Literature Review

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious. ~Albert Einstein, 1952

Bank employees go above and beyond—Donations exceed $100,000 in 2023PRNewswire; 12/28/23Lake City, FL—First Federal Bank is pleased to announce the success of its 2023 First Federal Way campaign, which received contributions of $50,430 from employees. With the bank’s match, a total of $100,900 is being donated to local non-profit agencies who make a significant difference in their communities.

New residential end-of-life facility opens in central PAPatriot-News (Harrisburg, PA); 12/26/23Chambersburg, PA—Mercy House of Chambersburg has opened at 730 Norland Ave. in Chambersburg. Mercy House was formed last year and partners with local hospice agencies in providing care for those who need 24-hour assistance and who are unable to remain at home.

Hospice patient enjoys fishing adventureHickory Daily Record; 12/30/23Carolina Caring’s compassionate hospice and palliative care empowers patients to make the most of each day as they navigate serious illness. One patient, Barbara, has been under hospice care with Carolina Caring and has shared ... with her nurse, Kelly Avery, and social worker, Megan Elmore ... that her fondest memories were of fishing with her family on Lake Hickory. After being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart failure, Barbara’s symptoms were getting increasingly harder to manage. She went from fishing once a week to once a month, to not having fished in over two years. ... Thanks to multiple visits a week from her Carolina Caring care team, Barbara was able to build the confidence to once again cast her line and enjoy the great outdoors. ... Kelly and Megan coordinated with the Carolina Caring Volunteer and Foundation Departments to secure fishing licenses and gather together a spread of Barbara’s favorite foods at Dallas Park & Recreation ponds. For just the second time in the past year, Barbara left the house.

Rosalynn Carter’s impact on caregiversKevin MD Blog, by R. Lynn Barnett; 12/25/23... As caregivers, we are the voice for others, but we also need to be a voice for ourselves. ... I wasn’t prepared, as many people aren’t, for the fiscal and physical aspects of caregiving. ... The toll that caregiving can take is often underrated, understated, and under-appreciated. ... Rosalynn Carter was known as a “Steel Magnolia,” showing the same inner fortitude and mettle, combined with grace, of the main characters in the film of the same name. I think all of us caregivers become steel magnolias. It’s not that we deserve a medal for our actions; we just deserve a little peace.[Editor's Note, Joy Berger for Hospice and Palliative Care Today: Rosalynn Carter founded the Institute for Caregiving 35 years ago, preparing for the surge of Baby Boomers' aging and caregiving needs. Her memorable quote lives on: "There are only four kinds of people in the world--those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers." Visit www.rosalynncarter.org for more information.]

Disparities in election, access, and outcomes in Medicare end-of-life care: A national studyInnovation in Aging, by Thomas Christian, Michael Plotzke, Mariana Sarango Cancel, Catherine Hersey, and Zinnia Harrison; 12/23We examined whether end-of-life care racial disparities persist even within groups with similar geographic access and health care options. We reviewed calendar year (CY)2021 fee-for-service Medicare claims to determine if a beneficiary ever: elected hospice, had an end-of-life care conversation with their physician, and/or received advanced care planning services. ... We found no substantial racial/ethnic disparities in recorded advance care plans or end-of-life conversations.

Measuring the impact of AI in the diagnosis of hospitalized patientsJAMA Network, by Sarah Jabbour, MSE; David Fouhey, PhD; and Stephanie Shepard, PhD; Thomas S. Valley, MD; Ella A Kazerooni, MD, MS; Nikola Banovic, PhD; Jenna Wiens, PhD; Michael W. Sjoding, MD; 12/23In this multicenter randomized clinical vignette survey study, diagnostic accuracy significantly increased by 4.4% when clinicians reviewed a patient clinical vignette with standard AI model predictions and model explanations compared with baseline accuracy. However, accuracy significantly decreased by 11.3% when clinicians were shown systematically biased AI model predictions and model explanations did not mitigate the negative effects of such predictions.

Impact and sustainability of a palliative care education module in patients with heart failureAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, by Shelley L. Thompson, DNP; Allison Lindgren, MSPAC; Jaime McDermott, DNP; Stephanie G. Barnes, MSN; Carolina D. Tennyson, DNP; Bradi Granger, PhD; 12/23Approximately 6.7 million American adults are living with heart failure (HF). Current therapies are geared toward preventing progression and managing symptoms, as there is no cure. Multiple studies have shown the benefit of including palliative care (PC) in patients with HF to improve symptoms and quality of life. Heart failure guidelines recommend the inclusion of PC in therapy, but referrals are often delayed. A previous pilot project demonstrated increased involvement of PC when targeted education was given to patients with HF. This sustainable project again demonstrated education on PC increases utilization of PC but does not statistically impact mortality, re-admissions, or transfers to higher levels of care.

"Study hard, for the well is deep and our brains are shallow" ~Richard Baxter

Case Series: Emergency Department Palliative CareJournal of Palliative Medicine; 2023JPM is proud to present a case series on the use of palliative care in the emergency department. The six cases included in this series were collected by the Emergency Palliative Care Working Group and cover various situations involving palliative care usage, such as acute presentation of a nonsurvivable condition, hospice patients in the emergency department, etc.

Nursing homes invest in campaigns, reap millions in taxpayer moneyIowa Capital Dispatch, by Clark Kauffman; 1/2/24Audio recordings and financial documents reveal the industry’s political clout.

Cap rates increase by 74 basis points across all segments of senior living and careMcKnight's Senior Living, by Kathleen Steele GaivinThe average senior housing and care capitalization rate across all segments increased by 74 basis points between April and October, according to results of the 13th edition of CBRE’s US Senior Housing & Care Investor Survey for the second half of 2023. An April survey had found that cap rates had increased for all sectors but skilled nursing. 

Other Business Headlines of Interest, updated 1/4/24 per nasdaq.com