Literature Review

How 19 New Hanover Community Endowment grants totaling $53 million will be spentStar News (Wilmington, NC)December 18, 2023Wilmington, NC—The New Hanover Community Endowment has announced more than $53 million in grants to philanthropic efforts in New Hanover County. Over the next three years, the $53 million will go toward 19 grants in New Hanover County focused on the healthcare workforce pipeline, early childhood education and health access. The endowment is also granting $1.4 million to 14 organizations with one-year, non-renewable grants that supports programs like elder care, literacy and youth violence prevention. 

"Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”  Joshua J. Marine

Racial and Ethnic Disparities Seen in Use of HospiceHealthDayDecember 18, 2023Racial and ethnic disparities are seen in use of hospice among Medicaid recipients, according to a study published online Dec. 8 in JAMA Health Forum. Julie Robison, Ph.D., from the UConn Health Center on Aging in Farmington, and colleagues compared hospice use and hospice length of stay (LOS) by race and ethnicity among Medicaid-only individuals and those with dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid (duals). 

Despite Economic Growth in 2023, State of the Commonwealth Report Shows Worrying TrendsNews ReleaseDecember 18, 2023Norfolk, VA—There are positive takeaways from Old Dominion University’s ninth annual State of the Commonwealth Report. Virginia’s economy and population continued to grow in 2023 and a record number of people were employed and in the labor force, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. But the report, produced by ODU’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, also raises questions about the commonwealth’s future. 

Employers increasingly relying on older workers, Pew Research study findsMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 18, 2023The share of people over the age of 65 that are employed has almost doubled in the last 35 years, according to a new report by Pew Research. ... It found that almost 20% of Americans aged 65 and above were employed in 2023, and these workers are working more hours and earning more money than ever before. 

After bitter strike, nurses ratify new three-year contractNJ.comDecember 16, 2023The nurses union at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital ratified a new contract Friday, two weeks after reaching an agreement with the hospital following a bitter strike. 

Berkshire VNA Nurses and Healthcare Professionals Reach Tentative Agreement on First MNA Contract to Stabilize Staffing and Improve Patient CarePRNewswireDecember 18, 2023Pittsfield, MA—The nurses and healthcare professionals of the Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, reached a tentative agreement on December 15 with Berkshire Health Systems, agreeing on contract terms that give BVNA clinicians a wage step scale and tackle some productivity issues to help with recruitment and retention and address patient care access problems. 

Leading Rural PACE Provider Coming to Northeast OhioNews ReleaseDecember 18, 2023Erie, PA—One Senior Care, a leading PACE provider to rural and Appalachian communities, is proud to announce that its program, LIFE-Northwestern Pennsylvania, has been selected by the Ohio Department of Aging to bring the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to three counties—Ashtabula, Trumbull, and Mahoning—in Northeast Ohio. 

Largest nursing home in St. Louis closes suddenly, forcing out 170 residentsAssociated PressDecember 18, 2023St. Louis, MO—The largest skilled nursing facility in St. Louis has closed suddenly, forcing about 170 residents to be bused to other care centers. Many left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. The abrupt shutdown of Northview Village Nursing Home on Friday came after workers learned they might not be paid and walked out, confusing residents and their relatives. Many family members gathered through the day Saturday outside the facility on the city’s north side. Some didn’t immediately know where their loved ones were taken. 

The Language of Hospice Can Help Us Get Better at Discussing DeathTIMEDecember 18, 2023Just because death is inevitable doesn’t make it easy or natural to talk about. In a new study, researchers wondered if hospice workers—experts in end-of-life care—had lessons to teach the rest of us when it came to speaking with patients and families about death. Daniel Menchik, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Arizona who studies the use of language in different fields of medicine, spent eight months sitting in on team meetings at a hospice care facility that were also open to patients’ families. ... In the study, Menchik noticed that hospice workers used three different types of verbs in meetings with family members: predictive, subjunctive, and imperative. Predictive verbs are used to assert things about the future and include words like “will” and “going to.” Imperative verbs carry a similar firmness, but include a call to action; the most common one Menchik encounters in medical settings is “should.” Subjunctive verbs convey some sort of personal stance when talking about the future. “Think,” “feel,” “want,” and many other expressive phrases fall in this category. When a family starts hospice care, “their capabilities to engage in intense conversations [about death] are usually pretty limited,” Menchik says. But he believes that hospice workers help bridge that gap by minimizing their use of imperative verbs. In meetings he observed, imperative verbs made up just 17% of the verb phrases used by hospice professionals. That’s fairly uncommon in medicine. Editor's Note: Use this article to examine the language used in your team meetings; to strengthen your orientation of employees from non-hospice settings; to engage your admissions nurses in a lively dialogue about its applicability to their experiences with patients and families.

Chemed Corporation Announces the Appointment of Michael D. Witzeman as CFOBusiness WireDecember 18, 2023Cincinnati, OH—Today Chemed Corporation’s Board of Directors has appointed Michael D. Witzeman as Chief Financial Officer, effective January 1, 2024, following the retirement of David P. Williams from that role. Mr. Witzeman is currently Chemed’s Vice President and Controller and serves as Chemed’s principal accounting officer. 

TCMH foundation event raised nearly $31,000Houston (MO) HeraldDecember 18, 2023Texas County, MO—Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation held a successful online auction from Nov. 21-30, raising $30,844 for TCMH Hospice of Care. The fundraising total included cash and non-cash gifts. All proceeds from the event go to TCMH Hospice of Care, which provides end-of-life and grief support for patients and families in Texas County and surrounding areas.

Unions donate to 22 charitiesHerald Star (Steubenville, OH)December 18, 2023Steubenville, OH—Valley Hospice has received a donation of more than $4,000 from the Laborers’ Local 809 and Ohio LECET [Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust]. Each year, Ohio LECET holds a golf outing, donating proceeds to charities which are chosen by the local unions.