Literature Review

Remembering my daughter while being a cancer survivor myself Coping, by Dottie Monroe; 4/1/24  Her name was Jill, my daughter. She was a beautiful, sensitive woman who loved animals and the joys of nature. ... Can you imagine that there is any parent in the world who wouldn’t give up their own life to save their child? Or question why my child and not me because that seems so wrong? Sometimes there is no explaining the why of things, although I gave it thought for a long time. Then one day I was done with “why.”

As America’s population ages, women shoulder the burden as primary caregivers PBS News; by Ali Rogin, Claire Mufson, and Satvi Sunkara; 3/30/24 Currently, 1 in 6 Americans is older than 65, a number that’s projected to rise to 1 in 4 by 2050. As older Americans’ needs for medical care and other support grow, women bear the biggest part of the burden of caring for them. Ali Rogin speaks with some women about their experiences and author Emily Kenway about the often unseen costs of caregiving. 

Couple marries at Iowa River Hospice to share day with dying grandfather Times-Republican, by Sara Jordan-Heintz; 3/20/24 It takes a village to coordinate a last-minute wedding, and in the case of Madeline and Quinton Ward, it also took a hospice house. The couple wed at Iowa River Hospice on Monday, February 26 so her grandfather Roger Bauder could officiate. “I wanted our favorite person — my grandfather — to marry us,” Maddie said. “We were blessed to have lots of family and close friends at his side.”

As home care workers unionize, key questions come into play for providers Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 3/29/24 Generally, employers aren’t thrilled at the idea of their workforces unionizing. In home-based care, that’s particularly the case.

I'm 34 and terminally ill, but I'm not scared of death anymore Metro / Microsoft Start, by Jyoti Smith; 3/31/24 I’ve spent the last nine years living with the idea of dying. In 2015, aged 25, I received my terminal diagnosis. ... My prognosis: three-to-five years. But here I am, almost 10 years on, at 34, and I’m living life to the fullest – if on the edge – and it’s largely down to one thing. Embracing hospice care. ... Editor's Note: Jyoti describes her journey and the care she now received from Marie Curie (hospice), in the United Kingdom.

MultiCare healthcare workers in Spokane might go on strike NBC KHQ - NonStop Local, by Laura Erickson; 3/28/24Over 1,400 healthcare workers at MultiCare Deaconess and Valley Hospitals plan to strike for seven days beginning April 7, denouncing what they’re calling “bad faith bargaining” from institution executives in response to short staffing crises in their hospitals. The SEIU Healthcare 1199NW union consists of over 33,000 caregivers throughout hospitals, clinics, mental health, skilled home health and hospice programs in Washington and Montana.

Connecticut Appellate Court rules employer could discharge medical marijuana user impaired on the job The National Law Review; by John G. Stretton, Nicole S. Mulé, Zachary V. Zagger of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.; 3/27/24 On March 19, 2024, the Connecticut Appellate Court upheld an employer’s right to discharge an employee for being impaired on the job from medical marijuana under a state law that provides employment protections for qualified medical marijuana users.

Home care unionization efforts beginning to tick back up Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 3/25/24 The home care workforce has traditionally been a tough one to organize. But efforts have ramped up over recent years, leading to more workers opting into unions across the country. Recently, University of Rochester Medicine Home Care (URMHC) workers “overwhelmingly” chose to join a labor union. They aligned themselves with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, which is one of the largest health care worker unions in the country. 

Hospice nurse plays instrumental role in patient’s joyCity Sun Times, by Lin Sue Flood; 3/27/24You see it at every symphony performance - people so enraptured by the music that their eyes close and their fingers dance in the air. Stuart Brown is one of those people. But as illness began to limit his mobility, the 81-year-old relinquished the thought of ever attending a live concert again. That’s when his Hospice of the Valley nurse secretly reached out to the Phoenix Symphony with a request to hold a small private concert in his Scottsdale home. “We absolutely can make this happen for him and his family,“ said Valerie Bontrager, director of community engagement. Editor's Note: Need some inspiration? Read this heart-warming story.

2,300 University of Michigan Health workers unionize as part of growing labor movement Detroit Free Press, by Kristen Jordan Shamus; 3/27/24 More than 2,300 University of Michigan Health employees have joined the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Michigan, part of a growing labor union-represented workforce at the Ann Arbor-based health system. ... Already, about 80% of the workforce at Michigan Medicine belongs to a labor union, the SEIU reported Tuesday.

Social Work Awareness Month: A spotlight of AOSW Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC); ACCBuzz Interview with Michael L. Grignon, AOSW President; 3/26/24AOSW is the world’s largest professional organization entirely dedicated to the psychosocial care of people affected by cancer. ...  In recognition of March as Social Work Month, ACCCBuzz spoke with AOSW president Michael L. Grignon, LMSW, CCM, MBA, about the importance of oncology social workers, and his vision for the Association during his tenure. ... Why is recognizing Social Work Month important? ...

Nurse managers' 4-day workweeks: How it's going at Mount Sinai Becker's Clinical Leadership, by Mariah Taylor; updated 3/22/24In fall 2022, New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System launched its four-day workweek program for nurse managers. More than a year later, the program continues to improve staff engagement, satisfaction and has become an important retention strategy, Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, chief nurse executive for the system, told Becker's. Dr. Oliver added, experienced nurse managers play a critically vital role in supporting staff retention and engagement, championing organizational culture, and ensuring quality and safety of patient care.

My Mother is in Hospice Care Reformed Journal, by Doug Browser; 3/25/24 My 96-year-old mother entered hospice care a few months ago. For a while, it seemed as though she would go on forever, even though we knew that was unlikely. ... [Here’s] the thing, maybe the most striking thing I’ve learned while sitting with my mom over these last few months. Loss of memory can sometimes be a gift. ... I realize that there can be a kind of grace in not remembering a few things. ... We don’t have to go back and revisit any of it. We have this time together. ... And together we are a mom and a son, present in the moment, a moment with a surprising amount of grace. I never expected to get there.