Literature Review

Muslim American Heritage Month Celebration U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC; Denis McDonough; 1/8/25 Dr. Salaam, thank you for your service in the Air Force, and for your service in communities around the country as an Imam and civil rights leader in the years since. Your words, principles, and perspectives are as inspiring as they are important ... [Describing VA Chaplain Omer Yigiter:] He became a VA chaplain at the Northport VA Medical Center, the only Muslim chaplain serving all of VISN-2 and one of only four Muslim VA chaplains across the country. ... We must learn and re-tell stories like those shared today—to ensure the experiences of Muslim American Veterans are acknowledged and honored. Truthful storytelling is also about authentic representation, about ensuring all Veteran voices and perspectives are heard and welcomed. So to our Muslim Veterans and colleagues, your unique perspectives make VA stronger. 

End-of-life care can be more aggressive for cancer patients with defibrillators Medical Xpress; by UT Southwestern Medical Center; 1/8/25 Patients with advanced cancer who also had cardiac defibrillators were more likely than those without these implants to receive aggressive end-of-life care, a team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found in a new study. The findings, published in Cancer, could help physicians guide patients in this growing population toward care that better matches their goals. ... The findings showed that about 6% of patients with advanced cancer also had [implantable cardioverter defibrillators] ICDs. However, significantly more of the ICD patients received aggressive care during the last month of their lives compared to those without these devices.

The idea of a good daughterHealth Affairs; by Jennifer Beard; 12/24A public health professor and her mother failed to receive long-term care support from the health care system when they needed it most.

Daughter arrested for neglect after elderly mother found stuck to mattress The Augusta Press; by Greg Rickabaugh; 1/6/25 An elderly woman from Augusta was found in a state of severe neglect last week, prompting her daughter’s arrest. The 82-year-old was discovered incoherent and physically stuck to her mattress during a medical emergency on Dec. 30 at the home they shared on Rollingwood Drive, authorities said. When paramedics arrived at the family’s home, they found the woman non-responsive, with her skin literally adhered to the mattress due to untreated bedsores. She was rushed to Wellstar MCG Health, where she was stabilized. Authorities later arrested 54-year-old Tyrossale Peak, the woman’s daughter, charging her with neglect of a disabled or elderly adult. ... Investigators revealed that Peak had discontinued hospice care for her mother in June but failed to provide adequate care or maintain a safe living environment. 

Memorial Health Systems puts visitor restrictions in place due to respiratory illness surge The Marietta Times, Marietta, OH; 12/31/24 Visitor restrictions have been put in place at all Memorial Health Systems facilities because of a surge in patients with respiratory illnesses, the the health care system announced Tuesday [12/24/24]. The restrictions are two visitors per patient, visitors must be 18 or older and show no signs of illness and all minors must be accompanied by an adult, Memorial Health said. Exceptions may be permitted for:

Preliminary research suggests that grief after the death of a public figure looks very similar to grief over our personal relationships and can have comparable levels of intensity News Wise; by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center; 12/29/24 Many people are surprised by the intensity of their response when a well-known person dies, and their feelings of sadness may last longer than they expect. In fact, that sadness and grief can be intense, and preliminary research suggests that grief after the death of a public figure looks very similar to grief over our personal relationships and can have comparable levels of intensity. Wendy Lichtenthal, Ph.D., a bereavement science researcher and founding director of the Center for the Advancement of Bereavement Care at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, is available to discuss “parasocial grief” – that which occurs when a celebrity, political figure or other highly recognized person dies.

[Cure] Top palliative care stories from 2024 Cure; by Alex Biese; 12/28/24 This year, CURE® worked to provide education and insight that underscored the importance of palliative care in cancer treatment. Early integration of palliative care, whether through in-person visits, telehealth or ongoing emotional support, can make a significant difference in a patient's quality of life. Here are some of the top articles on the topic of palliative care from 2024.

Children’s Hospital New Orleans dedicates new ‘Bella’s Room’ ComfortCare Suite NewOrleans.com, New Orleans, LA; by Site Staff; 12/26/24 Children’s Hospital New Orleans recently celebrated the opening of “Bella’s Room,” a ComfortCareSM suite designed to serve as a sanctuary for children in need of end-of-life care and their families. ... “With the generous support of the Bella Bowman Foundation, honoring Bella’s lasting legacy, Bella’s Room will transform the way children and families across Louisiana and the Gulf South experience serious illness and end of life care,” said Lindsey Casey, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing officer for Children’s Hospital, said in a release. “This beautiful space will help our team provide family-centered end of life care, while offering a comfortable and serene home-like setting for the entire family to be a part of the care experience.” 

What does a hospital chaplain do for patients seeking health care in Connecticut? Shelton Herald; by Jordan Nathaniel Fenster; 12/29/24 Rev. ReBecca Sala described her work as “archaeology of the soul.” Her first masters’ degree, long before she became a hospital chaplain, was in museum administration of archeological collections. She doesn’t see the two roles as very different.  “I've been a searcher my whole life,” she said. In the same way that an archaeologist gently brushes away the silt and stone of centuries, Sala said she attempts to gently allow emotions and spirituality to emerge from patients and their families receiving care at Stamford Hospital.  ... “That people even allow me to be there with them is humbling.” ... “It's meeting the patient where they are, not where I want them to be, what we as chaplains want them to be. It's finding out what's most important to them in that moment,” she said. .. Sala said if there was a bridge between the physical and the spiritual, it would be palliative care. The goal of palliative medicine is to improve the quality of a patient’s life physically, emotionally and spiritually. 

Meet the Santas helping Pa. families with sick children weather holidays in hospitals PennLive.com; by Sarah Boden; 12/24/24 Katelyn Pownall wasn’t sure her 3-year-old son would ever meet Santa Claus. Nash was born with Menkes disease, a rare genetic disorder that disrupts the body’s ability to absorb and distribute copper. This causes severe damage to the nervous system, as well as connective tissue abnormalities in the skin, joints, and bones.  Menkes is terminal, and since May, Nash has lived at the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh, Pownall told Spotlight PA. The hospital provides specialized pediatric care to medically fragile children. “We just count our moments, not our days,” Pownall said. Earlier this month, Pownall and Nash relished a magical moment: They met both Santa and Mrs. Claus at the hospital. ...

Muslim community-engaged research highlights Muslim Americans' end-of-life-healthcare gaps and needs WisconsinMuslimJournal.org; by Sandra Whitehead; 12/20/24 Few Muslim Americans use hospice care, despite its posited benefits. A multi-sectoral team of academicians and community leaders in southeastern Wisconsin decided to find out why. ... Muslims are one of the fastest-growing religious communities in the United States, numbering between 3 to 5 million, with projections it will double by 2050. “With an aging Muslim population, there is a growing need for specialized healthcare services like hospice and palliative care,” the team’s research explains. ... Through a qualitative descriptive study with a Muslim patient and 10 family caregivers, the research team identified their perceptions of hospice care, ethical concerns and experiences. Among their varied perceptions, many saw it as useful only in the last hours of life. Participants also had ethical concerns about the use of sedative medication and with cessation of feeding terminally ill patients. Some had concerns about how hospice care might lead to unnecessary interventions or even hasten death. ...  The team is developing an informational resource, Islamic Bioethical Considerations for the End of Life: A Guide for Muslim Americans, to help Muslims who struggle when thinking about death and dying. 

Hospice study reveals contrasting views on managing dementia behaviors McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 12/20/24 A new study finds that healthcare providers and family caregivers often disagree on how best to manage dementia behaviors during end-of-life care. The research, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, involved interviews with 23 hospice clinicians and 20 family caregivers. With dementia affecting 33% of adults over age 85 and now ranking as the primary diagnosis for Medicare hospice services, understanding these differing perspectives about managing dementia behaviors has become increasingly important. The study found that while both groups identified agitation as the most concerning behavioral symptom, they approached it from different angles. Clinicians primarily worried about physical safety risks, while family caregivers were more distressed by personality changes in their loved ones.

Palliative care, mental health services underutilized in pancreatic cancer Healio; by Jennifer Byrne; 12/19/24 Individuals with pancreatic cancer underutilized palliative care and mental health services, according to a retrospective analysis. ... Researchers from Saint Louis University used electronic health record data from Optum’s Integrated Claims-Clinical Data set to identify 4,029 patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer. The investigators then used ICD-9/10 codes to identify subsequent diagnoses of anxiety and depression, as well as palliative care consultations. ... Results showed higher prevalence of anxiety (33.9% vs. 22.8%) and depression (36.2% vs. 23.2%) among patients who had palliative care consultations than those who did not have documented consultations. ... Healio: Did any of your findings surprise you? Divya S. Subramaniam, PhD, MPH: It was unexpected to see that palliative care consultations, despite identifying higher levels of anxiety and depression, did not increase treatment rates for these mental health conditions. This suggests mental health might not yet be a central focus in palliative consultations, which often concentrate on managing physical symptoms.