Literature Review

Death can be isolating and dehumanizing. But what if it didn’t have to be?City Life, by Ben Seal; 2/17/24... In the three years since Elaine’s passing, I’ve longed for a world where more people could be given the chance to die as she did — with the fullness of life surrounding her, and with complete support, emphasizing the emotional and spiritual, not just the medical. In Philadelphia and beyond, a growing community of death-care workers — doulas, nurses, grief counselors, social workers, even funeral directors — is trying to build that world. They are reclaiming death and dying from the institutional model that has become the norm over the past century. Editor's Note: Has hospice now become so institutionalized and medical/regulatory focused that we have lost sight of "emphasizing the emotional and spiritual, not just the medical"? I ask the question, but do not draw judgment, as answers must be contextualized. 

Hospices see growth opportunities with physician offices, memory careHospice News, by Holly Vossel; 2/16/24Hospice providers are increasingly focused on memory care settings and physician offices as referral sources. ... Physician offices were identified among the most significant referral growth opportunities in 2024 by about 6% of 143 respondents to Hospice News’ 2024 Outlook Survey, conducted with Homecare Homebase. Meanwhile, 7% reported that their hospice organizations saw memory care settings as a significant referral source.

Looking at the challenges involving hospice careNPR WOSU PBS, podcast by All Sides with Anna Staver; 2/19/24Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by reducing pain and suffering for patients facing the end of life. However, physicians are voicing concerns about a prevalence of serious deficiencies in hospice care and believe it is in need of fixing.Host: Mike Thompson, WOSU chief content director of radioGuests: Dr. Ira Byock, palliative care physician and advocate; Dr. Jennifer Hirsh, hospice & palliative medicine specialist, Mt. CarmelEditor's Note: Originally aired 7/24/23; reposted 2/19/24

Hospice wine taste and auction raises over $273KCoeur D'Alene/Post Falls Press, by Laurie Owen; 2/17/24“Fly Me to the Moon” was the theme Feb. 3 at Hospice of North Idaho’s 39th Annual Wine Taste and Auction. With over 400 guests, volunteers and sponsors at The Coeur d’Alene Resort attendees raised their glasses and bidder numbers to raise over $273,000 to support the area’s nonprofit hospice in its 43rd year.

Commentary: Virginia hospice care coalition a model for other states to emulateThe Roanoke Times, by Steve Cone; 2/16/24 Here in Virginia, eight nonprofit hospice care organizations are working together with a private sector sponsor on a statewide initiative called the Virginia Hospice Awareness Campaign to publicize the benefits of hospice. This approach should serve as a model for other states to emulate. (Two of the nonprofits in the campaign serve the Roanoke and New River valleys and Alleghany Highlands: Good Samaritan and ConnectionsPlus.)

Chippewa Co. Health Department announces end of Home Health and Hospice services 9and10news.com, by Logan Kassuba; 2/14/24 The Chippewa County Board of Commissioners announced their decision to end the health department’s Home Health and Hospice division. ... CCHD was the only health department in Michigan that still had a Home Health and Hospice division. In the absence of Home Health and Hospice services, CCHD said hospice patients can choose to spend their final days at Ball House, Pennington Home, Harbor View Home and White-Wiles Home. Patients are also able to remain in their own homes and receive care there.

Essentia Health-Fosston Home Care and Hospice team recognized for excellenceEssentia Health Newsroom, by Caitlin Pallai; 2/14/24The Essentia Health-Fosston Home Care and Hospice Team has been recognized for providing exceptional patient experiences. The team was named a 2023 Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award winner by Press Ganey, which works with more than 41,000 health care facilities — including Essentia — to solicit patient feedback and create meaningful change. To receive a Guardian of Excellence Award, a team must rank in the top 5% of health care providers on patient surveys conducted by Press Ganey. 

How New Day Healthcare plans to be the face of a changing home health landscapeHome Health Care News; 2/12/24New Day Healthcare has been one of the most active acquirers in home health care over the last year. As it grows, it’s looking to set itself apart from the home health company archetype of yesteryear.

Changes in hospice care experiences during the COVID-19 pandemicRand, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Maria DeYoreo, Rebecca Anhang Price, Ann C. Haas, Anagha Alka Tolpadi, Joan M. Teno, Marc N. Elliott; 2/12/24Demand for hospice and palliative care services increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospices strove to meet this demand despite staffing shortages and visitation restrictions that sometimes prevented family members and hospice staff from visiting patients in institutional settings such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals. We examine how the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced the characteristics of patients receiving hospice care, the settings in which they received care, and their care experiences using national data from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Hospice Survey. The survey is completed by bereaved family caregivers following the death of the hospice patient, and is the national standard for assessing patient- and family-centeredness of hospice care.

Former President Jimmy Carter spends 12 months in hospice careNewsNation, by Katie Smith; 2/14/24Sunday will mark one year since America’s longest-living president, 99-year-old Jimmy Carter, entered hospice care to spend his remaining time at home with his family. The 39th U.S. president elected to receive hospice care Feb. 18, 2023, according to a statement The Carter Center issued that day.Editor's Note: How are you addressing this length of 1+ year with the patients you serve? Click here for the CMS pdf of the 6-month rule, "Face-to-Face Requirement Affecting Hospice Recertification." 

$25k donation to Hospice of the Piedmont from the Countybank FoundationIndependent Banker, by William Atkinson; 2/12/24Countybank's Half-Century of Charitable Giving ...  One recent donation of $25,000 from the Countybank Foundation went to Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont, a community nonprofit network of care that provides specialized healthcare for those living with advanced illnesses. ... “When children lose someone they care about, it affects their entire life: their nutrition, their sleep, their relationships, their behavior and their schoolwork,” Charlene Kish, CEO of Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont, said in a statement. “With financial support from organizations like Countybank and Greenwood Capital, we are able to provide education and support to both the child and the parents.” 

Hospice of Wichita Falls gets multi-million dollar gift, renames Inpatient Care Center honoring Prothro familyKFDX 3 News, by Natalie McCain; 2/12/24, updated 2/13/24The Hospice of Wichita Falls’ Inpatient Care Center has been renamed to reflect a generous multi-million dollar gift from the Perkins-Prothro Foundation, Dianne and Mark Prothro and Dale Prothro. The largest gift in HOWF history will honor the memory of Charles “Charlie” Philbin, grandson of Dianne and Mark, and Joe Prothro, Dale’s husband, HOWF officials announced on February 12.

What is a good death? End-of-life doulas can help the dying have one.Boston Globe, by Sherrie Dulworth; 2/9/24... Home hospice agencies offer vital services for terminally ill people who wish to die at home, assisting with, among other things, pain management and helping the terminally ill avoid needless medical procedures. ... But while it is often thought that home hospice workers are the primary caregivers for the dying, this is not so. Instead, it is loved ones who often do the heavy lifting, both physically and emotionally, that comes with tending to the dying. ... This is where a death doula comes in, and the work they do speaks to the nonmedical, more spiritual side of what it means to have a good death.