Literature Review

Death anxiety impairs self-esteem, quality of life in older adults with chronic diseaseMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kristen Fischer; 1/4/24No surprise here: A new study that shows anxiety about dying can affect self-esteem and quality of life among people with chronic diseases. The authors said they’d like to see more interventions to bolster self-esteem and lower death anxiety in middle-aged and older adults who have chronic diseases. The study was published on Tuesday in BMC Psychiatry. The negative consequences of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (along with the unpredictability of death) makes middle-aged and elderly adults who have these diseases more vulnerable to death anxiety, the authors wrote. 

The book "The In-Between: Unforgettable encounters during life's final momentsHSJ Online, by David Webster; 1/2/24Recently, I received a book from one of my daughters for my birthday, "The In-Between" by Hadley Vlahos, RN. While in Florida for a vacation, I made reading the best-selling book a priority and admittedly cried with each chapter as Hadley shares her personal life mixed in with being a Hospice nurse. Hadley made a statement ... that really struck me, ... “I have learned how important it is to be a human first and an employee second.”

Should patients be allowed to die from anorexia?DNYUZ; 1/3/24The doctors told Naomi that she could not leave the hospital. She was lying in a narrow bed at Denver Health Medical Center. Someone said something about a judge and a court order. Someone used the phrase “gravely disabled.” Naomi did not think she was gravely disabled. Still, she decided not to fight it. She could deny that she was mentally incompetent — but this would probably just be taken as proof of her mental incompetence. Of her lack of insight. She would, instead, “succumb to it.” [Read more of Naomi's story, followed by this examination of palliative care.]The field of palliative care was developed in the 1960s and ’70s, as a way to minister to dying cancer patients. Palliative care offered “comfort measures,” like symptom management and spiritual guidance, as opposed to curative treatment, for people who were in pain and would never get better. Later, the field expanded beyond oncology and end-of-life care — to reach patients with serious medical illnesses like heart disease, H.I.V. and AIDS, kidney failure, A.L.S. and dementia. Some people who receive palliative care are still fighting their diseases; in these cases, the treatment works to mitigate their suffering. [Read more of this discussion of emerging issue.]

10 Hospice Professionals Complete Innovative Professional ProgramEye on AnnapolisDecember 24, 2023Two social workers, three chaplains and five registered nurses are being celebrated for completing an innovative professional program pioneered by Hospice of the Chesapeake. The Clinical Ladder program, launched in early 2023, recognizes team members for their clinical expertise, professional and educational achievements, and contributions to the hospice team as well as the full organization. 

Can AI Help You Die? Doctors in New Jersey are experimenting with software to prompt discussions with patients about palliative or hospice care.BloombergDecember 18, 2023Doctors can be slow to talk about the end of the traditional medical road. When they’ve been trying to manage a life-threatening illness or keep a terminal patient alive, bringing up palliative or hospice care can feel like giving up. But these options can radically improve quality of life, or the end of life, when traditional medicine hasn’t helped enough—if patients and their doctors figure it out in time. ... “When someone is actively declining, you can see it, but being able to predict before that happens is hard.” Can artificial intelligence software do a better job than humans of picking that moment? That’s the idea behind Serious Illness Care Connect, a software tool that about 150 doctors are testing in a pilot program in New Jersey’s largest health-care network, Hackensack Meridian Health. ... The Hackensack Meridian team stresses that the tool isn’t making decisions. “Think of this as a ‘check engine’ light,” says Lauren Koniaris, the chief medical informatics officer at Hackensack Meridian.

Awareness, Education Keys to Trauma-Informed Hospice CareHospice NewsDecember 7, 2023Having a greater understanding around the impacts of trauma and abuse can help hospices improve end-of-life experiences for patients and working conditions for staff. Training and education are keys to caring for patients and employees with unique needs impacted by trauma and abuse. ... Abuse and trauma experiences impact those delivering and receiving hospice care in many ways, some evident and some less apparent, according to Carole Fisher, president, National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation. ... "The impacts of trauma and abuse are important to include in staff training and education, as well as patient care delivery approaches and employee policies," Fisher stated. ... "Trauma-informed care involves having a complete understanding of a person’s overall life experiences and orienting health services toward healing," according to Lara McKinnis, professional development specialist at Teleios Collaborative Network.