Literature Review

80-year-old 'Mom' cares for homeless men in Philadelphia ABC News 7, New York, NY; by Matteo Iadonisi; 10/30/24 Cecelia Robinson has earned the nickname 'Mom' during her two decades of showing motherly love to homeless residents at St. John's Hospice. Her work in environmental services and housekeeping ranges from taking out the trash to developing relationships with clients and making sure their needs are met. Specifically, she works in the Good Shepherd residence at St. John's Hospice, which cares for men who are considered medically fragile. Robinson has helped men like Craig Freeman, who utilized the Good Shepherd for transitional housing and has since moved into his own apartment. Watch the video [here] to see Robinson's story in action.Editor's note: Do you need inspiration? Click here to view this beautiful story about Cecelia Robinson's care for homeless residents at St. John's Hospice.

Terminally ill Illinois woman meets her idol, Jelly Roll NBC WETM 18, Elmira, IL; by Taylor Harris; 10/27/24 An Illinois woman battling terminal cancer fulfilled the dream of a lifetime Wednesday — meeting country music sensation Jelly Roll. Keita Miller, of Granite City, was diagnosed with a terminal illness in February 2022 and given just months to live. She has defined the odds, and now she’s been able to meet her musical hero, country star Jelly Roll. Her favorite Jelly Roll song is “Son Of A Sinner,” and she says his music has been a source of comfort during her illness. But more than just meeting the artist, Miller had one special request. ... The James Bess Foundation, a nonprofit that grants dreams to adults from 21 to 65 years old who are battling terminal illness, is making this dream come true.

Family caregiver experience at heart of new project McKnights Home Care; by Foster Stubbs; 10/27/24 In healthcare, the needs of the patient are paramount. But for every patient there is at least one caregiver with needs of their own. Former first lady of the United States Rosalynn Carter understood this and established The Rosalynn Carter Insitute for Caregivers (RCI) to serve this underserved population. ... More than 40 years later, RCI continues Carter’s mission through its newest caregiver support resource. Using over two decades of research on caregiving combined with feedback from actual caregivers, RCI composed a series of 10 different Caregiver Profiles that reflect the unique and diverse experiences of family caregivers. These profiles revolve around the following:

Nonprofit organizes free home cleanings for cancer patients The Dallas Express, Dallas, TX; by Patti Villegas; 10/27/24 When facing a serious illness, even simple tasks can become overwhelming. However, one nonprofit organization is stepping in to help alleviate some of that burden for individuals with cancer. Cleaning for a Reason, founded in 2006, has facilitated free home cleaning services for more than 57,133 cancer patients in the U.S. and Canada, providing services valued at a total of more than $19 million. The non-profit organization partners with residential cleaning companies and community volunteers to “clean the homes of cancer patients to provide hope, relief, control, and cleanliness,” the group’s website states. The volunteers’ work not only enhances the patients’ physical environment but uplifts their spirits as well.

The usage of family audiobooks as a legacy for grieving children — an exploratory quantitative analysis among terminally ill parents and close persons Springer Nature Link - Open Access; by Gülay Ate, Michaela Hesse and Henning Cuhls; 10/25/24Since 2017, terminally ill parents with dependent children under the age of 18 have been able to record an audiobook for their dependent children. This service allows them to narrate how they would like to be remembered in their voice. The family audiobook is a professionally supported, voluntary, free service that is unique in Germany. ... Conclusions: The family audiobook provides a valuable opportunity for terminally ill parents with dependent children under the age of 18 to tell their own biographical story, offer support to the bereaved in remembering, and preserve the voice of the deceased for the children. In addition, this approach could help healthcare professionals to reduce the stress associated with providing end-of-life care for terminally ill parents. Editor's note: While this service and this evaluation are located in Germany, it can be replicated easily with today's user-friendly technologies. First and foremost are patient empowerment, privacy, and ownership of these most personal messages. Examine using your spiritual care, social work, and/or grief counselors to facilitate this project.

‘Let patients lead the way’: Hospice veterans’ advice for new nurses Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/25/24 ... A key barrier to building [the hospice and palliative care] workforce is that, with some exceptions, most clinicians receive little to no exposure to those types of care during their training. Nurses who are new to the hospice space often face a learning curve, according to Briana Hilmer, an Iowa-based admissions nurse for St. Croix Hospice.

What is narrative medicine? Finding humanity in health care Rheumatology Advisor; by Matthew Eck, MS; 10/25/24 Health care requires humanity. At its roots, narrative medicine embodies this ideology. Coined in 2000 by internist and scholar Rita Charon, MD, PhD, the field is “medicine practiced with the narrative competence to recognize, interpret, and be moved to action by the predicament of others.” ... Narrative medicine is less a specific practice and more a theoretical framework that equips caregivers and health care professionals with tools to provide more holistic care. These tools stem from storytelling principles and literature, which can hone our empathic and listening skills. ... Medical schools across the country are increasingly tailoring their curricula to include humanities-focused aspects, ... Conclusion: Regardless of one’s feelings about health care infrastructure in the United States, narrative medicine illuminates a profound truth — more can be done to accommodate patients of different backgrounds. Narrative medicine can offer health care providers a new way of thinking, attending, and recognizing. It could bring us closer to the human condition than ever before.

The ever-rising importance of hospital chaplains RNS; by Robert L. Klitzman; 10/24/24 Frequently, chaplains are the only hospital staff member who has time to sit and speak with patients and families. ... “My religion is watching CNN,” a feisty elderly woman with cancer recently told a hospital chaplain who had knocked on the patient’s door to introduce himself. ...  [After initial resistance, they] developed a rapport, and she described her deep loneliness and terror of dying. At the end of their conversation, she felt better, grasped the chaplain’s hand firmly and said, “Thank you!” ... In recent decades, the proportion of Americans who are “religiously unaffiliated” has risen sixfold, and the percentage of “Christian” individuals has dropped about a third. Partly as a result, chaplains have, at the same time, increasingly gained training in interfaith and nondenominational approaches, and frequently see their profession as “post-religious” — extending beyond the boundaries of any one particular faith; taking nondenominational, multifaith and humanistic approaches; and commonly receiving training in counseling. With these skills they aid patients, from evangelical to agnostic, atheist and “nothing in particular,” in resetting priorities and finding sources of connection, meaning, purpose and hope. Strongly committed to aiding vulnerable and underserved populations, chaplains remind doctors to uphold the dignity of every patient.

Farmer in hospice takes one last trip to the farm Sanford Health; by Mick Garry; 10/23/24 Marvin Miller grew up on a farm near Parker, South Dakota, and then farmed the land himself after his mother and father retired. ... He is being cared for at Sanford Health’s Ava’s House, an acute-level, inpatient hospice facility in Sioux Falls, that provides 24-hour nursing care to patients. When Marvin was asked if he had anything he wanted to see or to do before his health would not permit it, he admitted ... that he would like to see the farm and crops and get another chance to take a tour of Parker, a town of about 1,200, a half-hour southwest of Sioux Falls. ... The staff at Ava’s House quickly began finding a way to make it happen. With financial assistance from the Sanford Health Foundation, they were able to rent a wheelchair van that the Millers could use to make the trip. ... The Millers are grateful the Ava’s House staff made the effort to help Marvin at a difficult time. Just as farming goes outside the scope of a normal job, so does caring for people at Ava’s House. “We’re very appreciative of the staff at Ava’s House,” Paula said. “They’re wonderful people. They set it up and organized the whole trip for us. We got to share a day at the farm with our kids.”

Safety first: How to ward off health care facility violence SmartBrief; by Julia M. Johnson; 10/23/24Panelists on an American Hospital Association webinar highlight ways in which hospitals and practices can protect their patients and themselves. ... The American Hospital Association recently hosted a webinar about what hospitals and practices need to know to protect themselves, staff members and patients. “Understanding Origins of Violence in Health Care Facilities” featured Jason Grellner of Evolv Technology and Drew Neckar of Cosecure. Both panelists spoke candidly about technology, terminology and steps that can be taken to dial down the danger at health care facilities.  

Palliative care pharmacist discusses how building relationships with patients leads to rewarding career Drug Topics - Voice of the Pharmacist; by Killian Meara; 10/22/24 A discussion with Madison Irwin, PharmD, BCPS, clinical pharmacist specialist in palliative care at University of Michigan Health and clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. ... Irwin currently works as a clinical pharmacist specialist in palliative care in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She supports a palliative care consult team and outpatient palliative care clinics by seeing patients who are transitioning out of the hospital or patients who have more complex medication management needs. Although there are plenty of challenges that she faces in her practice, Irwin said that really getting to know patients through her work is extremely rewarding. ... In a conversation with Drug Topics, Irwin discussed how her career has unfolded, a program that she worked on that exemplifies the value of pharmacists in patient care, opportunities out there for pharmacists to expand their role, and how high rates of chronic pain will impact the pharmacy profession in the coming years.

Research synthesis related to oncology family caregiver spirituality in palliative care Journal of Palliative Medicine; by Betty R. Ferrell, Tami Borneman, Marianna Koczywas, and Paul Galchutt;  10/21/24 online ahead of print Family caregivers are central to the delivery of serious illness care and also have needs related to their role and experience. One aspect of the family caregiver quality of life (QOL) that has received less attention is caregiver spirituality. The research objectives for this analysis were (1) Describe spirituality in oncology family caregivers. (2) Determine the impact of palliative care interventions on spirituality and related variables in oncology family caregivers. (3) Describe findings from the research literature related to spirituality in family caregivers. The authors include two nurse researchers (BF, TB) and a physician (MK) who conducted these studies and a board-certified chaplain (PG) who contributed his expertise in chaplaincy.  ... The authors' research synthesis and the literature support the importance of additional research and clinical focus in family caregiver spirituality in serious illness care. 

A simple question changed how I saw my daughter’s life Newsweek Life; by Nikki Moberly; 10/20/24 When my daughter was born almost 24 years ago, not only did I begin my journey as a first-time parent, I embarked on an odyssey that nobody could have prepared me for. This little girl with the face and disposition of an angel was born with a devastating condition, diagnosed at two-and-a-half months old with Aicardi Syndrome. ...  The first years of her life were laser-focused on learning more about her rare condition, symptom stabilization, medication adjustments, therapists, and doctor's appointments. Erin was eligible for early intervention services allowing her to go to school at age three. ... For one of those interviews, the social worker came to my home for us to complete Erin's "student profile" card. I was about to learn the power of a well-placed question. She started by simply asking: "What are Erin's strengths?" ... [Click on the title's link to continue this mother's journey through her daughter's life and death.]