Literature Review

The power of music in healing life-threatening illnesses and keeping hope aliveMedium, by Jess Whorton; 12/27/23Music has long been recognized for its therapeutic effects on the mind and body. Research has shown that music can lower blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates, reduce cardiac complications, increase immune response, and boost natural opiates. Let’s explore the power of music in healing life-threatening illnesses and keeping hope alive...

What is hospice care? 6 myths about this end-of-life optionNPRDecember 28, 2023... Former President Jimmy Carter, the longest-living former president in American history at age 99, joined those numbers in February when his family announced he was entering hospice. ... Many assumed the decision meant that Carter wouldn’t be alive for much longer. But contrary to popular belief, hospice care isn’t necessarily only for people who have just a few days to live, nor does it mean giving up care entirely. ... Here’s the truth about some of the myths about hospice care and how it works.

America has a life expectancy crisis. But it’s not a political priority.Washington PostDecember 28, 2023The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration had an urgent message last winter for his colleagues, brandishing data that life expectancy in the United States had fallen again—the biggest two-year decline in a century. Robert Califf’s warning, summarized by three people with knowledge of the conversations, boiled down to this: Americans’ life expectancy is going the wrong way. 

‘Fight’s not over’ striking Lower Bucks Hospital nurses say as they head back to workBucks County Courier TimesDecember 26, 2023Bucks County, PA—Nurses at Lower Bucks Hospital are scheduled to return to work Wednesday morning after a five-day strike without having reached a deal with the hospital owner Prime Healthcare Services Inc. 

The Corvallis group singing by the bedsides of the dying and grievingCorvallis (OR) Gazette-Times, 12/23/23Nearing the end of a long career as an educator at Corvallis’ Garfield Elementary, Susan Breckenridge began searching for post-retirement activities that she could do with others and still be in service to her community. Around this time, a friend who played the harp for a hospice organization told her about the Threshold Choir. Breckenridge had never heard about it before, but that evening she went online to read about the group. The volunteers sing at the bedsides of the dying and grieving, to be a source of comfort. “I was like, that’s it! That’s what I’ve been looking for: something that I can be in service to others and use my singing voice,” Breckenridge said on a Zoom call. Now-retired physician David Grube said he’d first learned about the choir while attending a “compassion and choices” lecture in Portland.

Hospice patient granted wish of meeting penguin at Mystic AquariumWTNH-TV (New Haven, CT), 12/22/23Mystic, CT—Mystic Aquarium played host to a special visitor on Wednesday to give her a every special experience. It’s been more than 30 years since Denise Oliver has been to Mystic Aquarium. Visiting and being able to pet a penguin, she said, made her “like a kid.” “Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m actually touching a penguin,” she said. Oliver is on hospice care at Civita Care Center at West River in Milford. “People kind of see [hospice] as the last little bit of their life, but it’s supposed to bring a celebration for all that they’ve done, and be able to enjoy the things that they like to do,” said Tayler Klein, the director of social services at the Civita Care Center.

Workers launch 7-day strike at 4 Prime Healthcare hospitalsLos Angeles Daily NewsDecember 20, 2023Nurses, medical assistants, ER techs and others at four Prime Healthcare hospitals launched their second strike of the year Wednesday, Dec. 20, claiming severe understaffing and high turnover have undermined patient care. 

As new nursing program launches at WVSU, health care officials turn eye to retaining workersWest Virginia WatchDecember 21, 2023Amid ongoing staffing shortages in hospitals locally and nationwide, West Virginia State University will be launching a new nursing degree program next year. The licensed practical nurse to Bachelor of Science in nursing pathway will be a hybrid degree program and will launch in the summer of 2024, according to a news release from WVSU. “The new [program] is designed as a pathway for working licensed practical nurses who desire to obtain a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree,” the press release reads. 

Healthcare organizations hiring, retaining more employees—FitchModern HealthcareDecember 20, 2023Hospital employment numbers have increased, while healthcare job openings are on the decline—though the industry is still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 17.2 million individuals were on the payroll at healthcare organizations in November 2023, compared with 16.6 million in December 2022, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Caregivers more financially burdened, less prepared for large emergency expensesMcKnight’s Senior LivingDecember 19, 2023Caregivers are more likely to be burdened by finances and less likely to be prepared than noncaregivers for large emergency expenses, according to data from the Employee Benefit Research Institute. ... The report noted that caregivers are predominantly women and minorities. They tend to be older, single workers as well, compared to the workforce at large. ... Still, according to the data, caregivers are more likely to find themselves in a pickle when emergency expenses arise, such as a costly prescription or a medical expense exceeding $5,000.

Employers increasingly relying on older workers, Pew Research study findsMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 18, 2023The share of people over the age of 65 that are employed has almost doubled in the last 35 years, according to a new report by Pew Research. ... It found that almost 20% of Americans aged 65 and above were employed in 2023, and these workers are working more hours and earning more money than ever before. 

Berkshire VNA Nurses and Healthcare Professionals Reach Tentative Agreement on First MNA Contract to Stabilize Staffing and Improve Patient CarePRNewswireDecember 18, 2023Pittsfield, MA—The nurses and healthcare professionals of the Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, reached a tentative agreement on December 15 with Berkshire Health Systems, agreeing on contract terms that give BVNA clinicians a wage step scale and tackle some productivity issues to help with recruitment and retention and address patient care access problems. 

SLU Hospital nurses plan two-day strike in late-DecemberKTVI-TV (St. Louis, MO)December 15, 2023St. Louis, MO—A group of SLU Hospital nurses is planning a two-day strike later this month. Organizers say the strike comes in protest of “union-busting” practices and outsourcing of RN jobs. Nurses gave their employer (SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital) notice Friday that they would plan a 48-hour strike. It’s currently scheduled outside the hospital from 7 a.m. on Dec. 27 to 6:59 a.m. on Dec. 29.