Literature Review

Data points to need for trauma-centered care at end of lifeMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 10/2/24A new study has found that early life and cumulative trauma are linked to poorer physical and psychosocial health at the end of life. The report was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Among participants, 19% reported no trauma, while 47% experienced one to two traumatic events and 25% had three to four traumatic events. A total of 9% of people reported more than five traumatic events in their lives. “Findings highlight the need for clinicians caring for seriously ill older adults to ensure interdisciplinary care for trauma symptoms and potentially adopting a trauma-informed approach to end-of-life care,” the authors wrote.

Images of the dying: A podcast with Wendy MacNaughton, Lingsheng Li, and Frank OstaseskiGeriPal [podcast]; 10/3/24In this episode, we [Alex Smith and Eric Widera] share the joy of talking with Wendy MacNaughton (artist, author, graphic journalist) and Frank Ostaseski (Buddhist teacher, author, founder of the Metta Institute and Zen Hospice Project) about using drawings and images as tools for creating human connections and processing death and dying.

Clinical capacity palliative care leaders’ top concern for 2025Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 10/2/24Balancing rising demand with recruitment and retention tops the list of palliative care providers’ concerns heading into next year. Nearly 800 palliative care program leaders and interdisciplinary team members from across the country recently weighed in on a survey from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). Respondents included both adult and pediatric palliative care providers who provided feedback on their 2025 outlook in the organization’s first iteration of its annual Palliative Pulse survey. [Survey results included:]

CMS to Provide Hurricane Helene Public Health Emergency Accelerated and Advance Payments to Medicare Fee-for-Services Providers and SuppliersCMS press release; 10/2/24The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking action to support providers and suppliers impacted by Hurricane Helene within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster zones, under the President’s major disaster declarations. These providers and suppliers may face significant cash flow issues from the unusual circumstances impacting facilities’ operations, preventing facilities from submitting claims and receiving Medicare claims payments. As a result of the presidential disaster declaration, and HHS public health emergencies declared in the wake of Hurricane Helene, CMS made available accelerated payments to Medicare Part A providers and advance payments to Medicare Part B suppliers affected by Hurricane Helene beginning October 2, 2024.

Asian-American communities face ‘digital divide’ in health equity, hospice care Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 10/1/24 Recent research has dug into the barriers limiting greater telehealth utilization among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. The data come at a time when hospices are striving to better understand how to improve those groups’ end-of-life trajectories. Technology utilization has gained momentum in health care, including in hospice care delivery. Though increased virtual health care access can help hospice providers reach patients upstream, the trend may be worsening disparities and outcomes among Asian American populations, according to Victoria Tsze, an outpatient hospice social worker at Tucson Medical Center (TMC) Hospice. 

Hurricane Helene Disaster Relief Fund for home care & hospice employees in the CarolinasAssociation for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina (AHHC of NC); by Judy Penn, Executive Director; 10/3/24 Click here to DONATE. Click here to APPLY for Assistance. urricane Helene has severely impacted our community, with many lives already lost in the Carolinas, and countless missing with no means of communication.  The Carolinas Foundation for Hospice & Home Care is accepting donations to distribute directly to hospice and home care employees devastated by this storm. Agencies are facing tremendous challenges, including displacement and/or evacuation of staff and patients, collapsed roads, failing infrastructure, lack of water, and the inability to communicate with downed lines. There is a major need for gas to continue to power generators for oxygen dependent patients both in home settings and hospice inpatient facilities. The Association staff has been in contact with government agencies to us keep up-to-date on the situation as it unfolds. Our industry is comprised of caring, compassionate individuals who help those in need. Please consider donating to the Hurricane Helene Relief Fund to help home care and hospice employees hit the hardest. ... 100% of ALL ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS are being borne by the Association and the Foundation. 100% of your donation (tax-deductible) comes in, and 100% of your donation goes out.

Doctor explains hospice care misconceptions[NBC Denver] 9News; 9/25/24Dr. Payal Kohli explains what hospice care is, what they do at the care facility and explains the misconceptions around hospice.Publisher's note: Nice 5-minute TV interview about hospice.

Utah husband DeWayne McCulla admits to trying to kill his wife in front of her family to ‘ease her suffering’ in hospiceNew York Post; by Richard Pollina; 10/2/24A Utah man admitted that he tried to kill his terminally ill wife in hospice care in front of her family to “ease her suffering” during his battle with cancer. DeWayne McCulla, 46, pleaded guilty to attempted manslaughter on Thursday after he accepted a deal from prosecutors for choking his wife, Arenda McCulla, 47, according to court documents.

Hurricane Helene havoc: Major damage, evacuations, uncertainty at nursing homesMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by John Roszkowski; 10/1/24Many nursing homes and senior living communities in Florida and North Carolina are reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which resulted in forced evacuations of residents, major property damage, power outages and other issues. The hurricane was being blamed for at least 132 deaths in six Southeastern states and federal officials said at least 600 people were still unaccounted for as of Monday evening. Many people lacked power and cellular service, making the job of accurately assessing personal and property damage all the more difficult.

Breast cancer rising among younger women and Asian Americans, report findsNBC News; by Kaitlin Sullivan; 10/1/24Even as death rates from breast cancer have fallen, rates of new diagnoses continue to tick upwards, according to an American Cancer Society report. Americans have benefited from huge leaps in breast cancer treatment over the last two decades, but diagnoses are becoming more common, especially among younger women, according to a report published Tuesday by the American Cancer Society. The new report shows that breast cancer mortality has decreased by 44% since the late 1980s. Rates of breast cancer, however, have increased by 1% every year since 2012. In younger women, rates have increased at a faster clip — by about 1.4% every year since 2021.

Governor vetoes private equity bill that would have affected healthcare transactionsMcKnight's Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 10/1/24California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Saturday vetoed a bill that would have required private equity firms and hedge fund organizations in the state to provide advance notice to the state’s attorney general of acquisitions or changes in control. The bill would have given the attorney general authority to grant, deny or impose conditions on a proposed transaction, after determining the likelihood of anticompetitive effects, “including a substantial risk of lessening competition or of tending to create a monopoly, or may create a significant effect on the access or availability of healthcare services to the affected community.” The governor’s veto “was a surprise to many in the healthcare industry,” Arent Fox Schiff attorneys wrote for the National Law Review.