Literature Review

Study: Nearly two-thirds of nursing home residents were exposed to med combos linked to potential drug-drug interactions McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Foster Stubbs; 10/17/25 About 62% of nursing home residents experienced one or more drug-drug interactions (DDI) between 2018 and 2020, according to an October study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Researchers examined 485,251 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries 66 years or older living in nursing homes with observable Medicare Part D prescription drug data. Data were drawn from Medicare claims linked to Minimum Data Set 3.0 clinical assessments. 

Traumatic brain injury in late life tied to elevated dementia risk Medscape; by Liz Scherer; 10/13/25 Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in late life is associated with a significant increase in the risk for new-onset dementia. The risk is especially elevated (by as much as 69%) within the first 5 years following the injury, according to newly published study findings. Though TBI, which results from direct impact or indirect force to the head, has long been recognized as a midlife risk factor for dementia, the risk that TBI poses in adults aged 65 years or older has been unclear.

Study: PE-owned hospices have highest profits, lowest spending on direct patient care McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 10/8/25 Compared to publicly traded company-owned and other for-profit hospices, private equity (PE)-owned hospices reported the highest profits and lowest spending on direct patient care and nonsalary administrative services, a study published Tuesday in Health Affairs revealed. The study, which used 2022 Medicare cost reports, compared revenue and expense data across four hospice ownership models: PE-owned, publicly traded company-owned, other for- profit, and not-for-profit. The sample consisted of 2,989 freestanding hospices ... [Across] the board, not-for-profits spend about 20% more on direct patient care services than other for-profits. And that seems to be driven by a pretty big difference in nurse salaries, which to us implies that staffing tends to be better at or at least more robust at not-for-profits. ... A body of research has found that for-profit hospice ownership, including private equity, is associated with poorer quality, higher rates of complaints, a higher number of live discharges, and a higher hospitalization rate compared with not-for-profit ownership.

Studying connection at life’s end: Dean’s distinguished research fellowship captures social realities of dying individuals Royal Purple - founded 1901, La Crosse, WI; by UW-La Crosse University Marketing & Communications; 10/6/25 ... The project was sparked in late 2024 when [senior Maddi Jo] Baumann approached [faculty menot Angela] Geraci with an idea rooted in personal experience and public health urgency. Inspired in part by the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on the loneliness epidemic, Baumann wondered: What happens socially to people who are dying? Key findings: what drives social change at the end of life? The team’s early findings point to several factors that influence social relationships during the dying process:

C-suites invest in nurse-led clinical research Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Mariah Taylor; 9/29/25 Nationwide, health systems are increasingly turning to nurse scientists to close evidence gaps, answer pressing clinical questions and translate bedside observations into measurable patient outcomes. ... “Nurses ask the best questions; they are closest to patients and see gaps in care firsthand,” Linda Chlan, PhD, RN, associate dean for nursing research at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, told Becker’s. “But to move from ‘I think this works better’ to real evidence, you need data, and that comes from rigorous scientific inquiry.” This is where nurse scientists fill the gap between curiosity and evidence-based changes in protocols and practices. Nurse scientists help bedside staff build their studies, mentor them through the process, and help them turn data into evidence-based practice and demonstrate return on investment.

Living with dementia: To improve lives, we need to change how we think and talk about this experience in aging societies EurekAlert! - AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science); peer reviewed publication by The Hastings Center; 9/24/25 To experience or even contemplate dementia raises some of the most profound questions: What does it mean to be a person? How does someone find meaning in life while facing progressive neurological deterioration? ... To improve the lives of our fellow citizens who are living with dementia or providing dementia care, all of us need to pay attention to how we imagine and talk about these interwoven and increasingly common experiences, concludes Living with Dementia: Learning from Cultural Narratives in Aging Societies, a special report published by The Hastings Center for Bioethics. This report responds to calls from health care and social service practitioners for new ways to depict and talk about dementia, a collective term for Alzheimer disease and related dementias. Editor's Note: Click here for free access to multiple articles in this crucial report, such as

Building blocks of hospice family caregiver support Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 9/24/25 Untapped reimbursement opportunities exist when it comes to developing a sustainable family caregiving infrastructure in the face of rising demand for home-based hospice care. ... Among the payment avenues with potential to improve support for caregivers is the Medicaid-funded Structured Family Caregiving (SFC) program. SFC coverage includes a modest financial stipend to health care providers that offer home- and community-based services for caregivers. ... Roughly 63 million Americans are family caregivers, an increase of nearly 50% since 2015, according to a report from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. About one-in-every-four adults is a caregiver to a family member, with 40% of these individuals providing high-intensity care, the report found. About half of the nation’s caregivers reported negative financial impacts, with one-in-five unable to afford basic needs such as food and 25% taking on debt. Additionally, one-in-five caregivers have poor health outcomes, the report found.Editor's Note: Are you aware that the 2008 CMS Hospice Conditions of Participation identify the "family" 423 times? (Yes, I've searched, counted, and categorized.) Click here for AARP's 2025 edition of Caregiving in the US.

Study provides new insight into loneliness among home care recipients McKnights Home Care; by Paul Katz, MD and Barbara Resnick, PhD; 9/22/25 ... A team of international Investigators, led by researchers at the University of Waterloo, recently reported on the link between loneliness and mortality among home care recipients in Canada, Finland and New Zealand. The study can be found in the July issue of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (Vol 26 (7) 105687 July 2025). ... Home care recipients may be more prone to loneliness, given mobility and sensory problems that limit engagement in the community.  ... Interestingly, investigators noted that individuals with less informal care had the highest rates of loneliness. An explanation may be that those with less complex health needs requiring  less support from family members may lead to more social isolation.

Hospice, palliative care services yield high quality, cost savings Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 9/22/25 Hospice and palliative care services can result in better outcomes and reduced costs, recent research has found. A recent study by Empassion Health examined 45,957 seriously ill patients receiving supportive care through the organization from January 2023 to April 2025. The study found a 35% reduction in total cost of care per patient during the final year of life when compared to other individuals. ... The study illustrates the significant quality and cost impacts of hospice and palliative care delivery, Robin Heffernan, CEO and co-founder of Empassion Health, said ... 

Early palliative care intervention improves end-of-life care in ovarian cancer Medscape; by Maurie Markman, MD; 9/18/25 ... This particular study asked an important question: Is there a relationship between that timing when palliative care is introduced to the ultimate end-of-life aggressiveness of care (emergency room use, use of intensive care, and hospitalization)? ... The outcome was timing, or introduction, of palliative care with emergency room use, hospitalization, and intensive care use within the last 30 days of life and chemotherapy in the last 14 days of life, as well as the risk of death occurring in the hospital.  ... The investigators found that any palliative care or any use of a palliative care physician called in as a consult earlier than 3 months before the death was associated with a lower risk of aggressive end-of-life care. 

Assisted dying in practice: International experiences and implications for health and social care ehospice; full report by Sarah Scobie, Rachel Hutchings, Miranda Davies, Stephanie Kumpunen and Sarah Reed; 9/15/25 Exploring 15 jurisdictions across the world, this is the most detailed look to date at what the UK can learn from other countries as the UK and Scottish Parliaments debate bills to legalise assisted dying and potentially set up assisted dying services. ... The Nuffield Trust holds a neutral position on the ethical question of whether or not assisted dying should be legalised, for whom, and in what circumstances. We are committed to identifying evidence to support decision-makers in understanding the effects that legalisation may have. 

How a novel coaching intervention is building resilience and hope in adolescents and young adults with advanced cancer: A conversation with Abby R. Rosenberg, MD, MS, MA The ASCO Post; by Jo Cavaloo; 9/15/25 Each year, nearly 90,000 adolescents and young adults (AYAs; aged 15–39) are diagnosed with cancer, and approximately 9,300 die of the disease. ... AYAs are at increased risk for developing adverse long-term side effects from cancer and/or its treatment, including chronic conditions, secondary cancers, infertility, poor psychosocial health, and financial toxicity. ... The findings from a recent randomized phase III clinical trial investigating a novel resilience coaching intervention for AYA patients with advanced cancer are showing promising results in improving feelings of resilience and hope, as well as longer-term improvement in quality of life for these patients. ... In a wide-ranging interview with The ASCO Post, Dr. Rosenberg discussed the psychosocial impact of cancer on AYA cancer survivors, the results of the PRISM-AC study, and how AYA survivors are able to cope with having a terminal prognosis.