Literature Review

Fallen nurses are honored by ‘guards’ in white uniforms, capes and caps Radio Iowa; by Radio Iowa Contributor; 7/17/24 A hospital in southwestern Iowa is joining a national volunteer organization that pays tribute to nurses who have died or who are in hospice care. Registered nurse Sara Beth Jones spearheaded the effort to launch a local chapter of the Nurses Honor Guard at Cass Health in Atlantic. Jones says part of their uniform is to wear a cape that’s black on one side and red on the other, much like those worn by nurses who tended to soldiers in the 1800s. ... The Nurses Honor Guard is a comprised of current and former nurses. In addition to the funerals of nurses, they attend parades, honor walks and living tributes. Besides the cape, Jones says Honor Guard participants don the traditional white uniform and cap. 

Hospice patient takes 'one last ride' as hospice wish NBC WREX TV-13, Rockford, IL; by Derek Bayne; 7/16/24 Michael Rickert is ready to ride. "Let's hit the pavement," he said. As Rickert gets in the sidecar of Tom Dean's motorcycle, supporters can't help but get emotional. As the engine revs, Rickert, who is in hospice care, remembers why he started riding motorcycles 25 years ago. "It's like my adrenaline is so up," Rickert said. He asked for one last ride, with the Northern Illinois Hospice Foundation setting up this special moment. ... And getting his wish granted means a lot, especially going out to ride on a beautiful day. "If I wouldn't have made it two more days or a day, at least I could say one thing," Rickert said. "I got my wish." 

Married 'soulmates' spent final days side by side BBC News, United Kingdom; by Isaac Ashe; 7/13/24 Two married "soulmates" who died from terminal cancer within days of each other were able to spend their last moments together side by side. Chris and Lynne Johnson, from Bolsover in Derbyshire, had been married for 52 years before both were diagnosed with cancer and eventually moved to Ashgate Hospice in February. The hospice arranged for the pair's beds to be placed in the same room, allowing them to hold hands in Mrs Johnson's final moments. Eight days later, Mr Johnson then died with his brother Alwyn and the couple's pet dog Tess by his side. ... Their daughter, Julie Whittaker, has decided to now share the story and is now calling on the government to review funding so more people can access end-of-life services. "Not only do all people deserve the end-of-life care that my parents received, but when patients are in a hospice instead of a hospital, it takes the strain off the NHS [National Health Services, UK]."

[Global Partners in Care] 25 Years of Compassion and Impact eHospice; 7/9/24 In 2024, Global Partners in Care (GPIC) celebrates its 25th anniversary. Over the past 25 years, GPIC has been dedicated to enhancing access to compassionate care for individuals and families across the globe who face serious illness, death and grief. This silver anniversary is a significant milestone in the history of the organization. Not only does it provide an occasion to reflect on the impact the organization has made, but it also provides an opportunity to consider numerous future possibilities. 

Hospice patient's wish fulfilled with playing the blues, family, and his favorite pizza ABC 13 On Your Side YouTube, Grand Rapids Township, MI; by Jeremiah Brown; 7/5/24 Coming from a family of musicians, Peter's family believes music has helped save him, as they gathered from throughout the country to listen to his blues. In the audience were his five older siblings, and other family members who had come from throughout the country for "Peterpalooza." "He would play his harmonica, and we would just jam together," said Peter's music therapist Miranda Eden from Emmanuel Hospice which organized the event. "He talked about how musical his family is, and how much he enjoyed spending time with his family, and he also mentioned how much he loves pizza from Lou Malnati's  in Chicago, so I thought, well, we need to make this happen."

'I'm as happy as I've been in my life,' says aid worker Simon Boas as he faces deathBBC News; 7/4/24 In September 2023, Simon Boas was diagnosed with throat cancer. Aged just 46, he was told the disease was terminal, and that it would ultimately take his life. Over the following year, he knitted together his reflections on life into a book - A Beginner's Guide to Dying. The book is set to hit the shelves in October. It will be a posthumous publication. In what he expects to be one of his final interviews, Simon spoke to Emma Barnett on the Today Programme, offering his reflections on life and death as he moved into hospice care. "My pain is under control and I'm terribly happy - it sounds weird to say, but I'm as happy as I've ever been in my life.I used to think I'd rather be hit by the proverbial bus, but having a couple of months knowing this is coming has really helped me both do the boring 'death-min', but also get my thoughts and prepare myself, and feel so accepting of what's to come.It's been such a great bonus, actually. The book is called A Beginner's Guide to Dying, but really what I'm trying to convey is how enjoying life to the full kind of prepares you for this. ... I spent my life as an aid worker - quite a lot with the UN - and I've lived in places where death is something that not just exists in the background, but is imminently possible."Editor's Note: Click on the title's link to continue reading this inspirational story. Simon's book--to be published posthumously--is available for pre-orders on Amazon.com in Audible formats with Simon as the narrator.

Harn Art Museum encourages woman with Alzheimer’s to move again ABC TV WCJB-20; Gainesville, FL; by Kayla Lewis; 6/28/24 Pat Mclaurin’s Alzheimer’s has progressed since her daughter, Diana Dodds took her on a bucket list trip in 2022. ... “So my mom would never use a walker or a cane. She would be more likely to try to hit me with it then use it, so she’s fiercely independent, yet she knows right now she cannot really walk without falling,” Dodds shared. “She’s always grabbing for walls just in the house.” ... Pat used to walk 3-5 miles a day, but in January slowed down. They decided to test out their own walker on a trip to the Harn Museum of Art in Gainesville, but her mom didn’t like it. However, the museum offers walkers and Pat loved them. Diana tells her it’s like a shopping cart. “Four wheels, it has higher bars, it had brakes on it. It felt more like a shopping cart because of the seat,” Dodds shared. Diana described the walker they gave her mother to Haven Hospice officials who then brought her mom a walker just like it a couple days later. “It’s inspiring because I’ve seen her push through every step trying to keep moving, and I want her to be able to keep moving,” said Dodds. 

Navy veteran in hospice care in Stark County made a final birthday wish. It came true. The Repository, Massillon, OH; by Steven M. Grazier; 6/26/24 Robert "Bob" Patterson's final birthday wish came true on Tuesday. He said he wanted it loud, festive and full of life. It appeared to be all that and more. The U.S. Navy veteran has been a Harley-Davidson buff and avid motorcycle rider for 62 years. He's called Rose Lane Nursing & Rehabilitation Center home the past couple of months and is in hospice care. Friday is Patterson's 85th birthday, but his last biker bash was celebrated Tuesday with hundreds of folks, which included family, friends, Rose Lane workers and fellow residents.  He was amped for the festivity. "I'm excited — really pumped up!" Patterson said moments before about 190 motorcycles rolled into Rose Lane.

From nurse to CEO: 2 executives reflect on their paths to the top Becker's Hospital Review - Leadership & Management; by Erica Carbajal; 6/25/24 Throughout their careers, Laureen Driscoll, MSN, RN, and Kathy Tussey, DNP, RN, remained open to change and said yes more often than no, even to opportunities about which they were skeptical or knew would be a challenge. Today, Ms. Driscoll is chief executive of Providence's South Division, which spans 17 hospitals in Northern and Southern California, and Dr. Tussey is CEO of Harrison Memorial Hospital in Cynthiana, Ky. Neither envisioned pursuing a path to the top role when they began their healthcare careers as bedside nurses. ... Hospital and health system CEOs with a background in nursing appear to be few and far between, though the true proportion of nurse CEOs in healthcare is unclear due to a lack of data. Becker's recently caught up with Ms. Driscoll and Dr. Tussey to learn more about their career trajectories and their top pieces of advice for other nurses eyeing a path to the helm. 

From C-suite to scrubs, CEO takes a walk in employees' shoes Becker's Hospital Review - Leadership & Management; by Madeline Ashley; 6/20/24 Todd Forkel, CEO of Altru Health System in Grand Forks, N.D., quite literally knows what it's like to walk in his colleagues shoes, and it's all because of a program called "Shadow Me, Todd." Mr. Forkel has been CEO of Altru for more than two years, but has been in healthcare for 32 years with 13 years of CEO experience. A nonprofit health system, Altru comprises around 3,400 employees, including more than 300 providers across 65 care specialties. ... In the program, Mr. Forkel will shadow a different colleague two to four times a month, typically in the morning or afternoon. 

Boy, 7, takes on 145-mile challenge for hospice BBC News, Peterborough, United Kingdom; by Shariqua Ahmed; 6/15/24 A seven-year-old boy has taken on a mythical-themed challenge to raise funds for a hospice. Isaac Yates from King's Cliffe in Northamptonshire is scooting, walking and cycling 145 miles (233km) through a Lord of the Rings Virtual Conqueror Challenge for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough [United Kingdom]. His mum, Zoë Hopkinson, works as a physiotherapist at the hospice which inspired Isaac's mission as he wants to “help people who are suffering and dying.” 

Man living with ALS for the last 24 years knocks off an item on his bucket list: Skydiving CBS KCTV 5, Waldron, Missouri; by Joe Hennessy; 6/14/24 One of the longest-living people with ALS, 66-year-old Mark Johnson, achieved his dream of skydiving ... His passion for the skies started at a young age with his dad being an airline pilot. ... “I used to fly airplanes when I was a kid, I always wanted to jump out of one,” he said. “Being up there, being able to see everything. All of God’s creation out there.” Johnson is one of the longest survivors of ALS, living with the disease now for almost 25 years, getting assistance from the team at Shirkey Hospice in Richmond, Missouri. He’s traveled to Washington D.C. to raise awareness and pass bills to help those impacted too. ...  How did we get here ...? He was asked by the hospice care workers a while back what is one thing he wants to do and he said skydiving so they managed to find a place that would allow for that dream to come true. 

Surprise D-Day veteran honored on anniversaryDaily Independent; by Lin Sue Flood; 6/6/24At the tender age of 18, Surprise [AZ] resident Ned Kent joined the Army. That was January 1940 — just four months into World War II — and he served faithfully through July 1945, virtually the end of the war. A hard worker, Kent rose to the rank of technical sergeant and fought on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. He and his troop won a Bronze Star for their heroic actions storming Normandy while under German bombardment on D-Day 80 years ago. ... But those five years of service were difficult to talk about. It took Kent decades to open up about what he experienced, including the horrors witnessed while liberating a concentration camp. One of the people he shared openly with was Hospice of the Valley social worker Roberta Fellows. Once she learned about his time in the service, she was determined to give him some much-needed recognition for all he endured. She called upon a veteran volunteer with Hospice of the Valley’s Saluting Our Veteran’s program. ... The humble centenarian was beside himself, surrounded by son-in-law Sam, a Vietnam-era veteran, and Debi, who brought a surprise gift: 11 of his medals framed in a shadow box.