Literature Review

Anorexia Nervosa: Evaluating disparities in places of death in the United States over 22 years using the CDC WONDER databaseCureus / NCBI, by Nirmal Patel, Rahul Tyagi, Deepanwita Biswas, Ayesha Birjees, Chetana Rajesh 6, Sadia Khan; posted via NCBI 1/30/24Conclusions:[This] study found that death in home and hospice was more common than in medical or hospital nursing facilities in all four analyzed groups. These findings highlight the critical need for significant advancements in end-of-life care, particularly in home and hospice settings.

Palliative telecare team aids QOL, health status for chronic conditionsHealthDay News, by Lori Solomon; 1/23/24Use of a nurse and social worker palliative telecare team is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in quality of life at six months for adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, or interstitial lung disease (ILD) versus usual care, according to a study published in the Jan. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The challenges facing male caregiversNext Avenue, by Sophie Okolo; 1/23/24When business owner Mark Horst (not his real name) of Pompton Plains, New Jersey, first found out his wife of 37 years was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, he didn't know what the journey would entail. Of all caregivers in the United States, 16 million, or 40%, are men. Of these men, 63% identified as primary caregivers. 

Hospital death less likely, hospice more likely for white women with ovarian cancerHealio, by Erin T. Welsh; 1/19/24Women with ovarian cancer from underrepresented groups have a higher likelihood of in-hospital mortality vs. hospice mortality compared with their white counterparts. ... Key takeaways:

Top ten tips palliative care clinicians should know about providing care for people with disabilitiesJ Palliat Med, by Dorothy W Tolchin, Claire Rushin, Ben Tolchin, Chloe Slocum, Jordana L Meyerson, Susan M Havercamp, Tamra Keeney, Andrea W Schwartz, Kristen Schaefer, Melissa Ross, Michael A Stein, Christopher A Jones, William E Rosa, Forrest A Brooks/ 1/17/24Palliative care (PC) clinicians are well poised to help people with disabilities (PWD) live well in the context of serious illness. PC prioritizes person-centered care with a focus on function, autonomy, and quality of life. This approach aligns with principles of high-quality care for PWD.Requires subscription Editor's Note: See 

Increasing longevity, decreasing health quality: A close look at American health trendsBNN, by Ayesha Mumtaz; 1/16/24Recent data paints a concerning picture of Americans’ health despite an increase in longevity. While people are living longer, the quality of their health during these extended years is deteriorating. 

Coming to terms: Female veterans' experience of serious illnessJournal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, by Brandon M. Varilek and Mary J. Isaacson; 1/16/24Female veteran populations are growing internationally and are more likely than men to develop certain serious illnesses, including some cancers. ... This study reports the qualitative findings from a multimethod study using qualitative inquiry to explore female veterans' experiences of living with a serious illness. 

Black caregivers' symptom management, cultural, and religious experiences with home hospice careJournal of Pain and Symptom Management, by Taeyoung Park, Danetta H Sloan, Dulce M Cruz-Oliver, Manney Cary Reid, Sara Czaja, Ronald D Adelman, Ritchell Dignam, Veerawat Phongtankuel; 8/23 Objectives: This study seeks to address this knowledge gap by applying qualitative methods to understand Black/African American caregivers' experiences around symptom management, cultural, and religious challenges during home hospice care.

The importance of emotional support services in mental healthYonkers Times, 1/8/24... ROLE IN HOSPCE CARE: In hospice settings, emotional support is crucial for helping both patients and their families manage the complex emotions associated with terminal illness. This support includes providing a safe space for expressing feelings like fear, grief, and anxiety and offering coping strategies. It aims to ease the emotional burden and improve the quality of life ..., recognizing the profound impact that a terminal diagnosis can have on both patients and their loved ones.

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. 

How to live: What the dying tell usPsychology Today, by Tasha Seiter; 1/2/24Subtitle: The top regrets of the dying and how we can use them to better our lives.Bronnie Ware, a hospice nurse, asked the dying what they regretted most. While it may have been too late for her patients, their answers can tell us about how we should be living while we still have the chance. Here are the top five regrets of the dying, according to her research (both qualitative and quantitative):

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.]