Literature Review

Four July 4th tips for families caring for loved ones with dementia Alzheimer's Association; 6/27/24 Fireworks and gatherings are staples of the 4th of July holiday, but these can create unique challenges for someone living with dementia. ... “Celebrating Independence Day can still be a fun, enjoyable experience for families impacted by dementia-related illnesses by making the proper adaptations such as being cautious about watching fireworks due to loud noises. It requires thoughtful planning to ensure their safety, comfort, and enjoyment.” said Jennifer Reeder, LCSW, SIFI, AFA’s Director of Educational and Social Services. “Being proactive, prepared, and adaptable, and creating a safe space, are the best ways caregivers can create a dementia-friendly 4th of July for their loved ones.” AFA encourages family caregivers to follow these four tips for the 4th of July:

A little help from your friends... Jennifer Hale, MSN, RN, CHPN, CPHQA little help from your friends is a memorial fund set up for Jennifer Hale's family. If interested, you can read more about it and donate here. Donations accepted 6/30/24 - 7/15/24. ... We recently announced Jennifer Hale unexpectedly died Friday, 6/21/24. Vice President of Quality and Standards at Compassus, former Vice President Clinical Services at Optum Palliative Care and Hospice, and former Executive Director of the Georgia Hospice & Palliative Care Organization, Jennifer was widely known, respected, and loved in the hospice community. We share our condolences with her family, friends, and colleagues. Her obituary is posted here.

NPHI Statement: Hospital notifications to patients of hospice referral optionsNPHI press release; 6/17/24Many hospitals are providing discharged patients with a list of all Medicare-certified hospices in the geographic area in which the patient resides, in the mistaken belief that this is a requirement under the Medicare Conditions of Participation (COPs). Hospitals may be understandably confused by existing hospital CoPs that require such lists to be provided for HH, SNF, IRF and LTCHs. Section 482.43(c)(2) clearly states these provider types and excludes hospices. There is no such requirement in the hospice regulations or law that requires a hospital to provide patients with a list of all hospices in a particular geographic area. [See statement for additional information.]

Silverstone Health expands care continuum beyond hospice, sees skyrocketing census growth Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/19/24 Dallas-based Silverstone Health has expanded its continuum of home-based services while growing its total daily census from 17 patients to 2,000. Silverstone came on the scene in 2020 as a standalone hospice after CEO Alfonso Montiel’s purchase and rebranding of Comfort Care Hospice in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Since then, the company has built a palliative care service and is developing a personal care business. In the interim, Silverstone also acquired two small home health agencies for undisclosed amounts, as well as a physician group, according to Montiel. 

Getting muddy for Center for Hospice Care LaporteCounty.life; by Center for Hospice Care, Valpraiso, IN; 6/24/24The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend the South Bend Sod Busters hosted their annual mud bog. For years a portion of the proceeds from this event have benefitted Center for Hospice Care. One of the first times Red Fisher attended the event as the events manager for Hospice Foundation, he told the organizers, "When you go over $100,000 total for this event, I will go down the bog in a white tuxedo!" A couple of years ago, they surpassed that mark – and this year Red kept his word. Thanks to our friends at Louie's Tux Shop, Red got into one of the vehicles and went down the bog – not once, but twice – while wearing a stylish white tux!Editor's Note: Calling all leaders, what fun, fundraising challenges might you offer?

Rendever and Lenovo collaborate to bring virtual reality experiences to Carolina Caring seniors Fox 8, Boston, MA; by Rendever; 6/19/24 Rendever, the Boston-based company pioneering the future of aging through virtual reality (VR), announces the deployment of its virtual reality platform with Lenovo to Carolina Caring patients. The rollout allows clinicians and caregivers to bring expansive, once-in-a-lifetime VR experiences to older patients whose worlds have become limited. Over the last year, Rendever and Lenovo combined their products into a joint solution that senior living providers can easily adopt to improve the quality of life for older adults through positive shared experiences. Rendever’s award-winning virtual reality solution delivered on Lenovo’s ThinkReality VRX headset provides an all-in-one standalone solution that meets the evolving needs of enterprises with modern virtual reality with six degrees of freedom, full color, and high-resolution experiences. Rendever is deployed in over 700 communities nationwide and looks to further expand with the addition of Carolina Caring in collaboration with Lenovo. 

Dementia decisions: Making tough choices about hospice, palliative care Being Patient; by Katy Koop; 6/25/24 In the later stages of Alzheimer's, palliative and hospice care can be necessary. But how do you find a facility designed for dementia patients? ... Dr. Maribeth Gallagher, director of Arizona’s Hospice of the Valley dementia program, joins Being Patient video reporter Mark Niu to discuss how to make these difficult decisions and what makes a palliative or hospice care program “dementia-capable.” Gallagher’s work directing the Hospice of the Valley’s dementia program has received national and international awards for its innovative approaches. Her focus on dementia care was initially inspired by her personal experiences as a family caregiver, sharing the journey with her loved one from diagnosis to death. [Click on the title's link for the full conversation, in both audio and text.]

20 most socially responsible hospitals, per Lown Institute Becker's Hospital Review; by Mackenzie Bean; 6/25/24 Duke Regional Hospital in Durham, N.C., is the most socially responsible acute care hospital in the U.S., according to a June 25 ranking from Lown Institute. The nonpartisan healthcare think tank assessed more than 2,700 acute care hospitals and 800 critical access hospitals nationwide across 54 metrics related to health equity, value of care and patient outcomes. ... The 20 most socially responsible acute care hospitals in the U.S., per Lown Institute:

CHAP Pediatric Care CertificationCHAP press release; 6/27/24Join the movement and shape the future of pediatric care. As an independent, nonprofit accrediting body for home and community-based healthcare organizations, CHAP is proud to offer the Pediatric Certification at no extra cost for CHAP-accredited providers. Standards available here.

'We may not ever be fully staffed': Health system C-suites plan for the future Becker's Hospital Review - Leadership & Management; by Laura Dyrda; 6/24/24 After the pandemic, most healthcare leaders experienced a "great resignation" as workers left for other service industries and ever since health systems have been dealing with a lack of skilled labor to backfill the vacancies. "As we have realized we may not ever be fully staffed to the degree we were pre-COVID, we now must augment our existing workforce with technology that extends their capabilities," said Mark Moseley, MD, president of USF Tampa General Physicians and executive vice president of Tampa General Hospital. "This is a two-part challenge. First, we need to deploy technology thoughtfully with sound blocking and tackling, which is expensive in both time and capital. Second, we must train our workforce to use these new technologies to aid them in their daily responsibilities in a manner that does not diminish the ethos of why many of us went into healthcare: the interactions with patients and members of the healthcare team." Physicians and nurses can fall on a wide spectrum of excitement or distaste for incorporating technology into their practice. Some may find it impersonal and challenging to understand while others see it as a tool boosting their capacity. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

BrightSpring Health Services announces definitive agreement to acquire Haven Hospice, expanding its hospice services into the CON state of FloridaBrightSpring press release; 6/24/24BrightSpring Health Services (NASDAQ: BTSG), a leading provider of home and community-based health services for complex populations, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of North Central Florida Hospice, Inc. and Haven Medical Group, LLC (collectively “Haven Hospice”), a Florida-based company holding a Certificate of Need (CON) for comprehensive hospice care services in 18 counties in north central Florida. ... BrightSpring’s acquisition of Haven will allow the Company to provide advance care planning, palliative, and hospice services throughout Florida Agency for Health Care Administration service areas 3A, 4A, and 4B. Total consideration for the acquisition is $60 million, with $15 million in cash at close, $30 million in Company equity at close, and an additional $15 million in a seller note payable four years after closing. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2024.

Celebrating palliative and end of life care at King's on Dame Cicely Saunders' birthdayKing's College London press release; 6/22/24On Dame Cicely Saunders' birthday [June 22, 1918], we are taking time to celebrate the work being done at Cicely Saunders Institute in the Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care. Dame Cicely Saunders OM DBE (1918-2005) (Nursing, 1944; Medicine, 1957) revolutionised palliative care for the dying by pioneering the modern hospice movement, as well as establishing the Institute of Palliative Care at King's. This lives on in the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation.Publisher's Note: Honoring our heros...

It’s your funeral! How to plan ahead for the best party you’ll never attend The Guardian; by Doosie Morris; 6/14/24 Years before the indomitable Joan Rivers died in 2014 she immortalised hopes for her own farewell in her memoir. ... The rise in so-called “death positivity”, along with the mortal reality check wreaked on us by the pandemic, has helped to reframe death as a part of life for many of us. Taboos around discussing death are breaking down and planning your own funeral is increasingly considered as responsible as writing a will. ... While the latest Australian Funeral Industry report found less than one in five Australians have actually planned their own funeral, a definite vibe shift is occurring and 90% of people say they want to. ... “When people say ‘I don’t want a funeral’ I remind them it’s not actually for them,” Griffith says. “You might think you’re doing your loved ones a favour, but you are actually denying everyone who needs somewhere to put their grief.” ...