Literature Review

She’s A Hospice Social Worker Sharing Why You Shouldn’t Immediately Tell The Bank When A Loved One Passes AwayChipChick, by Emily Chan; 12/26/23Amy Devine (@yourhospicesocialworker) is a hospice social worker, and she’s on TikTok explaining why you should not immediately notify the bank when a loved one dies. After the loss of a loved one, you should take the time to grieve. The following few weeks will be filled with plenty of preparations.

Steven Garner - What he learned about quilting in prisonQuiltFolk Magaine, Issue 28, October 2023Louisiana’s notorious Angola prison is the largest maximum security state prison in the country. But it’s also become known for its hospice program and, to a lesser degree, its prison quilters. Steven Garner was incarcerated at Angola for 31 years and now spends most of his free time building on the quilting skills he learned in prison. He moved to Colorado to be near family, and Quiltfolk visited him at his niece’s house, where he does most of his sewing these days. He shared his current projects and his future dreams.Editor Note: While this article appeared several weeks ago, we wanted to include it in our inaugural newsletter. The link is to the public portion of this article; to read the entire article it's worth purchasing a copy of the magazine. Also, Steven's website is now available: https://www.snt31consulting.com/.

People are talking to their dead loved ones—and they can’t stop laughing. It’s a refreshing trend.USA Today; 12/29/23Everyone grieves differently—and if you’ve spent any time on TikTok in recent days, you might have noticed some unexpected, unusual methods. Some people—to the tune of millions of likes—are confessing or sharing stories with their dead loved ones directly on social media.

Mississippi health department says some medical marijuana products are being retested for safetyMississippi Public Broadcasting; 12/28/23The Mississippi State Department of Health said Wednesday that “a large number” of medical marijuana products are on hold so they can be retested. The department first issued the hold on Dec. 21. A news release from the department said the products are being retested “to validate results related to the use of pesticides and presence of mycotoxins,” which are produced by fungi. No illnesses from the products have been reported, the department said.

Hodge PodgeKDLM-AM (Detroit Lakes, MN); 12/28/23Connie DeKrey, grief specialist for Hospice of the Red River Valley, talks about how to move on after a loss, but stressed that everyone deals with loss differently. “New Years has its own set of emotions that are prompted. For instance, families have gathered from a distance, and traveled, and there’s a real anticipation of that. But at some point everyone has to go home again and so that extra support and connection ... it can be a real letdown when everyone has to go back to their own homes. There can be some hesitancy, even dread, about beginning the new year without that loved one. But there might also be a sense of hope or expectancy of something positive.”[Editor’s Note: To listen to the 7-minute interview, click here.]

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.