Literature Review

National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, and American Cancer Society unveil Advanced Cancer Guide to Support Patients & Families Facing Terminal Cancer Cision - PR Newswire, Washington, DC; 11/13/24 Today, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), the national voice for nonprofit serious illness care providers, proudly introduces the Advanced Cancer Care Patient & Caregiver Guide, developed in collaboration with the American Cancer Society. This essential resource is designed to assist individuals living with cancer and their caregivers by providing critical information that enables them to receive care in the comfort of their own homes. ... This comprehensive guide aims to minimize hospital and emergency room visits, easing stress for patients, families, and medical facilities alike. Drawing on the expertise of over 100 serious illness care providers and the American Cancer Society, it delivers practical, reliable support for those navigating cancer care at home. Editor's note: The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) is a sponsor for our newsletter.

A doctor’s life-changing realization about empathy after becoming a patient [podcast] MedPage Today's KevinMD.com; podcast by KevinMD; 11/10/24 Join us for a conversation with Fazlur Rahman, a hematology-oncology physician and author of Our Connected Lives. In this episode, we explore how Fazlur’s journey from physician to patient transformed his understanding of empathy. He reflects on the importance of personal connection in medicine, the impact of a lack of empathy on both doctors and patients, and the need for medical education to include the humanities to foster compassionate care. This episode dives deep into the role empathy plays in improving patient outcomes and doctor-patient relationships. Fazlur Rahman is a hematology-oncology physician and author of Our Connected Lives. He discusses the KevinMD article, “From doctor to patient: a life-changing lesson in empathy.”

Elderly man sat with injuries for days after his mobile home burned and collapsed WCBD Charleston, South Carolina; by Tim Renaud; 11/11/24 An elderly Colleton County man sat injured in his yard for days after his mobile home burned and collapsed. Colleton County Fire Rescue said 9-1-1 received a call reporting the fire and injured man around 10 a.m. Friday. Crews arrived to find the single-wide mobile home had already collapsed with the injured man sitting in his yard. The man told firefighters that the home burned down “one or two days ago,” fire rescue said. He suffered burns to his face and hands and was not able to call for help. “He sat injured in the yard since that time,” the agency said. The man’s hospice nurse stopped by to check on him, and that’s when she discovered the fire. She provided initial aid and called 9-1-1. Emergency crews took the elderly man to the burn center at the Medical University of South Carolina for treatment. His condition is unknown. The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

After Hurricane Helene, the VA in Western NC is making sure that no veteran is left behind  Southern Living; by Abigail Wilt; 11/11/24The agency has contacted 100% of the high-risk veterans they identified before the storm—some visits requiring mile-long hikes up unstable mountainous terrain. As Western North Carolina continues to pick up the pieces on a long road to recovery following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, teams from the local VA are going above and beyond to care for veterans. ... That service extended deep into the mountains. Prior to the storm, the VA identified over 2,600 vulnerable veterans at highest risk, including patients going through chemo treatments and those with spinal cord injuries, mobility issues, and home oxygen needs. When the floodwaters hit, the Emergency Department never closed. Immediately following Helene, the VA began addressing the oxygen needs of 1200 vulnerable veterans, Young shared, and a task force was mobilized to perform wellness checks. But as many roads were washed out and phone and internet service inconsistent, these wellness checks often took the form of compassion on foot. “We contacted 100% of the high-risk veterans, either by phone or in person at their homes,” Young said. “Some visits required mile-long hikes up unstable mountainous terrain to reach veterans, including those determined to stay in their homes."

Signs and symptoms of end-of-life kidney failure Health; by Lindsay Curtis; 11/8/24 Kidney failure, or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), occurs when the kidneys lose their ability to filter waste and excess fluids from the blood. As toxins and fluid build up in the body, other health problems can develop, increasing the risk of life-threatening complications. ...

The dozen phrases doctors warned never say to patients, including ‘everything is going to be fine’ What's New 2Day; by Alexander; 11/8/24 “Everything is going to be okay.” No doubt you or someone you know has heard those words from a doctor, but doctors are now being warned to stop doing so because it could raise false hope. A new report has identified 12 “never phrases” that doctors should never use with patients with serious illnesses, such as heart failure, cancer and lung disease. They explain that these “isolated words or phrases not only lack benefits but can also cause emotional harm and accentuate power differences.” If a patient is seriously ill, for example, a doctor should never mention the words “withdraw care,” as this implies that the medical team is “giving up.” While “everything will be okay” may seem like a comforting phrase, researchers say this could offer false hope when dealing with a serious illness and a better expression might be “I’m here to support you through this whole process.” [Click on the title's link for the dozen phrases they identify, with alternative language and rationale.]

Most heart failure patients miss out on guideline-recommended palliative care Cardiovascular Business; by Dave Fornell; 11/6/24 Over the past decade, the American Heart Association (AHA) and European Society of Cardiology have recommended integrating palliative care into heart failure management. Despite these recommendations, the use of palliative care for heart failure remains low in the United States. Racial and geographic variations in access and use of palliative care are also pronounced, highlighting health disparities. These were the findings of a recent study in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers at Saint Louis University led the study and said only one in eight patients with heart failure in the United States receive palliative care consultations within five years of diagnosis. Their study highlights the alarmingly low uptake of palliative care among adults with heart failure in the U.S., especially compared to patients with cancers that have the same mortality rates. The study also pointed out significant racial and geographic disparities. Black patients were 15% less likely to receive palliative care compared to their white counterparts. They said this disparity is particularly concerning given the higher cardiovascular risk and mortality rates in the Black population.

[Nebraska Department of Correctional Services] NDCS launches hospice care volunteer program News 2 North Platte, NE; 11/4/24 A new program is aiming to bring transformative change to end-of-life care in Nebraska correctional facilities. The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services recently launched a hospice care volunteer program to ensure terminally ill patients are not alone in their final moments. The first cohort of 16 volunteers selected from the Reception and Treatment Center completed 10 weekly trainings, delivered by healthcare professionals. The trainings covered various aspects of hospice care, including communication skills with patients and families, confidentiality, end-of-life care and stress management. In the program, volunteers work with NDCS team members and healthcare providers a few hours each day to addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of incarcerated individuals who have a terminal diagnosis. This will allow them to maintain employment within the facility and participate in programming, NDCS said.

Rabbi Benjamin Shalva brings comfort, music to hospice patients Baltimore Jewish Times; by Ellen Braunstein; 11/6/24 Jewish songs and prayers offer comfort to individuals nearing the end of their lives and their grieving families. That’s just one of the impromptu services offered by Rabbi Benjamin Shalva, a Jewish musician and chaplain at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Baltimore. He oversees the care and support for Jewish patients and families who come into hospice through Gilchrist, a nonprofit provider of serious illness and end-of-life care. He also manages rabbinic services. “We help guide families and patients on how to approach the end of life in a meaningful and Jewish way,” said Shalva, who joined Gilchrist two and a half years ago.  The 48-year-old Pikesville resident said he brings a guitar and the practice of meditation and mindfulness to patients and families. “It really provides a sphere of comfort and healing in a space that might otherwise be very difficult for folks,” Shalva said. 

Fear of falling: Do you have an emergency plan? Harvard Health Letter - Tribune Content Agency; by Heidi Godman; 11/1/24 You’re doing everything you can to avoid a fall, but sometimes tumbles occur despite best efforts: one in four U.S. adults ages 65 and older report falling in any given year. As common as these accidents are, most of us never consider what to do in the event of a fall. How would you get help? Should you contact your doctor or go to a hospital? What would happen after that? If you haven’t already, it’s time to come up with a basic emergency plan, while you’re healthy and can think calmly and clearly.

CNY Inspirations: Caregiving is redemptive Syracuse.com, Syracuse, NY; by InterFaith Works of Central New York; 11/3/24 I will carry him with me for my life as one of the greatest examples of caring that I ever met. I will be obscure on the details, but he cared for his wife, who was completely immobilized, with a degree of fidelity, creativity, and painstaking love that I have rarely seen and could only hope to imitate. He lived what Arthur Kleinman calls in his book of the same title, The Soul of Care. ... He says, “Caregiving, for me, at its deepest was redemptive. It redeemed me…. in caregiving, there is a common tug of war between the sometimes-bitter feelings that care is a burden and the more heartening certainty that no matter how burdensome, it is ultimately rewarding.” ... My friend never expressed that verbally, but I saw it lived as I watched him over the years through periods of anxiety, weariness, anger, hurt, despair, and through it all, intense, personal demanding caregiving. “And so, in the end, the soul of care pivots to care of the soul.” Inauspiciously, my friend took good care of his soul…and certainly helped mine.

We invite you to listen to our latest podcast: Imagine Heaven, with John Burke TCN Talks (Teleios Collaborative Network); podcast by Chris Comeaux; 10/30/24 In this inspiring episode of TCNtalks, Chris Comeaux sits down with John Burke, New York Times bestselling author of Imagine Heaven and Imagine the God of Heaven, for a soul-stirring conversation on near-death experiences (NDEs) and their profound implications. John shares the overwhelming evidence of the commonalities of near-death experiences (NDEs) and the evidence that supports their validity from across the world and from across many different cultures.  Chris begins by recounting his own transformative experience reading Imagine Heaven over his summer sabbatical, describing it as a refreshing oasis for the parched soul. John delves into the fascinating and consistent patterns found in NDEs worldwide, revealing how people from vastly different backgrounds describe similar encounters of leaving their bodies, seeing with a spiritual clarity—even those blind from birth—and entering realms filled with light, love, and peace. 

I'm a palliative care nurse and I look after patients on their deathbeds - these are the top 5 regrets I hear from people in their final days DailyMail.com; by Ellen Coughlan; 10/30/24 When people are faced with their own mortality they experience a variety of emotions and gain perspective on their lives. A palliative care nurse, who works at Old Colony Hospice in Massachusetts, wrote a blog post, which has since resurfaced, revealing the top five regrets people express on their deathbed.  ...