Literature Review

Why fears about Biden’s marijuana moves are overblownPolitico.com, by Mona Zhang; 1/1/24President Joe Biden’s administration is poised to make the biggest shift in federal drug policy in decades by loosening marijuana restrictions, but the move is sparking blowback from an unlikely constituency: legalization advocates.

Pediatric palliative care: Jaisyn Reese's storyPortage Life, By Center for Hospice Care; 12/22/23Indiana: Jaisyn Reese, a pediatric patient, is another example of how CHC's interdisciplinary team helps patients and their loved ones. 

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.

Solving for X at the end of lifeNext Avenue, by Thomas Kamber, PhD; 12/29/23In interviews with people who were dying, we learned they wanted to mark their final days with meaningful experiences and leave their affairs in order. It's time to reset logistics, last days and legacy.

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.

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.

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.

‘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.