Literature Review

Historic numbers of Americans live by themselves as they age California Healthline, originally published by KFF and ran in The Washington Post; by Judith Graham; 9/17/24Gerri Norington, 78, never wanted to be on her own as she grew old. ...  Norington is part of a large but often overlooked group: the more than 16 million Americans living alone while growing old. Surprisingly little is known about their experiences. This slice of the older population has significant health issues: Nearly 4 in 10 seniors living alone have vision or hearing loss, difficulty caring for themselves and living independently, problems with cognition, or other disabilities, according to a KFF analysis of 2022 census data. ... Multiple studies find that seniors on their own are at higher risk of becoming isolated, depressed, and inactive, having accidents, and neglecting to care for themselves. As a result, they tend to be hospitalized more often and suffer earlier-than-expected deaths. ... The most reliable, up-to-date data about older adults who live alone comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. According to its 2023 Current Population Survey, about 28% of people 65 and older live by themselves, including slightly fewer than 6 million men and slightly more than 10 million women. (The figure doesn’t include seniors living in institutions, primarily assisted living and nursing homes.) By contrast, 1 in 10 older Americans lived on their own in 1950. ... [Click on the title's link for the full article. Includes information to republish for free.]

[OR] Samaritan Health Services lowers executive pay, reduces workforceModern Healthcare; by Alex Kacik; 9/16/24Corvallis, Oregon-based Samaritan laid off 80 employees in response to inflation, cyber incidents, inclement weather, volume reduction and declining reimbursement rates, a spokesperson said Monday. Most of the layoffs were not patient-facing positions, the spokesperson said.

AI 'early warning' system shows promise in preventing hospital deaths, study says Pique NewsMagazine, Toronto, Canada; by Nicole Ireland; 9/16/24 An AI early-warning system that predicts which patients are at risk of deteriorating while in hospital was associated with a decrease in unexpected deaths, a new study says. The study, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found a 26 per cent reduction in non-palliative deaths among patients in St. Michael's Hospital's general internal medicine unit when the AI tool was used. "We've seen that there is a lot of hype and excitement around artificial intelligence in medicine. We've also seen not as much actual deployment of these tools in real clinical environments," said lead author Dr. Amol Verma, a general internal medicine specialist and scientist at the hospital in Toronto. "This is an early example of a tool that's deployed that was rigorously tested and evaluated and where it's showing promise for actually helping improve patient care." ... The technology called CHARTwatch continuously analyzed more than 100 different pieces of information about each patient in the unit, Verma said. When the AI tool predicted that a patient was deteriorating, it sent an alert to physicians and nurses, prompting them to quickly intervene.

Remembering Martin Paley, Berkeley philanthropic leader who headed San Francisco Foundation Berkeleyside Obituaries; by family and friends of Martin Paley; 9/16/24 Martin A. Paley, a civic leader and mentor who personified the common good to benefit the whole Bay Area, died on Sept. 12 in Oakland. [Martin's extensive philanthropy leadership is described.] ... Martin died as he lived, endeavoring to have his actions match his values in a Hospice program, which he introduced to the Bay Area in 1978 with a visit from a leading practitioner from England. Martin A. Paley, through his mentoring and a life lived with common good values, the Bay Area gained from his inspirational leadership. 

Top 5 topics at Modern Healthcare's Leadership SymposiumModern Healthcare; 9/16/24Here are five topics executives shared their thoughts on during the day-long event in Washington, D.C.:

How can you spot bad leadership quickly? Look for 6 warning signs Inc.; by Marcel Schwantes; 9/16/24 Back in my HR days many moons ago, I hired a candidate for a senior management position. During his first week on the job, I stopped by his office to greet him. I overheard him on the phone with a vendor, and his behavior was in stark contrast to the person we had hired. I felt embarrassed by his conduct. Over time, there was a high turnover in his department. I have witnessed numerous counterproductive behaviors in middle and upper management. Here are six toxic traits that I have identified, which are detrimental to leading effectively.  ... 

Breaking the barriers in information sharing: Changing the discussion from legal risk to C-suite opportunity N2K; by Rick Howard; 9/16/24 In the evolving landscape of cybersecurity, sharing information among institutions is critical to bolster defenses against increasingly sophisticated threats. Cooperation between organizations can strengthen everyone’s defenses, but such an approach requires openness and transparency, something that many organizations have been reluctant to do. ... The C-suite – comprising top executives such as the CEO, CFO, CIO, CISO, and others – plays a critical role in shaping an organization's approach to cybersecurity. In the context of information sharing, the C-suite's role is pivotal in driving the cultural and operational changes necessary to transition from a risk-averse stance to one that recognizes the strategic value of collaboration and information exchange. One of the most successful initiatives that C-suite leaders can champion is participation in industry-specific Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs). ... [Following discussions include:] The business case for information sharing ... Enhanced risk management ... Cost savings and resource efficiency ... Compliance and legal benefits ... Innovation ... Professional Development ... Challenges to information sharing ... Legal and regulatory complexities ... Risk of exposure and misuse ... Trust issues among organizations ... Technical barriers ... Cultural and organizational obstacles ... Sharing information ... Categorize information by sensitivity ... Assess recipients ... Vet the data ... Monitoring and oversight ... Engaging in industry-wide collaboration ... Real world examples - Health-ISAC and the faulty CrowdStrike update ... The path forward ... [Click on the title's link for the full article and a whitepaper.]

Talk about death, but live your life: What people working in end-of-life care have learned Yahoo Life; by Elena Sheppard; 9/16/24 Eventually, we are all going to die. It’s a reality that most people are uncomfortable with and do everything they can to avoid thinking about. But for people who work in end-of-life care, such as hospice workers and death doulas, death is both a fact of the job and a part of their everyday reality. While the work may sound grim, those who do it say that their daily proximity to death doesn't cast a shadow over their lives; rather, it has enabled them to more purposefully celebrate life’s beauty. ... Yahoo Life spoke to hospice professionals to hear the life lessons they’ve learned by working so closely with death. Here’s what they said. ...

Bayada, HomeWell leaders share strategies for recognizing and retaining office staff Home Health Care News; by Audrie Martin; 9/13/24 Office staff have the highest client satisfaction scores among home health care provider employees. They also have the lowest administrative salaries. These salaries can impact job satisfaction and cause employees to seek employment elsewhere, according to the 2024 Activated Insights Benchmarking Report. Some organizations are turning to recognition to combat this trend. “Employee recognition is no longer a ‘nice to do,’” Michelle Cone, senior vice president of training and brand programs at HomeWell Care Services, told Home Health Care News. “Recognizing employees should be considered table stakes in this post-pandemic landscape. With a focus on employee retention, engagement, and overall satisfaction and its direct correlation to top-quality care, recognition to support retention and drive satisfaction is vital.” ... [Jeff Knapp, Chief People Officer of Bayada told HHCN,] “For office staff, excellence awards are one favorite. Employees are nominated and selected yearly and celebrated at our annual gathering. Categories include clinical leadership, client services leadership and enterprise support. We also give years of service awards to recognize employee loyalty and commitment.”

Destin welcomes its first inpatient hospice care center: Vitas suites destination health and rehabilitation South Florida Hospital News, Destin, FL; by cfelixcpa; 9/13/24 Patients nearing the end of life who reside in Okaloosa and Walton counties now have access to inpatient hospice care at the VITAS Suites at Destination Health and Rehabilitation in Destin, Florida. This is the first and only inpatient unit for hospice patients in the two-county region. The nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care celebrated the grand opening of the new suites and is now accepting hospice-eligible patient referrals. ... “The new suites help VITAS further serve the greater community of Pensacola, filling a vital need for acute symptom management for end-of-life patients in the area,” said VITAS General Manager Chasity Tedford. 

The patient care experience on full display Modern Healthcare; by Mary Ellen Podmolik; 9/13/24 Art exhibits can promote a visceral reaction. The one that just opened along a hallway of windows on Thomas Jefferson University’s health sciences campus certainly does just that. The installation includes five hospital beds, life-sized mannequins inside large pill bottles, personal possessions and deeply personal quotes from five unnamed people who’ve gone through life-threatening trauma — a miscarriage, a pulmonary embolism, a wait for a kidney transplant, a case of undiagnosed paralysis and cancer. The Philadelphia artist behind the exhibit, Pepón Osorio, is the cancer patient. “Convalescence” is a complex and compelling exhibit of patient pain, reliance on drugs and inequitable care — part of the patient experience that can get lost in the daily tussle between providers and payers. “It is a critique of the healthcare system,” Megan Voeller, director of health humanities at the university, told me.

The persistent stigma attached to dementia encourages denial InForum; by Carol Bradley Bursack; 9/14/24 Dear Carol: ... At age 70, I was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Theoretically, that diagnosis means that I have a few more memory glitches than normal for my age. A percentage of people with MCI will develop Alzheimer’s disease, but not all. Yet, some family members treat me like I shouldn’t make decisions beyond what I want for dinner. ...Dear Al: The stigma attached to mental illness, cognitive decline, and even aging, illustrates widespread ignorance of facts. The more people like you speak up the better the future will be for others. ... For now, work on educating your family about MCI.  ... Here's a start: 

Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care is primed for continued success 9/13/24; Business Wire - Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care; by Lisa Simon; 9/13/24 Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care, the leading end-of-life care company, is affirming its commitment to growing its four Ohio locations in Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, Cincinnati and Dayton along with two others, one outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and one in Memphis, Tennessee. “We are committed to building our remaining locations and we have the depth of talent and proven standards for the highest quality care and the most time spent bedside, including attended deaths, compared with any other hospice. This is an opportunity for Crossroads to reach its highest potential.” That’s after selling five locations in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Georgia to Spartanburg, SC-headquartered Agape Care Group, a portfolio company of Ridgemont Equity Partners, earlier this week. Crossroads had been considering a strategic sale of some locations for a number of reasons. Now company leaders are viewing the future of the 29-year-old leader in hospice and palliative care with enthusiasm as they become a more streamlined company with a smaller geographic footprint. “The potential for innovation has never been higher,” said Crossroads CEO and Co-Founder Perry Farmer. “We are committed to building our remaining locations and we have the depth of talent and proven standards for the highest quality care and the most time spent bedside, including attended deaths, compared with any other hospice." ... COO and Co-Founder Clayton Farmer agreed while acknowledging how entrenched Crossroads is in the markets where it operates. “We want our valued referral partners in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee to know we are here to continue serving their patients and families and we will strive to continue to beat all national averages on key hospice industry metrics.”