Literature Review

'Popular' tulip field's Wicked fame delights fans [rasises funds for hospice] BBC News; by Neve Gordon-Farleigh; 12/1/24 Film fans said it was "surreal" to see a tulip field they had visited appear in a Hollywood blockbuster. Belmont Nurseries near King's Lynn in Norfolk was used as a backdrop for Wizard of Oz spin-off Wicked, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as witches Glinda and Elphaba. Nine million tulips were planted on the 25-acre (10 hectares) site, where hundreds of extras brought fictional Munchkinland to life. ... Field owners Mark and Susanne Eves met a location manager and set designer in 2022 to plan the look of the field and made sure they got the "right colours in the right place". For the past four years, they partnered with The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House and raised £93,392 for the charity in 2022 through entrance fees. The hospice said about 30,000 tickets would be available for 2025.

40 largest health systems in the US | 2024 Becker's Hospital Review; by Laura Dyrda; 11/27/24 Some large health systems grew while others shrunk over the last year, and more consolidation could be ahead. But changes were minimal in either direction, and the largest health systems this year remain relatively similar to previous years. Becker's compiled a list of the largest health systems in the U.S. based on the number of hospitals reported on the system's website. ... Note: The list below is not a ranking. Data includes all hospitals within the system. [Click on the title's link for the full list of 40 health systems.]

No one has ever become poor by giving. ~ Anne Frank

Michael Dowling: We've revolutionized care for aging adults, but is America's health system ready for the senior population boom? Becker's Hospital Review; by Michael J. Dowling, President and CEO, Northwell Health; 12/2/24 Like many baby boomers and those from earlier generations, I have vivid memories from my younger years of my grandparents and other aging adults struggling with an assortment of ailments that their doctors told them were just an inevitable part of growing old. ... The transformative advancements made over the past half-century in meeting the physical and emotional health needs of the nation's rapidly aging population are remarkable — and that's especially important because more Americans are turning age 65 now than in any other time in our history (4.1 million in 2024, or 11,200 a day). And as we move toward a new year, every healthcare executive must examine whether we are collectively prepared to care for them in the years and decades ahead and take steps to recruit the medical specialists we need to meet burgeoning demand. ... Lastly, all clinicians must embrace palliative care as part of their standard practice in managing the health of aging adults with serious illness. ... 

Thanksgiving tradition brings meals to hospice families in Northeastern Pennsylvania  ABC News 16 WNEP, Scranton, PA; by Jack Culkin; 11/28/24 It's become a holiday tradition for many volunteers to fill their cars at Mansour's Market in Scranton on Thanksgiving morning, delivering meals to those in hospice care. Ray Gillette, a long-time volunteer, shared, "We've been doing this for a long time, and we've taken the boys with us. Our oldest grandson is 14. This is his 14th year that he's come to deliver with us." ... [Diane Baldi, CEO of Hospice of The Sacred Heart] says the event began as an idea. Quickly growing to not just caring for their patients, but their families too.  "19 years ago, in our very first, we may have had 20 patients. Today we have 200. So it has grown exponentially," said Baldi. ... Along with classic holiday staples like turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce, each meal includes a hand-made card. "I like it because it has like a turkey on the front and it has like all the stuff that you would eat," Said nine-year-old Olivia Catalano. She and her classmates made dozens of these cards, each featuring a Thanksgiving message or drawing. ... With each card placed and each meal delivered, workers successfully brought more than 600 meals to hospice families across Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

Understanding deep disadvantage at the end of life: A nationwide analysis of unclaimed deaths Social Science and Medicine; by Jennifer Bridte DrPH, Frank Heiland, PhD, and Deborah Balk PhD; 11/25/24 This is the first systematic examination of unclaimed deaths at the county level and offers a novel way to understand marginalized populations, such as the unhoused and others living in extreme social or economic deprivation. Unclaimed death rates may also provide an objective measure of social support that can be measured over time. ... This is of public health importance because unclaimed death can be seen as a negative health outcome that may be the result of cumulative disadvantage over the life course. ... Highlights:

Softly into the night - An end of life love story Billings Gazette, Billings, MT; by Joseph Scheller; 11/29/24 This is a picture story about life — of joys and sadness, of challenges and struggles and sacrifice. It’s a story about dementia and caregiving. It’s a story about souls and spirit and deepening devotion. Mostly, though, this is a love story. It begins with Wayne Roberts, a big and burley guy with a Harley but as personable and approachable as they come. ... It was simple, really. When he wasn’t at work, he was caring for his wife, Lynne, who had onsets of dementia. When he was at work, he was thinking of her. I wasn’t looking for a story about caregiving but there was a warmth and openness about Wayne and Lynne that tugged me to tell one through my camera. ... [With] their comfort and trust, I became part of their world, in a way, and was able to photograph most anything. They were mostly simple scenes of daily living and caring, some sensitive, some not, and as dementia stole more and more of Lynne’s mind, her world got smaller and Wayne was her only gateway to it. He paved it with tenderness. ... [Click on the title's link to see photos and read this inspirational story.] 

Tidewell Foundation volunteers give back during Thanksgiving Observer, Sarasota, FL; by Jay Heater; 11/29/24Those in the parking lot of the Tidewell Hospice administration building the day before Thanksgiving in Lakewood Ranch weren't focused on the "being thankful" part of the holiday. They were concentrating on the "giving back" part. The Tidewell Foundation's fifth annual Meal Drive provided more than 500 meals that were delivered through Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto and Charlotte counties to provide, in many cases, what might be the last holiday meal a couple or family would be able to share. Morton's Gourmet Market, the Venice Yacht Club and Michael's on East made the meals possible and then volunteers packed and delivered the meals Nov. 27. Among those in the parking lot was Bradenton's Terry Dale, who was volunteering in the event for the first time. "I am trying to give back," Dale said as she was busy handing out meals to other volunteers who drove up to take care of the delivery. "Two years ago, these people (Tidewell Hospice) were a godsend." Her husband of 47 years, Bill Dale, died at that time and Terry Dale doesn't know how she would have made it through without Tidewell Hospice. She knew the importance of the food that was being sent out with the volunteers.

Hello December, you are the last one, so be the best one. ~ Anonymous

Breaking free from self-doubt: A guide to authentic leadership and communication Forbes - Leadership; by Lynn Smith; 11/27/24 In my years of coaching hundreds of top executives, entrepreneurs and CEOs, I've noticed a persistent challenge that holds many back from their full potential as leaders and communicators: self-doubt. This inner critic—what I call the "Brain Bully"—creates a constant stream of negative self-talk. Even the most accomplished leaders wrestle with thoughts like "What if I say the wrong thing?" or "What if I don't sound smart?" These are exact quotes from some of my clients. The larger issue is that inner dialogue was preventing those leaders from communicating clearly and concisely. The self-doubt in their head was reading all across their faces and through their body language. In a time when 93% of communication is weighed by nonverbal cues, we had to do something about this. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

VFW makes another large donation to Hospice [of the Panhandle] The Morgan Messenger; by TMM Editor; 11/26/24 The VFW Post 4019 hosted a chili cookoff in November with $17,000 of proceeds going to Hospice of the Panhandle. “We greatly appreciate what you do for veterans,” said Commander Arthur Schur. 

Palliative care bypasses Black heart disease patients The St. Louis American; by Alvin A. Reid; 11/30/24 A study by Saint Louis University researchers paints a grim picture for many heart failure patients in America – and the outlook is worse for African Americans. The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that only one in eight patients with heart failure nationwide receive palliative care consultations within five years of diagnosis. Alarmingly, Black people were 15% less likely to receive palliative care compared to white patients with similar heart health illness. Other recent respective studies illustrate the higher risk and mortality rates for cardiovascular disease in the Black population – further demonstrating that the missing palliative care options have a greater negative impact on African American health. New statistics from a medical team at EHproject show African American women are at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease than their white counterparts. It found that 47.3% of Black women have heart disease. If they do not have it currently, they are 2.4 times more likely to develop heart disease. ... A March 2023 study published in JAMA Cardiology showed that Black men remain at the highest risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. ... 

Don’t let CMS publish list of lowest-performing hospices, Alliance tells lawmakers McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 11/26/24 Acting on its plan to keep the hospice Special Focus Program in the spotlight until the end of the year, the National Alliance for Care at Home has sent congressional leaders a letter urging them to remedy the grading system for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ program targeting underperforming hospices. “CMS is on the verge of publishing a list of what they claim will be poor-performing hospices based on this flawed grading system,” Ken Albert, president and CEO of Andwell Health Partners and chair of the Alliance, wrote in a Nov. 22 letter to chairmen and ranking members of House and Senate finance committees. “When you see this list, you should view it skeptically, because CMS will have committed a grave error that risks steering patients away from reputable hospices that may be on the list and toward providers that — because they may not have been surveyed at all — could be low-quality or completely fraudulent.”