Literature Review

4 Leadership strategies to motivate disengaged team members Forbes; by Julie Kratz; 10/30/24Disengagement often stems from a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities, poor communication and ineffective leadership. When employees don’t understand how their work contributes to the organization’s goals, or when they feel undervalued or undercompensated, they are more likely to disengage. When a culture doesn’t prioritize respect, trust and inclusion, it can lead to feelings of isolation or alienation. Disengagement can also be exacerbated by leaders who fail to commit to decisions or who don’t model the behaviors they expect from their teams. To motivate disengaged team members, consider these strategies: ...

Less activity, more sitting linked with higher death risks: study McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 10/28/24 Low physical activity is associated with a higher risk of dying from all causes as well as from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and kidney disease. In addition, the combination of reduced activity and longer sitting time every day is linked with a higher risk of death from any cause, a new study finds. Staying active and reducing sitting time may lower the risks, authors of the report wrote. The report was published Oct. 26 in BMC Geriatrics.Editor's note: Calling all leaders who have desk-bound employees, and who sit too long (yourselves) ... What creative ways do you encourage healthy work habits, movement, and more? Do you provide ergonomic sit/stand desks? Healthy chairs? More? Read this and remember that as we will age, today's habits impact tomorrow's health.

Eight important financial questions to ask your aging parents LifeHacker; by Emily Long; 10/23/24Money conversations can be uncomfortable, but they are also essential. ... When you start asking financial questions of your parents, remember that you don't need specifics, such as dollar amounts or who is inheriting what. The purpose of these discussions is to ensure your parents' wishes are backed by a plan and to understand whether (and how) they want or need your support as they age. Their plan may also affect you directly if you have power of attorney, help with paying bills, or are expected to be a caregiver in the future.

Kaiser Permanente mental health workers go on strike in Southern California Fox 5 - KUSI, San Diego, CA; by Danielle Dawson; 10/21/24 Thousands of mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente locations across Southern California hit the picket lines on Monday for the first day of an open-ended strike, calling for measures to reduce employee turnover and better patient care. ... The unionized mental health professionals — encompassing therapists, psychologists, social workers and psychiatric nurses — have been demanding Kaiser address issues in their next contract that have contributed to “substandard” care in Southern California. ... Last year, California behavioral health regulators flagged several of these problems when it hit Kaiser with a $50 million fine — the largest-ever penalty issued by the department — for failing to provide timely care to its patients as part of a wider $200 million settlement agreement. “Our agency could lose its Medicare license because we have five days to see our patients and, because our unsustainable caseloads, patient care is being delayed,” Elizabeth Meza, a San Diego-area hospice worker, told KUSI Monday morning. “We are only able to provide the minimum amount of care that they need.”

Nonprofit endeavors to facilitate food justice Towne Post Network; by Julie Yate; 10/17/24 Bringing Justice Home [in Louisville, KY] is a nonprofit organization committed to alleviating hunger caused by food insecurity for those facing disabilities and chronic or serious illnesses. Now in its fourth year, the completely volunteer-run initiative seeks to facilitate food justice by delivering groceries and household supplies to health-compromised families and individuals who fall below the poverty line. Equally important is the relationship building that occurs as resources are shared and volunteers open their hearts to bringing justice closer to home. ... “Bringing Justice Home is a new kind of neighborhood that goes beyond zip codes, race, disabilities, health labels or status,” says Constance Merritt, who co-founded the organization along with her wife, Maria Accardi. Merritt is a published writer and a licensed social worker with a master’s degree from the University of Louisville. She has worked with older adults in low-income senior housing, patients and families in hospital palliative care, and individuals receiving HIV and AIDS services. 

America’s longest-serving sheriff enters hospice at age 92 Georgia Sun; by Thom Chandler; 10/17/24 Cullen Talton, Houston County Sheriff for nearly 52 years, has entered hospice care, marking the end of an era in Georgia law enforcement. Talton, 92, is the longest-serving sheriff in the United States, and his health decline was announced at the Georgia Sheriff’s Association’s annual luncheon.

Why your drug store is closing CNN Business, New York, NY; by Nathaniel Meyerson; 10/16/24 CVS is closing 900 stores. Rite-Aid is closing 500. Walgreens announced Tuesday it plans to close 1,200 stores, meaning 1 in 7 will disappear. What is going on with America’s drug stores? Walgreens and other chains overexpanded during the 1990s and 2000s to drive out competitors and draw more customers. They are now shutting down because of shifting consumer habits, competition and changes in the pharmacy industry. Around 25% of Walgreens’ stores aren’t profitable, CEO Tim Wentworth said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal in June, and the chain will look to close stores that are right by one another or struggling to hold down theft. ... CVS, the largest US chain, closed 244 stores between 2018 and 2020. In 2021, it announced plans to close an additional 900 stores. Earlier this month, CVS said it planned to cut about 2,900 jobs corporate jobs. And Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy last year, closing up to 500 stores.

Death cafes: Demystifying the inevitable over tea and cookies MD edge - Internal Medicine News; by Megan Brooks; 10/15/24 “Death cafes” — where people gather to discuss death and dying over tea and cookies — have gained momentum in recent years offering a unique way for people to come together and discuss a topic that is often shrouded in discomfort and avoidance. It’s estimated that there are now about 18,900 death cafes in 90 countries, with the United States hosting more than 9300 on a regular basis. This trend reflects a growing desire to break the taboo surrounding discussions of death and dying. But these casual get-togethers may not be for everyone, and their potential benefits and harms may depend on who attends and who facilitates the discussion. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading these significant cautions.]

A Life: James Heffernan ‘made a life out of appreciating and loving literature’ Valley News, Hanover, NH; by Elle Muller; 10/12/24 As a Dartmouth professor, writer, and father, James Heffernan inspired those around him with his love of literature and passion for life. Heffernan’s children, Virginia and Andrew, affectionately called their father’s lust for life, “Heffervessence.” “His life was shaped by what he loved,” Heffernan’s son, Andrew, said. “He found literature early on and he was deeply passionate about it.” Demonstrating the vivacity and enthusiasm that had long characterized him, Heffernan, who died in July at age 85 of metastatic prostate cancer, wrote 100,000 words of his memoir in the first few months of hospice care.

Indianapolis Moms: How furry friends can help with grief and depression WISHTV.com, Indianapolis, IN: by Ashley Fowler; 10/9/24 Our four-legged friends can bring us laughter, joy, and love. But one Indianapolis woman says they can also help us heal. Roleen Demmings has written about her challenges with depression and grief after the death of her mother. ... “My mom was in hospice. She had cancer. My sister and I were her caretakers, and throughout that time, we noticed that we were gaining weight,” Demmings said. “We didn’t want to get out of bed; we had to force ourselves to and we realized the depression setting in even before she died.” She says she knew she needed to exercise more, eat better, and go to therapy, but then she found a non-traditional way of coping: a handsome Newfoundland/Poodle mix named Remy. “Those days where I didn’t want to get out of bed, I knew I had to walk him ...  He doesn’t understand depression, but, y’know, he’s really helped me with mine,” Demmings said. “While we were going through our sadness, he really was a light for us. I call him our lifeboat in the sea of depression.”

NCCI unveils new, more precise Workers’ Comp Medical Price Index Insurance Journal; by William Rabb; 10/7/24 In recent years, workers’ compensation insurers have struggled to accurately gauge the precise trends in medical costs, and have had to rely on indexes that weren’t quite on-point: The U.S. Consumer Price Index is geared toward what patients pay and does not include Medicare’s reimbursement rates, which so many states now tie their workers’ comp fee schedules to. ... Comes now the National Council on Compensation Insurance with a new measuring stick, the Workers’ Compensation Weighted Medical Price Index. It was unveiled recently and has received favorable feedback from carriers, Stephen Cooper, NCCI’s executive director and senior economist, said in a webinar. “By taking the PHC and its construction, we’ve gone and re-created a similar index using similar methodology,” Cooper said. ... 

[Free] COVID-19 testingHHS.gov press release; 10/3/24Order Your 4 Free At-⁠home COVID-⁠19 Tests. Every U.S. household is eligible to order 4 free at-home tests. COVID-19 testing can help you know if you have COVID-19 so you can decide what to do next, like getting treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness and taking steps to lower your chances of spreading the virus to others.

The competitive physician recruitment market: 5 trends Becker's Hospital Review; by Mariah Taylor; 9/24/24 Both physician recruiting and compensation have become more competitive as market disruptors have entered the field, according to AMN Healthcare's "Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives," published Aug. 5 The report is based on a representative sample of 2,138 search engagements AMN Healthcare conducted from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024. The data includes starting salary and other incentives offered to physicians and advanced practice professionals nationwide. ... Here are five trends in physician recruitment: