Literature Review

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.

PeaceHealth home care nurses strike: Picketers demand equal pay, better staffingThe Register-Guard, by Miranda Cyr; 2/13/24About 30 home care and hospice nurses and supporters were spread out at the entrances to the PeaceHealth offices in Springfield. The strike, which started Saturday, is scheduled to last until 7 a.m. on Feb. 24. "I really care about my community. I care about them being able to receive good care," said Heather Herbert, an ONA member and hospice nurse who was among those picketing on Monday. "We would not be striking if we felt that there was any other way to get what our community deserves."

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.

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. U.S. Medicine, by Chester Buckenmaier III, MD, COL (ret), MC, USA; 2/13/24New Year’s Eve 2023 was marked with sadness for my family as my mother-in-law, Susan “Sue” Timperley, passed. ... Because of Sue’s strength in life, when her death came faster than we or her physician expected, we were spared further trauma. ... Hospice proved as helpful in death as they were in life by easing the weight of Sue’s loss through arrangements for her body. This support allowed Sue to die as she lived, with quiet strength and regal dignity. Our family was gifted with the time to focus on her memory rather than sterile hospital rules and cold machines.

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.

Using patient narratives to evaluate a hospice serviceNursing Times - Patient Experience, by Val Stangoe and Steve Mee; 2/12/24Questionnaire surveys at a hospice proved ineffective as a tool to identify areas for service improvement, but narrative inquiry with patients and their families identified important deficits that offered clear guidance for service development. This method needed a careful, respectful approach, as well as significant time and resources, but proved to be invaluable. Many of the patients enjoyed having an opportunity to tell their stories, while nursing staff could be involved in the project, thereby enhancing their skills and raising their ambitions.

PeaceHealth hospice and home care nurses near Eugene set to begin strike over the weekendKLCC Oregon Public Broadcasting, by Rolando Hernandez; 2/8/24After almost a year of negotiations, nurses with PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Home Care Services are going on strike. More than 90 nurses with the Oregon Nurses Association will be striking for two weeks starting Feb. 10. These nurses provide hospice care and other services to patients in the Eugene area.

VNHS leveraging tech to optimize hospice patient experience: A game-changer in end-of-life careCompsMag, by Tech Desk; 2/8/24... Georgia-based hospice provider Visiting Nurse Health System (VNHS) ... has been a pioneer in implementing various technologies that are becoming increasingly common in the post-acute space. For example, VNHS implemented its remote patient monitoring program in 2007 and more recently delved into predictive analytics. According to VNHS CEO Dorothy Davis, they have invested for five years in a platform that has become the repository for claims data coming in.