors, vibrant images and creative designs providing warmth and comfort to those whose stories are told in these pages.

Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it. ~Robert Frost

Palliative ECT for catatonia in a terminal cancer patient: A case reportJournal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, by Arushi Mahajan B.S., Thanvi Vatti M.P.H., Andrew Coulter M.D., Elias Khawam M.D., Molly Howland M.D.Common end-of-life illnesses and medications can lead to catatonia. Catatonia can decrease interactivity, which worsens a terminal patient's quality of life. Treatment includes medications and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Though treating psychiatric disorders aligns with the palliative care philosophy, end-of-life ECT has been rarely reported. The few case reports on palliative ECT involved continuation of prior ECT courses for chronic psychiatric conditions in psychiatric settings after a terminal diagnosis. No studies have explored palliative ECT for acute catatonia.