Literature Review

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.

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.

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.

We’re Thinking About Pain All WrongNew York Times, By Maia Szalavitz. Opinion Writer, 12/24/23For many years I’ve written about people suffering intractable pain, and how their agony and increased risk of suicide and death has been ignored in the rush to end the overdose crisis. ... Between five million and eight million Americans currently rely on opioids to treat chronic pain, and thousands need them for end-of-life pain at any given time. Despite their risks, opioids remain the best available pain treatment for many patients—and there is little evidence that addictions are prevented or treated by denying them to those who have already used them safely for years. Concerns about the harms associated with indiscriminate cutbacks have been raised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and major medical organizations. Nevertheless, doctors continue to abandon these patients while the overdose crisis worsens.

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.

Award-winning ‘Music With Movement’ program arms caregivers with tuneful tool to treat dementiaMcKnights Senior Living, By Aaron Dorman, 12/19/23One recent music and movement intervention program designed for seniors combines a number of different technologies, including augmented reality, to help them combat depression and anxiety from their condition, researchers say. Music, and music therapy, have been recognized as a way to help enrich life for senior living community residents.

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. 

San Diego County’s first class of physician assistants graduates, seen as key to easing staffing shortagesSan Diego Union-TribuneDecember 18, 2023... Point Loma Nazarene University minted its first 28 physician assistants Friday, injecting a fresh set of trained troops into an ongoing battle to keep up with the increased demands for health care caused by an aging population and an exodus of burnt-out medical providers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first graduating class of the university’s new physician assistant program and the first crop of locally trained PAs for any institution in San Diego County. 

Christmas tree dedicated to those who died in hospice care in 2023 stolen in EllensburgSource One (Columbia River Basin, WA)December 18, 2023Ellensburg, WA—In an unfortunate turn of events, a treasured Christmas tree, integral to a local hospice care volunteer group’s annual remembrance event, was reported stolen this past weekend. Hearts & Hands of Kittitas County, formerly known as Hospice Friends, has been a beacon of compassion and support in Ellensburg, dedicating their time to assist those in hospice care. The stolen tree, a centerpiece for their “Tree of Love” event, was intended to honor individuals served by the organization who passed away in 2023. This significant event, originally scheduled for January 25, 2024, not only serves as a memorial but also plays a crucial role in fundraising efforts for the group.