Literature Review

Innovative program for veterans aims to combat dementia and feelings of social isolation and loneliness by distributing animatronic pets nationwide Cision PRWeb; by Capital Caring Health; 7/18/24 Capital Caring Health, part of the nation's largest not-for-profit advanced illness care and hospice provider—Chapters Health System, and Ageless Innovation, the makers of the award-winning Joy for All™ Companion Pets, are distributing companion pets to Veterans with dementia, and those suffering from feelings of social isolation and loneliness as part of their innovative "Pets for Vets" program. ... To date, Capital Caring Health's "Pets for Vets" program has distributed more than 3,000 robotic companion pets – which provide joy, companionship, emotional support, and more to Veterans, will expand to deliver 1,000+ companion pets to Veterans living in Long-Term Care Centers across the nation.

Alpharetta City Council considering fee for lifting assistance calls Appen Media, Alpharetta & Roswell, GA; by Jon Wilcox; 7/16/24 The Alpharetta City Council is considering a fee for residents and assisted living homes who make multiple calls a month for emergency responders to help people who have fallen. Director of Public Safety John Robison told the council July 15 that calls for lifting assistance come at significant cost and tie up responders who may be needed for other emergencies. Last year, Robison said, 328 calls for lift assistance cost the city $78,844, almost double the cost from the previous year, which saw 190 calls at a cost of $32,275.30. ... A proposed ordinance suggests a schedule of fees for calls asking responders to assess people who have fallen and may be injured. ... Hospice patients would be exempt from the fees. 

Senior living providers embrace role in CMS dementia care pilot program McKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 7/11/24 Senior living providers named participants in the federal government’s new dementia care pilot program said they are excited to be part of a new effort to support people living with dementia and their family caregivers. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, CMMI, announced the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience, or GUIDE, model last summer. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched the eight-year GUIDE model on July 1 and published the program participant list on Monday [7/8]. Eligible model participants are Medicare Part B-enrolled providers eligible to bill for Medicare services and that provide, or will provide, ongoing care to people living with dementia. Eligible organizations include accountable care organizations, home health and hospice agencies, Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, and physician practices. Additional long-term care providers and other healthcare providers, however, can participate as partner organizations by contract with another Medicare provider/supplier to meet the program care delivery requirements. Assisted living residents who are Medicare beneficiaries may be part of the model. Editor's Note: Adding to our previously published posts about the new CMS GUIDE Program (7/10/24 and 7/11/24) and its use by hospice organizations, this article describes its use by senior living care providers. 

Provider of in-home imaging services and 24/7 radiologist access raises $200M Radiology Business; by Marty Stempniak; 7/9/24 HarmonyCares, a provider of in-home X-ray services that spans 15 states, has raised $200 million in new capital, leaders announced Monday. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, the company is focused on physician-led care for vulnerable patients who cannot travel to a traditional healthcare facility. HarmonyCare Diagnostics brings the latest digital X-ray technology to patients’ homes or long-term care facilities, offering rapid results with board certified radiologists “available 24/7.”

Cooper University Health acquires New Jersey system Becker's Hospital Reivew; by Alan Condon; 7/1/24 Cooper University Health Care on July 1 completed the acquisition of  Cape May, NJ-based Cape Regional Health System. As part of the closing, Cape Regional Medical Center has been renamed Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional. The combined health system comprises two hospitals with more than 900 beds, 130 ambulatory sites and almost 11,000 employees, including over 1,000 physicians. It is projected to have revenue exceeding $2.2 billion a year. The transaction unlocks significant growth opportunities, particularly in the outpatient market, as healthcare continues its shift away from inpatient settings, Camden, N.J.-based Cooper CFO Brian Reilly told Becker's. 

Grief care efforts should include settings outside of hospice, provider group say McKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 7/3/24 If standards are developed for high-quality bereavement and grief care, they must apply to settings outside of traditional hospice care, such as affordable senior housing, where there is a “critical lack” of mental health services. That’s according to LeadingAge, which submitted comments last week to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality on a draft report from a research project that will inform an independent panel that will develop standards for high-quality bereavement and grief care. Katy Barnett, LeadingAge director of home care and hospice operations and policy, highlighted the need for cross-continuum grief and bereavement assessments, interventions and resources, including in settings outside of traditional hospice care, such as affordable senior housing.

UC San Diego receives $5M to support Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program UC San Diego Today; by Miles Martin; 6/25/24 The University of California San Diego has been selected for the third time to participate in the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP). This highly selective program comes with a $5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). These funds will be used over the next five years to support the San Diego Imperial Geriatric Education Center (SDIGEC), which provides geriatric educational programming to health workers and other care providers across both San Diego and Imperial counties. SDIGEC is an ongoing collaboration between UC San Diego and San Diego State University (SDSU) that works to address the critical need for more aging-friendly communities and health systems. ... The grant will also support new programming to reach underserved communities and provide training for a wider variety of health workers and caregivers, emphasizing the needs of those living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Chronic loneliness and the risk of incident stroke in middle and late adulthood: a longitudinal cohort study of U.S. older adults eClinical Medicine, Part of THE LANCET Discovery Science; by Yenee Soh, Ichiro Kawachi, Laura D. Kubzansky, Lisa F. Berkman, and Henning Tiemeier; 6/24/24 Loneliness has been implicated as a stroke risk factor, yet studies have examined loneliness at only one time point. The association of loneliness changes and risk of incident stroke remains understudied. Our aim was to examine the association of loneliness with incident stroke, particularly the role of loneliness chronicity. Chronic loneliness was associated with higher stroke risk independent of depressive symptoms or social isolation. Addressing loneliness may have an important role in stroke prevention, and repeated assessments of loneliness over time may help identify those particularly at risk.Editor's Note: This is the source research for an article we posted yesterday, 6/28/24, titled 

48 health systems with strong finances Becker's Hospital CFO Report; by Andrew Cass; 6/20/24 Here are 48 health systems with strong operational metrics and solid financial positions, according to reports from credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings and Moody's Investors Service released in 2024. Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Health systems were compiled from credit rating reports. [Click on the title's link for the list.] Editor's Note: This list is from larger "health systems," and does not reflect stand-alone hospice and palliative organizations.

Hospice of Marion County trains first responders to care for dementia patients Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/18/24 Florida-based Hospice of Marion County, an affiliate of Empath Health, is training first responders in its community on how to treat dementia patients. For several years, the nonprofit hospice has been educating family caregivers and others in their community about the experiences of dementia patients and how to better interact with them. More recently, Hospice of Marion County [Ocala, Florida] has been expanding that training to include local law enforcement and fire departments, as well as medical students and staff at assisted living facilities, among others. The training uses a series of tools to simulate symptoms of dementia, related to visual, tactile, auditory senses, their ability to process information and perform certain tasks. The education helps first responders address the unique challenges associated with caring for dementia patients, according to Dr. Mery Lossada, chief medical officer of Hospice of Marion County.Editor's Note: Bravo, Hospice of Marion County!

Nursing homes are left in the dark as more utilities cut power to prevent wildfires News-Medical.net; by KFF Health News; 6/10/24 When powerful wind gusts created threatening wildfire conditions one day near Boulder, Colorado, the state's largest utility cut power to 52,000 homes and businesses — including Frasier, an assisted living and skilled nursing facility. It was the first time Xcel Energy preemptively switched off electricity in Colorado as a wildfire prevention tool, according to a company official. The practice, also known as public safety power shut-offs, has taken root in California and is spreading elsewhere as a way to keep downed and damaged power lines from sparking blazes and fueling the West's more frequent and intense wildfires. 

Navigating Aging: New help for dealing with aggression in people with dementia Northern Kentucky Tribune; by Judith Graham, KFF Health News; 6/9/24Caring for older adults with dementia is stressful, especially when they become physically or verbally aggressive, wander away from home, develop paranoia or hallucinations, engage in inappropriate or repetitive behaviors, or refuse to let caregivers help them. Upward of 95% of patients experience these neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia, which tend to fluctuate over time and vary in intensity. They’re the primary reasons people with dementia end up in assisted living facilities or nursing homes. At some point, families and friends trying to help at home simply can’t manage. “When people think about dementia, they usually think about forgetfulness and memory impairment,” said Mary Blazek, director of the geriatric psychiatry clinic at the University of Michigan. “But it’s behavioral and psychological disturbances that are most disruptive to patients’ and caregivers’ lives.”

Addus to buy Gentiva’s personal care assets for $350 million Home Health Care News; by Andrew Donlan; 6/10/24 Addus HomeCare Corp. is set to acquire Gentiva’s personal care assets for about $350 million.Those assets amount to over 16,000 home care patients per day, in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Addus – which just left the state of New York – will fund the acquisition through its existing revolving credit facility. “We believe this acquisition is a great strategic fit for Addus, and we are excited about the opportunity to expand our personal care market coverage in seven states, including Texas and Missouri, which are new markets for Addus,” Addus CEO Dirk Allison said. ... Addus currently provides home care, home health care and hospice services to over 49,000 consumers through 214 locations spanning 22 states.