Literature Review

Is Alzheimer’s disease more common than previously thought? Medscape; by Megan Brooks; 12/24/25 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be more common than previously thought in some demographic groups, according to the first population-based study to use a blood test to gauge AD-related neuropathological changes (ADNCs). ... A “major advance” of this study is the use of blood-based biomarkers as a way to generate more accurate, population-level estimates of AD pathology, Nicholas Ashton, PhD, senior director of the Banner Fluid Biomarker Program, Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City, Arizona, told Medscape Medical News.

CMS weighs advance care planning quality measure for nursing homesMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Kimberly Marselas;12/16/25Nursing homes could soon be measured on their ability to capture advance care planning documents for their patients, according to a federal publication. On Monday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released its 2025 list of measures under consideration. Among 24 new or updated metrics pitched for a range of Medicare programs, just one would directly affect skilled nursing: Advance Care Planning.

Innovations in senior living  with Katie Smith Sloan Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Katie Smith; 12/17/25 What if aging services led the way in redesigning care—combining smart technology with deeper human connection?  That’s the challenge Katie Smith Sloan, President and CEO of LeadingAge, brings to the table as we unpack the data, the headwinds, and the promise across nonprofit senior living, home-based care, and hospice. ... Together, Chris and Katie explore how collaboration, innovation, and values-driven leadership can reshape aging services to better serve older adults—and those who care for them. 

Retirement? Not for this 80-year-old oncology nurse in Naples USA Today / The Florida Times-Union / Pressreader, Fort Myers, FL; by Liz Freeman; 12/12/25Carolyn Paget never imagined NCH Baker Hospital would throw her a birthday party for turning 80. Or that she would still be logging at least 8,000 steps during a 12-hour shift as a registered nurse in the oncology unit where she has worked for more than two decades. ... "She actually helps patients make the decision when hospice is the way to go. Patients respect her." ... According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ...the share of workers 75 and older is expected to grow from 9% in 2020 to nearly 12% by 2030.

Enhabit's strategic positioning and 2026 pricing outlook: Navigating regulatory headwinds with valuation resilienceAInvest; by Charles Hayes; 12/10/25 ... Conclusion: Enhabit's strategic initiatives-rooted in efficiency, innovation, and diversification-demonstrate a proactive approach to mitigating 2026's regulatory challenges. By reducing visit intensity, renegotiating payer contracts, and expanding hospice services, the company is positioning itself to maintain profitability even under a 6.4% Medicare cut. Its strong balance sheet and disciplined cost structure further reinforce valuation resilience.Editor's Note: Am I reading this correctly? Leading interventions are "reducing visit intensity" paired with "expanding hospice services"? I understand the importance of maintaining profitabilty. However, what is the core purpose? Examining Enhabit Hospice quality scores on the National Hospice Locator (data from CMS), the first 5 Enhabit hospices that populated had quality scores of 68/100, 60/100, 60/100, 58/100, and 41/100. The national average is 67/100. What kind of care would you want for your family member? For yourself?

2026 Forbes top hospitals Forbes; edited by Rachel Rabkin Peachman; 12/4/25 Forbes has developed its inaugural list: Forbes Top Hospitals 2026. This unique rating system evaluates general acute care hospitals throughout the United States to offer consumers unbiased information on which hospitals can offer top-notch, high-value medical services, no matter where they are in the country—as well as a benchmark against which hospitals can compare their performance to that of their peers. ... Central to the methodology is its emphasis on clinical patient outcomes (such as rates of mortality, survival, infection and readmissions). These measures were given the most weight and, therefore, had the most influence on each hospital’s overall rating. Editor's Note: Go to this article and scroll down to "The Full List." You can search by name, filter by state, see methodology (link next to "Star Ratings"), and see star ratings for "Overall," "Outcomes," "Best Practices," "Value," and "Patient Experience." A related article about this list is by Becker's Hospital Review, "253 5-star hospitals: Forbes." Are any hospitals you partner with listed? Share this article and congratulate them.

Hospitalization experiences among nursing home residents with dementiaJournal of the American Medical Directors Association; by Jordan M Alpert, Jeffrey D Kovach, Nicholas J Casacchia, David Harris, Ardeshir Hashmi, Luke Dogyun Kim, Silvia Perez-Protto, Matthew A Pappas, Michael B Rothberg; 12/5/25Hospital admissions among nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) are burdensome, expensive, and provide limited clinical benefit. ... Conclusions and implications: Patients undergoing hospital admission suffered distressing experiences, but most patients did not have do-not-resuscitate orders, and referrals to hospice and palliative care were rare. Patients and their family members should be informed about the hospital experience before admission and offered appropriate care services.

$600K distributed to support UP seniors facing care difficulties, increasing isolation MyUpNow.com, Marquette, MI; by Alexandria Bournonville; 12/2/25 The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation (BCBSM Foundation) awarded $632,590 in grants to 14 Upper Peninsula with the goal of supporting the health and well-being of older adults. These grants were made possible in partnership with the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and Superior Health Foundation. The funds will go to caregiving initiatives, care coordination, chronic disease prevention, workforce development and programs to reduce isolation and loneliness. 

85-year-old woman in senior home brings down the house with Fleetwood Mac 'Landslide' cover: There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Upworthy; by Cecily Knobler; 11/16/25 On a hot Sunday in July, Carole Wade took the mic at a Dallas senior living facility where my mom lives. I happened to be visiting for the karaoke event, and the list of residents who couldn't wait to put their stamps on their favorite tunes was so long, the event had to be extended. ... When it was Wade's turn, the microphone was brought to her table. She took it in her hands as though it was an extension of her fingers as the music cued up. Then, as she began to effortlessly sing "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, the room got still. Frozen. All eyes were on her, and most of those eyes were wet. The lyrics, so beautifully fitting:

When Medicare sent patients home sooner, Mary Naylor built the safety net Penn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Liz Seegert; 11/17/25 When Medicare’s diagnosis-related group (DRG) payment system took effect in October 1983, hospitals adapted quickly, discharging patients faster to manage fixed reimbursement rates. Heart failure patients who once stayed eight to 10 days were going home in three to four days. But LDI Senior Fellow Mary Naylor, then a fellow with what was then known as the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging and Finance, realized no one had thought about what happened after discharge. She saw how these shifts created new risks for older adults, as hospitals lacked the infrastructure to support care continuity. ...

Opportunities to improve end-of-life care in assisted living: Results from a national survey of administrators The Journal of the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association; by Emmanuelle Belanger, PhD, Nicole Rosendaal, MSc, Michelle L. Rogers, PhD, Tamara A. Sequeira, RN, MSN, Kali S. Thomas, PhDe ∙ Joan M. Teno, MD, MS, Susan L. Hayes, MPAf, Xiao (Joyce) Wang, PhD, Pedro L. Gozalo, PhDa, David M. Dosa, MD, MPHh, Melissa A. Clark, PhD; 11/9/25 Among 4796 eligible assisted living communities invited, 2084 administrators completed the survey from all 48 targeted states, a response rate of 43.4%. ... This national study of administrators highlights important opportunities to improve end-of-life care both as part of assisted living care processes for dying residents and through collaboration with hospice. These novel survey measures will help determine how end-of-life care processes vary along state regulations and shape residents' outcomes.

Columbus Community Hospital unveils advance health care directives toolkit Columbus Community Hospital, Columbus, NE; News Release; 11/4/25 When you’re planning for future health care decisions, you need to talk to your loved ones about values, priorities and the quality of life you want. To help you in this process, Columbus Community Hospital’s ethics committee created an advance health care directives tool kit. ... This toolkit does not replace an attorney’s services; rather, it is a way for people to start thinking about what they want. ... Each toolkit contains the following resources:

Lehigh Valley Health Network to drop UnitedHealthcare over reimbursement Becker's Payer Issues; by Andrew Cass; 10/29/25 Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network said it is planning to terminate its contract with UnitedHealthcare unless the payer works with the health system to remedy reimbursement issues. Without a resolution, LVHN will go out of network with UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage plans on Jan. 25, 2026 and commercial plans on April 25, 2026, according to an Oct. 27 news release from the health system.