Literature Review

If you’ve overcome these 9 challenges in life, you’re more resilient than you think Personal Branding Blog; by Lucas Graham; 1/21/25 Resilience isn’t always about being unshakable or invincible. Sometimes, it’s just about surviving the chaos, picking yourself up after the mess, and somehow finding the courage to keep going. In the moment, it’s hard to see how strong you really are—you’re just trying to make it through. But when you pause and look back, you realize the grit it took to get here. ... [If] you’ve been through these nine challenges and made it out, you’re way more resilient than you give yourself credit for.

At United Hospice good leadership makes all the difference Mid Hudson News, Goshen, NY; by Mid-Hudson News Staff; 1/19/25 In the world of healthcare, there are few environments as emotionally charged and delicate as hospice care.  Here, patients face the final chapter of their lives, and their families must grapple with the profound weight of grief and impending loss. It’s a space that requires not only clinical expertise but also an extraordinary level of compassion, empathy, and resilience. At the heart of it all is leadership—a factor that can profoundly shape the quality of care, support, and comfort patients and families receive during this challenging time. [Cara Pace, United Hospice CEO] noted that leadership in hospice care is not about wielding authority or simply managing logistics. It’s about embodying a vision of compassionate, patient-centered care that resonates throughout the organization. A good hospice leader knows how to create a culture of empathy, where every member of the team understands the profound impact their work has on the lives of patients and families.

How poor communication is killing patients and burning out doctors Medpage Today's KevinMD.com; by Pamela Buchanan; 1/14/25 This week alone, I had two particularly heart-wrenching encounters [as an Emergency Room physician]: A 65-year-old man with metastatic lung cancer, convinced his shortness of breath was just pneumonia. When I explained the progression of his disease, he was shocked. No one had told him that his cancer was likely incurable. A 97-year-old woman brought in for “failure to thrive.” She was frail, pale, and not eating—classic signs of the final stages of metastatic cancer. When I suggested hospice care, she seemed blindsided, as if this reality was completely new to her. Both cases highlight a troubling trend: Patients often come to the ER not just for care, but for clarity. They don’t understand their diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment plan. ...

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. 

Hospice workers share the foods that bring patients comfort till the end: Plus, they reveal how families can support their loved ones with scents, small bites and shared memories HuffPost; by Julie Kendrick; 12/30/24... We all live, we all die and we all enjoy food along the way. The memory and meaning of food, along with the bliss of being able to savor a cherished flavor, are still present in our lives, even as we head toward a last meal, a soothing sip of water or a final bit of sustenance. “Food often plays an emotional role in the last stages of life,” said Dr. Kurt Merkelz, the chief medical officer at Compassus, a home-based care company. “Some patients may reminisce about favorite meals or foods that connect them to fond memories and loved ones. There are instances where patients crave a specific dish that reminds them of their family or heritage, even if they can’t eat much.” ... People often ask for things like mashed potatoes, ice cream and chicken soup, according to Gail Inderwies, the founder and president of KeystoneCare, a hospice and home health provider in Pennsylvania. ... Sometimes, those comforts are part of a culinary heritage.

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. 

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. 

A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. ~ James Keller Editor's note: This holiday week experienced a prelude by Saturday's December 21st Winter Solstice and ushers in celebrations of Christmas Eve/Day (December 24-25), Hanukkah (December 25 - January 2), and Kwanzaa (December 26 - January 1). May be we create respect, dignity, and care for all--including those not identified here. May our lives light compassion for others. May we see the light in others, especially when different from our own.

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.

December challenge: Gift ideas part two ActiveRain; by Kat Palmiotti; 12/17/24 ... My mother dealt with cancer the last four years of her life with an upbeat attitude, ...  So what did she do with the time she had left? The same as always. It was late November 2011 at this point. So what she decided to do was to make a point of purchasing us all our last Christmas present. ... So for me, she purchased me a coffee cup with a lid which is pictured in the feature photo. ... But my mom didn't stop there. She also wrote each of her family members a handwritten letter. Her letter to me talked about me being her first born, and about what I was like during my childhood, and how she felt about my life as an adult. It was a beautiful letter that makes me smile and cry every time I read it. I treasure it. ... So why am I sharing this? Because when I think back on all the gifts I've ever received, it's not jewelry or clothing or anything else that pops into my mind first. It's a $5 cup and a piece of paper with writing on it. And both of those were my mom giving me love. So, when giving gifts to those you care about, give them love. Perhaps grab a piece of paper and a pen and let them know how much you care about them. Or buy them a small carefully selected item that they might use on a daily basis, smiling because it's from you. Because really, it truly is the thought that counts. Let that thought be love.

Palliative care may improve quality of life for stroke survivors and their family members American Heart Association - Stroke News & Brain Health; by Newsroom; 12/16/24 Palliative care ... can help improve quality of life for stroke survivors as well as their family members, according to “Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Stroke,” a new scientific statement published today in the Association’s peer-reviewed scientific journal Stroke. ... The new statement complements the Association’s 2014 Scientific Statement on Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Stroke, which covered core palliative care competencies and skills for health care professionals who treat stroke patients. The statement includes strategies to improve communication about prognosis and goals-of-care, address psychosocial needs such as coping with loss, navigate complex health care systems and prepare for death with end-of-life care when necessary. It also highlights the substantial inequities that exist in palliative care after stroke across sociodemographic and regional characteristics and the need to reduce those disparities.

Caring for emotional and spiritual needs of ICU families Medical Xpress; by Regenstrief Institute; 12/10/24 Family members of intensive care unit (ICU) patients often experience psychological and spiritual distress as they deal with serious illness and potential death. A new paper authored by a national team of experts at the intersection of health and spirituality highlights the critical role of the spiritual care provided by chaplains in supporting family members of ICU patients. ... "Our model describes three important ways that chaplain care supports ICU family members and helps them when faced with difficult decisions," said study co-author and chaplain-researcher George Fitchett, DMin, Ph.D., professor of religion, health and human values at Rush University Medical Center. "Chaplains provide family members with spiritual and emotional support. They also facilitate conversation with the medical team and help family members process the information from those conversations. Significantly, our study highlights the care provided by chaplains to ICU patient families and its impact on important outcomes." Editor's note: Click here for Improving Outcomes for for ICU Family Members: The Role of Spiritual Care, published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, Oct 2024.

A call to action for business leaders in health care: Prioritizing employees’ mental health is a necessity Las Vegas Sun - Veagas Inc; Guest column by Karen Rubel; 12/9/24 As mental health continues to be recognized as a vital component of overall well-being, businesses—especially those in health care—must stay vigilant and proactive in addressing mental health challenges within the workplace. The importance of this issue has never been greater,  ... In a hospice setting, the emotional toll on caregivers is significant. Health care workers often form close bonds with their patients and their families, and the loss of a patient can be deeply affecting. At Nathan Adelson Hospice, our teams regularly come together to review patient care plans, but they also take time to discuss their personal experiences and challenges. These discussions provide an opportunity for our staff to offer mutual support and care. This peer-to-peer connection fosters a sense of community and helps staff process their emotions in a healthy way. ...