Literature Review

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.

Community Crisis and Grief: Public service video for communities, healthcare orgs, and persons whose "normal" hospice bereavement can be amplified and/or disenfranchised Composing Life Out of Loss; by Joy Berger; originally 5/30/22 in response to Uvalde's shootings, updated 9/29/24 in response to Hurricane/Storm Helene September 29, 2024 – We send support to the many communities, families, and individuals affected by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Helene’s devastation and loss. This public service education video defines different kinds of community crises; different groups of persons impacted with basic roles and tasks before and during a community crisis; community grief; and potential effects of community crisis/grief for persons who are already experiencing the “normal” bereavement of a loved one. Editor's note: Disclosure, I am the author/producer of this video; Composing Life Out of Loss is a sponsor for this newsletter. To immediately share with this free, public service video, click here for the link. To embed this video on your website (and thus eliminate any Composing Life branding), click here and complete this contact form. Be sure to leave a phone number for faster turnaround. 

Carter defies odds with 19-month hospice stay: Former president's experience shines light on program The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; by Shelia Poole; 9/27/24 The Rev. Tony Lowden recently visited former President Jimmy Carter at his Plains home, where he is under hospice care. Carter, who turns 100 on Tuesday, was doing “good, fantastic,” said Lowden, who has been Carter’s personal pastor for seven years. Few would have expected such news about Carter, who has been under home hospice care for roughly 19 months.Only 10% of people on Medicare who died while under hospice care were in the program for 275 days or longer in 2022, according to MedPAC, an independent agency that advises Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program. Carter’s longevity while under hospice care continues to defy the odds, but that doesn’t surprise those who know his grit. ... Facts and Figures About Hospice Care:

Filling trailers, homes & hearts Tracy Area Headlight Herald, Tracy, MN; 9/25/24 The Hospice of Murray County Rummage Sale takes place every fall at the Murray County Fairgrounds in Slayton. But in no other year has the event meant as much to people organizers will never meet. And for one former Tracy resident, it provided a chance to make an even bigger difference than she already does in her hometown of Mankato. Two trailers full of all kinds of furniture — from chairs, tables and couches, to beds and lamps — were driven from the fairgrounds to Mankato on Saturday for an organization called A Fresh Start, a program started during COVID that supports those impacted by the homeless. Editor's note: What a beautiful, thoughtful community partnership.

Improv for Caregivers receives a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts EINPressWire; by A. A. Cristi; 9/23/24 The New London Barn Playhouse received an arts in health grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts to continue and expand their Improv for Caregivers program through a larger umbrella program titled “Improv for a Cause.” “Improv for a Cause” will encompass two communication programs that use a similar process to reach different communities. The first, Improv for Caregivers, in partnership with Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice, is an ongoing communication workshop series for those who care for loved ones with dementia and Alzheimer's. ... Each improv workshop session combines insight from healthcare professionals with improvisational theatre techniques, with a goal of developing new communication skills, strategies to cope with stress, flexibility in relationships, and an understanding of loved ones' changing perspectives. With guidance from the VNA and caregivers in the community, the team of actors prepare short scenarios that portray situations caregivers commonly face, such as sundowning, taking away car keys, collaborating with care staff, and hallucinations. ...

Guidelines for supporting the dying and their families Psychiatric Times; by Ken Druck, PhD; 9/19/24 There are few subjects that most of us, including those who work in mental health, avoid more than death and dying. Meeting the needs of the dying and their families requires a deep and clear understanding of competent and compassionate care for health care professionals and caregivers. Since the death of my 21-year-old daughter several decades ago, I have had the honor and privilege of helping countless individuals, families, and communities that have suffered losses. I have also been given the opportunity to teach and train mental health professionals and developed several programs and guidelines for supporting the dying and their families. My top 7 guidelines to share with patients and their families are as follows:

Gran comforted by cat in final moments at hospice: 'Never leaving her side' Newsweek; by Alice Gibbs; 9/17/24 A woman has shared the heartwarming moment her grandmother's final wish was fulfilled when hospice staff allowed her beloved cat to spend her last day with her. In a video with more than 2 million views on TikTok, Allison Kuhn shared the beautiful way her grandmother Elaine got to spend her final moments with her cat, named Baby. "I'll never stop thinking about how all my grandma wanted during her last month in hospice was her cat," Kuhn said in the video. "The same cat, who during that month started dying and was diagnosed with a 'heartbreak' from being away from grandma. Hospice let the cat stay with my grandma on her last day. The cat didn't leave that bed for 24 hours."

Simon Boas’ ‘inspirational’ book A Beginner’s Guide to Dying is published posthumously Jersey Evening Post; by Rod McLoughlin; 9/13/24 Friends and family of the late Simon Boas gathered ... to celebrate the posthumous publication of his book, A Beginner’s Guide to Dying. The former Jersey Overseas Aid chief executive – who died from throat cancer on 15 July at the age of 47 – spent his last months developing into a book ideas first explored in articles for the Jersey Evening Post. Described by the Daily Mail as “an inspirational paean to the joy of life”, Mr Boas’ words reached a huge audience after they were reprinted in the national press and broadcast on the BBC’s Today programme. A proportion of the proceeds are being donated to the African Palliative Care Association and the International Children’s Palliative Care Network. Mr Boas’ inspiring writings in the face of his terminal diagnosis saw him awarded the Bailiff’s Silver Medal in May. Shortly before his death, he also received a personal letter from the King and Queen ahead of their visit to Jersey.

What is hospice?JAMA Patient Page; by Vanessa Wagner, Adam Marks; 9/11/24Hospice is a specialized model of medical care for people with terminal illness. The goal of hospice is to provide compassionate care to maximize a person’s comfort and quality of life during the natural dying process. Hospice care teams are composed of doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other individuals who work together to address the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of people with a terminal illness and to support their families. This generally includes alleviating symptoms (such as pain, shortness of breath, or anxiety), establishing a comfortable and peaceful environment, and facilitating meaningful time with loved ones.Publisher's note: Written by two physicians and appearing in JAMA, this "hospice introductory piece" might be helpful for new employee orientation or community outreach.

Living your best life means embracing the last years, too UCSF - The University of California - San Francisco; by Suzanne Leigh; 9/9/24 UC San Francisco is working with nonprofits that serve seniors and patients with serious medical conditions to raise awareness about palliative care and advance care planning. The partnerships are the result of a collaboration between the UCSF Division of Palliative Medicine and the San Francisco Palliative Care Work Group (PCWG), which is working to address inequities among communities of color in accessing palliative care and advance care planning.

Photos: Grief and fond memories shared at Reflections on the River Salem Reporter, Salem, OR; by Laura Tesler; 9/6/24 As the sun fell Thursday evening, hundreds of Salemites gathered at Riverfront Park to reflect, grieve and share stories. The annual Reflections on the River event, organized by hospice provider Willamette Vital Health, included 4,600 luminarias to memorialize family and friends who have died. 

Time to say a final goodbye, and thanks [from a journalist entering hospice care] Originally posted in the San Francisco Chronicle; by Kevin Fisher-Paulson ("He wrote this column shortly before he died" on September 5, 2024); 9/7/24 ... you readers came to embrace us. Moms wrote to tell us that their daughters had found new lives across the desert, grandsons had become granddaughters, sons had chosen recovery over the mountains and siblings had chosen forgiveness. If each of us has the courage to change, we all have the courage to hope. Back in May of 2023, I told you that I had been diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer. ... In July, it all caught up. ... At last, on a recent Tuesday, my oncologist called with the results of my spinal tap and bone marrow analysis. The cancer had won the race, suffused throughout my body. It was, he concluded, time for home hospice. A few weeks to go. This, therefore, is my final column. Having said that, I would like to thank the family and friends who have made me the person I am, ... But it is my husband of 40 years and my sons who have made this life so worth living. ... And also you, the readers. We have become friends over the years, sharing a cup of coffee every Wednesday morning. ... I hope I have brought you wonder, and I hope you now bring wonder to others. Teach your grandson to bake chocolate chip cookies. Take your niece to high tea at the Sheraton. I stand on that baseball diamond, and I salute life. My journey is now over, and yours must continue. Years ago, I asked you to believe in my family. And you did. You lit candles. ... I am humbled. I am grateful. And now I tell you that I believe in you. So go out there. And be kind.Editor's note: This must-read article and please-share article will inspire you, with insights into the depth and breadth of dying well.

Patients are everyday heroes The Andalusia Star News, Andalusia, AL; by Vickie C. Waster; 9/2/24 One of my favorite songs is by Mariah Carey. The communication of the chorus speaks to what we in hospice and other areas of healthcare experience every day. This song always invokes empathy in my heart, and I believe many of you can truly resonate with the lyrics, as we share a common experience in our roles in healthcare. ... The heroes we encounter are our patients, families, and their caregivers. They show heroism in their resilience, their ability to find hope in difficult circumstances, and their unwavering support for each other. As hospice professionals, we acknowledge that we are entrusted to provide medical, spiritual, and emotional support to those in our care. We do this with a deep sense of humility and humbleness, always mindful of the respect our heroes deserve.  “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite overwhelming obstacles.” Christopher Reeve