Literature Review

Strong palliative care presence at this year’s World Health Assembly Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance - WHPCA; by Stephen Connor, Executive Director, WHPCA; 6/18/24 Palliative care was well represented at the World Health Assembly (WHA) this year! All together there were twelve delegates from the organisations attending in official relations with WHO (6 from WHPCA and 6 from IAHPC). All attendees covered their expenses. This year is the 10th anniversary of the passage of the Palliative Care Resolution (67.19) “Strengthening of Palliative Care as a Component of Comprehensive Care Throughout the Life Course.” ... To use this fact as an opportunity WHPCA organised a side event on the margins of this year’s WHA titled: Ten Years Since the WHA Resolution on Palliative Care: Access is Increasing Slowly in LMICs, How Can We Expedite it? The event was co-sponsored by four countries (Australia, Belgium, Chile, and Panama) along with nine NGOs (UICC, ICPCN, IAHPC, NCDA, C/Can, APCA, APHN, UNTF NCDs, and Team Humanity). ... WHPCA is working to create a coalition of countries to advocate for palliative care at upcoming UN meetings.

Silverstone Health expands care continuum beyond hospice, sees skyrocketing census growth Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/19/24 Dallas-based Silverstone Health has expanded its continuum of home-based services while growing its total daily census from 17 patients to 2,000. Silverstone came on the scene in 2020 as a standalone hospice after CEO Alfonso Montiel’s purchase and rebranding of Comfort Care Hospice in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Since then, the company has built a palliative care service and is developing a personal care business. In the interim, Silverstone also acquired two small home health agencies for undisclosed amounts, as well as a physician group, according to Montiel. 

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care: 5 Medicare benefits consumers should know Globe Newswire, KELOLAND Media Group; by medicareresources.org; 6/19/24 With the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of new medications like Leqembi, there’s increased focus on ways Medicare can help alleviate the significant costs of Alzheimer’s and dementia care. ... “Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia can come with a heavy financial burden as well as an emotional toll, which is why it’s critical patients and families understand when and how Medicare can help mitigate costs,” said Louise Norris, a health policy analyst for medicareresources.org. “People may be surprised, especially about new coverage of diagnostic tests and medications." ... Here are five critical benefits medicareresources.org says consumers might not know about:

Unity launches Guide that enhances quality of life for dementia patients and their caregivers The Chamber - Manitowoc County, De Pere, Wisconsin; Press Release; 6/20/24 In honor of The Longest Day Of The Year which is celebrated on June 20th to raise awareness and outshine the darkness of Alzheimer's disease, Unity, in partnership with National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), announces the release of a new dementia care resources guide that will improve quality of life for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients, reduce hospitalizations, and ease the burden for families and caregivers. ... The new guide represents the best standards of care for mid-, advanced-, to end-stage dementia and was put together with the collective input of 100+ not-for-profit hospice, palliative care, and advanced illness care organizations. [Click on the title's link for more information, and to download the free guide.]

Celebrating palliative and end of life care at King's on Dame Cicely Saunders' birthdayKing's College London press release; 6/22/24On Dame Cicely Saunders' birthday [June 22, 1918], we are taking time to celebrate the work being done at Cicely Saunders Institute in the Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care. Dame Cicely Saunders OM DBE (1918-2005) (Nursing, 1944; Medicine, 1957) revolutionised palliative care for the dying by pioneering the modern hospice movement, as well as establishing the Institute of Palliative Care at King's. This lives on in the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation.Publisher's Note: Honoring our heros...

It’s your funeral! How to plan ahead for the best party you’ll never attend The Guardian; by Doosie Morris; 6/14/24 Years before the indomitable Joan Rivers died in 2014 she immortalised hopes for her own farewell in her memoir. ... The rise in so-called “death positivity”, along with the mortal reality check wreaked on us by the pandemic, has helped to reframe death as a part of life for many of us. Taboos around discussing death are breaking down and planning your own funeral is increasingly considered as responsible as writing a will. ... While the latest Australian Funeral Industry report found less than one in five Australians have actually planned their own funeral, a definite vibe shift is occurring and 90% of people say they want to. ... “When people say ‘I don’t want a funeral’ I remind them it’s not actually for them,” Griffith says. “You might think you’re doing your loved ones a favour, but you are actually denying everyone who needs somewhere to put their grief.” ... 

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. ~Jimi Hendrix

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Bluegrass Care Navigators and Hosparus Health announce landmark affiliation agreement Hosparus Health Press Release; 6/17/24 Today marks a significant milestone as Bluegrass Care Navigators and Hosparus Health announced that their respective boards of directors have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to begin working toward a formal affiliation between the two organizations. The affiliation is rooted in the organizations’ shared mission of providing compassionate, high-quality care to those facing serious illness and end-of-life. It aims to enhance service delivery, improve operational efficiencies, and bolster long-term sustainability — all while preserving the unique identities and local operations of both organizations. David Cook, Hosparus Health President and CEO, said, “This formal affiliation is designed to strengthen and improve resiliency for our organizations. Rest assured, we will continue to honor and maintain the distinct identities and local presence that our communities have come to cherish. This affiliation is a testament to our shared commitment to working together and enhancing care for our communities.” “Both Bluegrass Care Navigators and Hosparus Health share a joint mission: to provide exceptional, compassionate, high-quality care to those facing frailty, serious illness and end-of-life,” added Liz Fowler, President and CEO of Bluegrass Care Navigators. “Our long histories of service, innovation, and excellence make this affiliation a natural and exciting next step.” [Click on the title's link to read more.] 

When your parents die: Becoming an adult orphan The Montecito Journal; by Deann Zampelli; 6/18/24 Shortly after I got married, my 64-year-old mother lost her battle with breast cancer. Seven years later my father joined her. The loss isn’t any less painful just because you are a grown-up. ... Many don’t realize that grief isn’t linear. We don’t go through a neat little phase, checking off each stage as we complete it. The famous (and somewhat debunked) five stages of grief introduced by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in the 1960s (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance) were from a study she did on the emotional states of patients who were dying. It was their stages she was referencing, not ours. ... I came to a frightening realization. ...  It suddenly dawned on me that my siblings and I were next in line to kick it. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]Editor's Note: While serving in your hospice leadership roles, you experience the ongoing aging, changes and likely even deaths of your own family members, friends, and mentors. Do you, your hospice communications, and/or your grief services rely on the outdated "Stages of Grief" model? These "stages" opened the door in the 1960's for talking about death and dying, but became extremely misused and overpopularized for persons surviving the loss. Learn, update your knowledge, information, and clinical bereavement practices with extensive bereavement/loss/grief research, clinical best practices, and more. For expert information, resources, and bereavement professionals, examine www.adec.org, the Association for Death Education and Counseling. 

Revenue pressures driving home care consolidation, private equity’s growing influence, provider group saysMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 6/11/24Pressures such as insufficient government reimbursement and rising Medicare Advantage penetration are contributing to consolidation in home care and hospice, LeadingAge told regulators last week in response to a February request for information surrounding healthcare market competition. “Sustainable fee-for-service rates that cover the continually rising costs of delivering care are of critical importance,” LeadingAge said. “Outside revenue pressures such as lower reimbursement rates from managed care plans, reduced units of service through accountable and managed care organizations, and an increasing need to be an organization of a certain size in order to contract with managed care organizations and accountable care organizations are also factors that drive consideration of consolidation options.” One particular concern, LeadingAge noted, is the growing investment in healthcare by private equity firms. Private equity firms have driven a significant share of home care and hospice consolidation in recent years. PE firms had a hand in 35 home health deals, 15 personal care deals and 13 hospice deals last year, according to a recent report. And studies have shown that patients receiving care from PE-owned providers may experience worse health outcomes than patients at nonprofit agencies.

Spousal caregivers need emotional support before losses, not just after, study findsMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 6/9/24A recent study suggests that healthcare professionals and policymakers should expand their focus on supporting the emotional well-being of individuals whose spouses have dementia, especially in the years leading up to their partners’ deaths. The clinical investigation, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, indicates that these caregivers experience heightened levels of psychological distress compared to those whose partners have normal cognitive function. ... After the partner’s death, the levels of loneliness and depression were similar across all groups, regardless of the deceased partner’s cognitive status. This suggests that the period before the loss is particularly challenging for those caring for a spouse with dementia. Furthermore, about two-thirds (64%) of these spouses reported lower life satisfaction compared to nearly three-quarters (74%) of those with cognitively healthy partners. However, the study found no significant difference in social isolation levels among the groups.

June is Adult Protection Awareness MonthKREX Grand Junction (CO); by Jessica Livingstone; 6/8/24June is Adult Protection Awareness Month, and Mesa County kicked this month off by tying purple ribbons around their campus to show their support for the victims. WesternSlopeNow talked to HopeWest about the resources they have to protect the community. If you’d like to know more information about HopeWest’s resources, you can call or click here.Publisher's Note: How is your hospice participating in Adult Protection Awareness Month?