Literature Review

Long-term care market to grow by USD 394.8 billion from 2024-2028, as aging population drives demand with AI impact on market trends - Technavio Cision; by PR Newswire; 11/8/24 Report on how AI is redefining market landscape - The global long-term care (LTC) market size is estimated to grow by USD 394.8 billion from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of over 3.21% during the forecast period. Growing demand for long-term care from aging population is driving market growth, with a trend towards expansion and growth of several healthcare domain. However, lack of skilled nursing staff for long-term care  poses a challenge.Key market players include Abri Health Care Services LLC, Amedisys Inc., Brookdale Senior Living Inc., CareOne Management LLC, Diversicare Healthcare Services Inc., Extendicare Canada Inc, FCP Live In, Genesis Healthcare Inc., Honor Technology Inc., Illumifin Corp., Kindred Health Holdings LLC, Life Care Centers of America Inc., Revera Inc., SeniorLiving.org, Sonida Senior Living Inc., Sunrise Senior Living LLC, and Wickshire Senior Living.

Cemeteries no longer just for the dead: Spaces have a new life of their own USA Today; by Phaedra Trethan; 10/27/24 It all began with Rudolph Valentino. The silent movie star, one of cinema's first sex symbols, is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery, one of many celebrities interred there. Showing his movies for the devoted fans who showed up to remember him decades after his sudden and shocking death in 1926 at just 31, the cemetery's operators noticed the gathering grew year after year. Why not host more movie nights, especially in the final resting place of Hollywood royalty: Judy Garland, Cecil B. DeMille, Mickey Rooney, Tyrone Power and Douglas Fairbanks, to name a few, they thought? ... Hollywood Forever isn't the only cemetery offering programs beyond the usual historic tours and talks. Visitors at many U.S. cemeteries can check out movie screenings, market days, concerts, art installations and dance and theater performances. Some are even finding ways to change the conversation around death itself − and bringing life to spaces previously thought of only for the dead. Editor's note: Happy Halloween!

The Natural Funeral launches TerraCare Partner Program (TM) to expand terramation services nationwide AccessWire, Boulder, CO; by The Natural Funeral, Inc.; 10/1/24 The Natural Funeral, a leader in sustainable funeral practices, proudly announces the launch of its TerraCare Partner Program™. This innovative initiative empowers funeral homes and crematory operators across the United States to offer terramation, also known as Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), to their communities. The program provides partners with a comprehensive turnkey solution, featuring the firm's advanced, fourth-generation Chrysalis™ vessels. These systems are meticulously designed for precision, efficiency, elegance, and rapid deployment to transform human remains into Regenerative Living Soil™ within just two to four months. "By introducing the TerraCare Partner Program™, we are not only expanding the reach of terramation services but also enhancing the capacity of funeral service providers to meet a critical and growing demand for sustainable end-of-life options," said Mike Reagan, CEO of The Natural Funeral. ... The Natural Funeral has served over 500 families with eco-conscious funeral options, many of whom chose terramation, its most rapidly growing disposition service. 

Mortuaries get a modern-day makeover The Hustle; by Sara Friedman; 8/20/24 When window shopping in a city, it’s often an aesthetic storefront that captures your attention and pulls you inside. But what if the handcrafted vase that caught your eye was actually an urn for human remains? That’s the business model for the crop of trendy, modernized mortuaries popping up around the world, per The New York Times. ... Pretty enough to be spas or nightclubs, these new mortuaries bring some levity to customers looking for something different. In a Co-Op Funeralcare study of 4k people in the UK, 68% said they see funerals as celebrations of life, not sad occasions. [Examples given] ... These new mortuary models are tapping into a lucrative industry: The average funeral costs ~$6.6k in London, while the median cost of a US funeral is $8.3k.

‘Green burials’ grow in popularity as alternatives to traditional funerals Planet Detroit; by Erica Hobbs; 7/24/24|... [Modern] funeral practices are wreaking havoc on the environment. Bodies are embalmed with toxic chemicals and buried in caskets placed in non-biodegradable vaults that take up increasingly limited space in cemeteries. According to a Cornell University study, an estimated 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid, 20 million feet of hardwood, 1.6 million tons of concrete and 64,500 tons of steel are used in American burials yearly. Even cremation — often thought of as a green alternative to burial — requires up to 500 gallons of fuel and releases up to 250 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, according to a recent study from the Green Burial Council (GBC). However, for those looking to reduce their carbon footprints even in death, green options, though still relatively rare, are available in Michigan. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading these descriptions of "green burials."]

Waverly nursing home put on probation, nurse suspended in connection to death of a resident, documents show ABC KETV-7, Omaha, NE; by Jake Anderson and Aaron Hegarty; 7/17/24 A nursing facility has been placed on probation by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services in connection to the death of a resident. Constance Glantz, 74, was mistakenly declared dead at The Mulberry at Waverly, a nursing home, in June. Glantz was then taken to a funeral home in Lincoln, which realized that she was still breathing. The 74-year-old, who was in hospice care, was declared dead hours later at a Lincoln hospital. A public records request by KETV Investigates shows that a state investigation into the facility in Waverly found the registered nurse on duty failed to take Glantz's blood pressure after it was believed she had died. That nurse was suspended, according to the state investigation. Documents show that the state also found a second case where a patient was not evaluated correctly. ... [Nebraska AARP Director Todd Stubbendieck] points to Medicare.gov's tool, which rates nursing homes, as a resource. He also points to a similar tool from ProPublica.

Gen Z prefers burial over cremation, reversing decades of preferences trending toward cremationPR Newswire; by National Funeral Directors Association; 7/9/24 There is no shortage of social commentary on how Gen Z is redefining norms and challenging older generations to think differently, from fashion to workplace culture. But what about their perspective on death and dying? A first-of-its-kind survey conducted by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) offers definitive data to show how Gen Z thinks differently about end-of-life matters for themselves and their loved ones – as well as similarities with older generations. Notable differences between the generations highlight Gen Z's unique perspective, even compared to Millennials who are the closest in age, highlighting a pivot in end-of-life preferences to come:

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.

How funerals and death became the new hot things New York Post; by Alix Strauss; 6/16/24 ... Funeral homes, similar to cemeteries ... are becoming the new community centers, and people are attending events not for sad occasions, but because they have become death curious, death fascinated, and death comfortable as we all move closer to that final chapter. “The stigma around funeral homes is dissipating. The vibe of our funeral home is changing. People come to these events wanting to be here, as opposed to having to be here,” said William Villanova, president of Frank E. Campbell – The Funeral Chapel. “There’s a void we are filling in our community. We put on large-scale, high-quality, catered events with talented people at an extraordinary space.”

The cost of dying is going up, leaving some Florida families scrambling Tampa Bay Times; by Lauren Peace; 5/1/24 Christina Nall sat in the hospital parking lot gasping for air. Four hours earlier, her father, Bill Burke, had been alive. He’d eaten Golden Grahams for breakfast and wrapped his grandkids in tight hugs before school. He was putting on his shoes to leave the house when Nall, 33, found him slouched over on the couch. Doctors said it was a blood clot. He was 56 years old. Now, outside the Zephyrhills hospital, a fog of grief hung over Nall as the funeral director’s words cut into her. To get her dad back to his home in Missouri would cost upward of $2,000. The service and burial he wanted would cost another $6,000.

Thinking outside the box: eco concerns prompt greener funeral options Positive.News, by Alison McClintock; 4/5/24 Keeping a lid on your carbon footprint doesn’t stop with your last breath. Your choice of funeral can have a significant environmental impact. In a recent report by the US-based National Funeral Directors Association, 60.5% of those surveyed expressed their interest in greener options including resomation (water cremation) human composting and natural burials.  And while the UK’s funeral preferences are currently split 80:20 between cremations and burials, YouGov research finds that almost a third (29%) of people in the UK would choose alternative committal methods if available. 

The process of dealing with death is experiencing rebirth in a less-religious Pittsburgh Digital Daily; by Med St-Esprit, PublicSource; 3/24/24 Tanisha Bowman, of the North Side, a palliative care social worker for Butler Health System and a “death walker,” walks amongst the old graves in St. Mary’s Cemetery. ... From green burial to glass orbs containing ashes, the norms of funerals and burials are broadening as religious affiliation declines. ... According to a 2021 survey by Pew Research, 3 in 10 American adults are religiously unaffiliated. Data compiled by Pew Research about the Pittsburgh metro region found that 50% of adults in the region describe religion as “very important” and nearly 20% consider themselves not religious. Shifts in faith and worship mean families as well as businesses related to death and dying have had to alter their approaches.

Workplace Violence Prevention Plan Implementation: Answers to Frequently Asked QuestionsLCW, California Public Agency Labor & Employment Bolg; 3/13/24With the enactment of [California] Senate Bill (“SB”) 553, the legislature amended Labor Code section 6401.7 and added Labor Code section 6401.9, requiring employers to adopt and implement a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (“WVPP”) and corresponding training for their employees by July 1, 2024. ... Since the enactment of the bill, employers have had questions regarding the WVPP and the training requirements. Below are some common questions and the responses to them: ... [Click on the article's title to view]