Literature Review

Virtual care works best when patients see their own family doctor, study findsNews Release; 12/27/23Toronto, ON—Compared to patients who had a virtual visit with their own family doctor, those who received virtual care from a doctor outside of their family care team were 66 percent more likely to visit the emergency department within seven days, according to new research. The study, led by researchers at the University Health Network, Unity Health Toronto, and ICES, also showed that patients receiving virtual care outside of an existing family doctor-patient relationship were 25 percent more likely to have an in-person visit and 88 percent more likely to have another virtual visit within seven days.

Cannabis sales on hold in Mississippi over ‘regulatory standards’ gaffeWMC-TV (Memphis, TN)December 25, 2023A large number of medical cannabis products are not being sold in Mississippi for the time being. The Mississippi State Department of Health says the products have been put on an administrative hold “to protect the health and safety of medical cannabis patients.” ... One of the products that was tested failed for eight pesticides, but that was just one of 13 products Steep Hill tested, with all of them containing THC levels 30 to 40 times over the legal limit. MSDH says retesting is being done as quickly as possible.

The dementia crisis is here. Better training can’t wait.EditorialWashington PostDecember 22, 2023... [A] rise in the number of older Americans also means a rise in the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. ... Recent years have brought a substantial increase in people with dementia residing in assisted-living homes. As a Post investigative series has revealed in appalling detail, these centers aren’t always equipped to provide the special care that people with dementia need. To be sure, assisted-living centers were not created as homes for people with dementia or any other serious health problems. ... The Post reporters found many instances in which assisted-living staff members, often overworked and poorly paid, neglected patients, missed giving them their medicines, skipped scheduled bed checks or ignored alarms. 

Connecticut shouldn’t prevent nurse practitioners from operating independentlyBy Anitha D’SouzaCT MirrorDecember 20, 2023I’m passionate about the role of Nurse Practitioners who are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and concerned that they’re not fully able to do all they’re capable of due to state rules. This affects not just health care workers but also us, the patients. Connecticut has some regulations that hold back NPs, even though they’re totally skilled and capable. 

Hospice brings holiday joy to senior center residentsNewburyport (MA) NewsDecember 25, 2023Lorraine Kawiecki’s nursing home room was decorated with tinsel, a shiny elf and a wreath. The 93-year-old received gifts of a stuffed dinosaur comfort toy, a yellow-and-white handmade blanket and—of course, her favorite snack—animal crackers. Santa’s helpers this year, though, looked a little different. Compassus, a North Andover-based hospice organization, paid Kawiecki and others a visit for the holidays, making sure that even the people with family far away or maybe without any at all still have a merry Christmas. ... "Companionship through hospice programs like Compassus are integral to a senior’s Christmas season," [Joe] Peterson [the area executive of clinical operations at Compassus] said. “Volunteers really bring life to our program and to our patients,” he said.

Project welcomes veterans ‘Home for the Holidays’Valdosta (GA) Daily Times, 12/23/23Valdosta, GA—Home Instead, Heart of Hospice, and Chick-fil-A of North Valdosta recently hosted “Welcome Home for the Holidays Veterans.” The event was held at the Winn Dixie entrance located on North Ashley Street. Veterans were recognized for coming home for the holidays as many of them did not receive a warm welcome home from Vietnam. The first 50 veterans who walked out of Winn-Dixie were given a gift bag that included a Chick-fil-A free breakfast sandwich, an American flag and a flag lapel.

‘Memory Makers’ helps grieving children and teens in AugustaWRDW-TV (Augusta, GA), 12/22/23Augusta, GA—A new program is giving kids and teens a better way to handle grief, and it won’t cost you anything. The holidays can bring on heavy emotions, not just for adults who’ve lost a loved one, but for children too. The program is called Memory Makers. It’s held at Affinis Hospice on Walton Way, and it’s for ages 4 to 17. Volunteer Coordinator Jessica Hands says she started Memory Makers because her father died when she was 15. Her goal is to help create a safe space so young people can give their pain a purpose. “This space kind of gives them the opportunity to scream. We scream. We have torn paper up and thrown it to let our anger out. We laugh, we cry. It gives them a space to do all of that without worrying about how it may impact someone else’s emotions,” she said.

Share your story of grief with USA TODAYUSA Today, 12/24/23[USA Today is offering readers the opportunity to share their personal grief experiences by completing a two-page survey.] We know so many people are grieving losses of all kinds: children, parents, pets, jobs, identities. It can help to talk about it—and sometimes writing can be an outlet. We encourage you to share your story with us.

Medical marijuana bill coming back to Wisconsin in January. Here's what else is ahead on pot legalization in 2024.Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12/20/23At the start of this year, it seemed possible that Wisconsin's marijuana laws could change, and the state would join 38 others in offering a medical-use program. That prospect came and went in 2023. But the momentum could pick up again in the new year. In a year-end interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Republicans will reintroduce a medical marijuana bill in January.

State tries to remove ‘veil of arbitration secrecy’ in memory care elder abuse caseMcKnights Senior Living, By Kimberly Bonvissuto, 12/19/23In a bid to remove a “veil of arbitration secrecy,” one state attorney general filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit alleging elder abuse at a memory care facility. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a motion to intervene on Friday in an abuse and neglect lawsuit against Senita Ridge, the memory care community on the campus of Ridges at Peoria in Peoria, AZ. A judge’s Oct. 31 order moved the case to arbitration, but Mayes charged that the secrecy of arbitration removes transparency in an elder abuse case, which violates the state’s Adult Protective Services Act. The act requires notification to the state’s top attorney when a lawsuit alleging elder abuse or neglect is filed, allowing the state to track and potentially join the case.

Hospice of the Chesapeake celebrates highly successful first year with NICHEAnne Arundel (MD) PatchDecember 20, 2023Pasadena, MD—Hospice of the Chesapeake is celebrating the graduation of seven registered nurses and 46 certified nursing assistants in a prestigious training program. It marks a highly successful first year as a member of the Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders, or NICHE, program of New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing. The program helped the not-for-profit hospice organization train nurses to become key leaders in the NICHE Leadership Training Program. 

Tired of the waiting lists for CA public universities, nursing students increasingly turn to expensive private programsPress-Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA)December 18, 2023... Private nursing schools are teaching more students each year, filling in the gaps as California hospitals face increasing staffing shortages and public, four-year universities struggle to grow. According to the California Board of Registered Nursing, in 2021 nearly 64,300 students applied for just 16,600 spots in associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degree nursing programs. About 55% of those spots were at private institutions.