Literature Review

Medicare is booming, and providers are bracing themselvesModern Healthcare, by Alex Kacik; 2/12/24The aging of the baby boomers means Medicare enrollment growth is expected to exceed that of other major payers.

Senior living providers can tap into $25 million grant to develop dementia-specific respite servicesMcKnights Senior Living, by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 2/7/24Senior living operators who provide, or are considering providing, respite services for family caregivers of people living with dementia can apply for a piece of $20 million in grant funding. The Alzheimer’s Association will use a $25 million, five-year grant award from the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living to establish a new Center for Dementia Respite Innovation tasked with making respite services and service providers more dementia-capable. 

Alzheimer's: Watch for signs it's time to start hospice careThe Advocate, by Dana Territo; 2/5/24When is someone with dementia ready for hospice care? ... Some of the characteristics the affected individual may be exhibiting include the lack of ability to ambulate without assistance, incontinence of bowel and bladder, inability to dress and bathe properly, and speech limited to approximately a half dozen or fewer intelligible and different words. There are also intercurrent illnesses associated with advanced dementia in which hospice services would be a benefit. 

Patient-centered focus is key to reducing hospitalizations, value-based success, experts sayMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 2/6/24To keep hospitalization rates low — and thereby produce better results within the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model — providers need a good understanding of patients’ goals to tailor care to meet their unique wants and needs. ... Keeping these goals at the forefront of care can reduce their chances of being hospitalized, according to Cindy Campbell, senior director of advisory services at healthcare technology firm WellSky. But defining patients’ goals is not just a recommendation, she noted: It’s mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Alabama agencies get new resources for dementia care amid 'great void' in servicesAlabama Reflector, by Alander Rocha; 1/31/24In a meeting of the Interagency Council for the Prevention of Elder Abuse on Tuesday, Alabama Department of Senior Services (ADSS) Commissioner Jean W. Brown said the department is “awash in money to just go where we’ve never gone before in dementia services and dementia care.” ... According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alabama in 2021 had the second highest mortality rate from Alzheimer’s disease, behind only Mississippi, at 46.8 per 100,000 people. 

Alternative therapies for pain management in senior careMedCity News, by Bent Philipson; by 1/30/24Chronic pain, an enduring concern for many older adults, is no longer confined to the traditional realm of pharmaceuticals. While traditional pain management methods like medication were once the go-to approach, alternative therapies are emerging as a viable and holistic approach to addressing this issue.

Viewpoint: Care fragmentation, care continuity, and care coordination—How they differ and why it mattersJAMA Intern Med., by Lisa M. Kern, MD, MPH; Julie P. W. Bynum, MD, MPH; Harold Alan Pincus, MD; 1/29/24Health care in the US is characterized by fragmentation, with many patients seeing multiple physicians. Indeed, 35% of Medicare beneficiaries saw 5 or more physicians in 2019.1 Having multiple physicians may be appropriate, but it may also lead to medical errors, unnecessary visits, avoidable hospitalizations, and suboptimal care if all of the physicians do not have complete information about the patient and each other’s care plans.

Despite need, adequate dementia care severely lacking among adult day service providersMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 1/29/24... More than a quarter of adult day service patients have been diagnosed with dementia, including Alzheimer’s, according to a recent National Health Statistics Report by the HHS and CDC. ... Roughly 23% of adult day service center (ADSC) patients with dementia are enrolled in a center that lacks the capabilities to adequately care for their condition.

Don’t stop dreamin’ turns nursing home residents’ dreams into realityiAdvanceSeniorCare, by Paige Cerulli; 1/22/24The nonprofit now works to fulfill dreams for residents of all Quality Life Services homes, as well as for patients of Three Rivers Hospice. “There is one employee at all ten locations, including Three Rivers Hospice, that represents Don’t Stop Dream’ as a Dream Ambassador,” explains [Paula] Elder. “They are responsible for learning about our residents and patients’ needs and dreams, and submitting them for request. Most dreams are typically granted to our residents and patients after research is completed to ensure their safety, travel arrangements (if necessary), and staffing is available.”

America's health system isn't ready for the surge of seniors with disabilitiesCalifornia Healthline, by Judith Graham; 1/17/24The number of older adults with disabilities — difficulty with walking, seeing, hearing, memory, cognition, or performing daily tasks such as bathing or using the bathroom — will soar in the decades ahead, as baby boomers enter their 70s, 80s, and 90s.

The 100 club: U.S. centenarians are set to quadruple by 2054chartr, by U.S. Census Bureau; 1/12/24... As life expectancies increase and birth rates decline, the US is anticipated to trend older in the coming decades, with the median age already reaching a record high of 38.9 in 2022. Zooming out, the global population is generally aging at a much faster pace too. Indeed, in 2020, the number of people aged 60+ outnumbered under-5s, and there are an estimated 772k centenarians the world over at present.

A looming crisis: Millennials caring for aging parentsFalls Church News-Press, by Brian Reach; 1/11/24... Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, comprise roughly 73 million Americans. By 2030, all boomers, and over 70 million Americans in total, will be ages 65 and older. This represents an at least 25 percent increase in the number of senior citizens — in just over five years.

Provider partnerships providing driving palliative care growth  Hospice News, by Holly Vossel; 1/8/24An increasingly diverse base of health care providers have taken an interest in the palliative care space, a trend that could be indicative of how strategic growth is taking shape in the field. ... More home health care, health systems, hospices and primary care providers have gained a foothold in the palliative care space, often through community-based collaborations.