Literature Review

Nonprofit organizes free home cleanings for cancer patients The Dallas Express, Dallas, TX; by Patti Villegas; 10/27/24 When facing a serious illness, even simple tasks can become overwhelming. However, one nonprofit organization is stepping in to help alleviate some of that burden for individuals with cancer. Cleaning for a Reason, founded in 2006, has facilitated free home cleaning services for more than 57,133 cancer patients in the U.S. and Canada, providing services valued at a total of more than $19 million. The non-profit organization partners with residential cleaning companies and community volunteers to “clean the homes of cancer patients to provide hope, relief, control, and cleanliness,” the group’s website states. The volunteers’ work not only enhances the patients’ physical environment but uplifts their spirits as well.

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.

Heartless activist who took selfie with woman’s dying father in hospice shows no emotion upon learning of her fate following sick harassment campaign What'sNew2Day; written by "Jack," with another author listed "Bethan Sexton for Dailymail.com"; 10/5/24 An activist who snuck into a hospice and took a selfie with a woman’s dying father because he opposed her support for LGBTQ rights showed no emotion as he was sentenced for his sickening campaign of harassment. Bubba Pollock, 35, was sentenced to two months in prison after pleading guilty to criminally harassing Britt Leroux, 38. Pollock, from London, Ontario, openly protested the drag queen stories and was seen on video promising to pay people up to $500 to sabotage events. He had a fierce debate with Leroux, which culminated in him driving 120 miles to the Windsor hospice where Leroux’s father, Andre Leroux, was receiving palliative care and taking the photograph in an attempt to mock his victim.

Improv for Caregivers receives a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts EINPressWire; by A. A. Cristi; 9/23/24 The New London Barn Playhouse received an arts in health grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts to continue and expand their Improv for Caregivers program through a larger umbrella program titled “Improv for a Cause.” “Improv for a Cause” will encompass two communication programs that use a similar process to reach different communities. The first, Improv for Caregivers, in partnership with Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice, is an ongoing communication workshop series for those who care for loved ones with dementia and Alzheimer's. ... Each improv workshop session combines insight from healthcare professionals with improvisational theatre techniques, with a goal of developing new communication skills, strategies to cope with stress, flexibility in relationships, and an understanding of loved ones' changing perspectives. With guidance from the VNA and caregivers in the community, the team of actors prepare short scenarios that portray situations caregivers commonly face, such as sundowning, taking away car keys, collaborating with care staff, and hallucinations. ...

‘His Three Daughters’: A sister act that’s among the year’s best movies The Washington Post - Arts & Entertainment; by Ty Burr; 9/5/24 Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne give career-peak performances in Azazel Jacobs's relatable family drama. ... “His Three Daughters” is in all its simplicity and complexity the story of how these women get along over the course of their dad’s final week. Spoiler alert: They don’t. If that sounds like a downer, the movie’s kept from terminal morbidity by writer-director Jacobs’s uncanny ear for dialogue and by the empathy of the three central performances. There’s humor here, gallows and otherwise. But there’s also an overflowing heartful of feeling, approached from three different angles by three different people who all happen to love the same parent. Other people come and go: a hospice worker (Rudy Galvan) whose smooth bromides eventually grate on the sisters’ nerves and ours; a night nurse (Jasmine Bracey) with patience and kindness and a full, unseen life outside the apartment; ... In its final moments, the movie takes a risk — a huge gamble, really — that for my money pays off on any number of levels, and in doing so finally confirms its writer-director’s talent. ... Available Sept. 20 on Netflix. [Netflix trailor and reminder available now.]

Worn-out caregiver? Not alone. 1 in 3 Michigan women aged 50+ care for othersBridge Michigan; by Robin Erb; 8/6/24More than 1 in 3 Michigan women 50 and older are caregiving for at least one person with a health condition or disability, according to state data extracted from a national survey. It’s a responsibility that — while it offers rewards and moments of joy and laughter — can exact a heavy physical, emotional and financial toll.

Can Artificial Intelligence speak for incapacitated patients at the end of life? JAMA Internal Medicine; by Teva D. Brender, MD; Alexander K. Smith, MD; Brian L. Block, MD; 7/22/24 Viewpoint: Imagine meeting with the daughter of a critically ill patient. The patient (her mother) had a cardiac arrest, is in multiorgan failure, and cannot communicate. The daughter is uncomfortable making decisions because they are estranged and never discussed what her mother would want in this type of situation. The patient has no advance directive or alternative surrogate. Now imagine this meeting taking place in a future where the mother’s medical visits have been audio recorded. Furthermore, you have access to an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that can identify and play excerpts of the mother talking about what mattered most to her. You and the daughter listen to these recordings together. Then you share that another algorithm, trained on 7 million patient records, predicts that the mother’s chance of walking again is less than 5%. ...

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:

Being present is one way to help dying friendAsk the Doctors; by Elizabeth Ko, MD and Eve Glazier, MD; 7/5/24Dear Doctors: My friend was diagnosed with multiple myeloma 10 years ago. His chemo is no longer working, and his doctors say there’s nothing else to be done. He has accepted whatever is coming. He has lost weight, and sometimes the pain is bad. How can I help him?Dear Reader: No matter how long someone has been dealing with a serious illness, the cessation of active treatment can be devastating. This is true not only for the person approaching the end of their life, but also for family and friends. The response to this transition often includes a rotating mix of grief, sorrow, fear, anxiety, dread and anger. However, people also often feel acceptance, peace, hope and even relief. Again, these are experienced not only by the individual who is ill, but also by the people around them. When spending time with someone with a terminal illness, you are looking for balance. That is, you want to be supportive and helpful, but not overwhelm them with your attentions. Hospice care professionals say this can be achieved by asking the person what they need. ... Always check with the person before starting a new task or a project. This keeps them in control of the events around them, which bolsters mental and emotional well-being. [Italics and bold are from this newsletter's editor.]Editor's Note: Calling all hospice and palliative leaders, in the midst of carrying out our professional roles most of us experience the dying and deaths of family, friends, and acquaintances. This article gives meaningful, practical ways to both be present and do simple things that can empower and support the person who is dying. We invite you to pair this article with our newsletter's "Today's Encouragement: We are human beings ..."

Empowering ‘deeply undervalued’ caregivers would improve ‘lifeline for older adults’ McKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 6/28/24 Direct care workers and family caregivers remain “deeply undervalued” and often overlooked despite calls for investment in the care economy, according to the authors of a new report. “These caregivers provide a lifeline for older adults, people with disabilities, and people living with chronic conditions,” PHI and the National Alliance for Caregiving said in an issue brief released Wednesday. “Empowering them in their roles will help to ensure high quality, responsive care to meet the needs and preferences of millions of Americans now and in the future.” The organizations called on providers, Congress, the Department of Labor, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, states, managed care plans and advocates to invest in the “essential partnership” between direct care workers and family caregivers. The new brief includes insights from a variety of stakeholders ...  The result is a list of recommendations that prioritize improvements to direct care jobs.Editor's Note: Our sponsor, Composing Life Out of Loss, equips hospice and palliative care organizations with caregiver education and support video libraries to strengthen relationships between the direct care professional and the family caregiver, with timely information for the entire family. Contents are written to CMS CoPs, CAHPS, and contemporary grief research; English and Spanish.

When your parents die: Becoming an adult orphan The Montecito Journal; by Deann Zampelli; 6/18/24 Shortly after I got married, my 64-year-old mother lost her battle with breast cancer. Seven years later my father joined her. The loss isn’t any less painful just because you are a grown-up. ... Many don’t realize that grief isn’t linear. We don’t go through a neat little phase, checking off each stage as we complete it. The famous (and somewhat debunked) five stages of grief introduced by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in the 1960s (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance) were from a study she did on the emotional states of patients who were dying. It was their stages she was referencing, not ours. ... I came to a frightening realization. ...  It suddenly dawned on me that my siblings and I were next in line to kick it. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]Editor's Note: While serving in your hospice leadership roles, you experience the ongoing aging, changes and likely even deaths of your own family members, friends, and mentors. Do you, your hospice communications, and/or your grief services rely on the outdated "Stages of Grief" model? These "stages" opened the door in the 1960's for talking about death and dying, but became overpopularizd for surviving and healing after the loss. These have been replaced with extensive bereavement/loss/grief research, clinical best practices, and more. For expert information, resources, and bereavement professionals, examine www.adec.org,  the Association for Death Education and Counseling. 

56 percent willing to dip into retirement savings to be family caregiver: surveyMcKnights Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 5/23/24 Fifty-six percent of Americans participating in a new survey said they would be willing to take a loan from their own retirement fund to become a caregiver for someone else. Results of the Nationwide Retirement Institute 2024 Long-Term Care Survey were released Tuesday. The research, conducted online March 12 through April 2 by The Harris Poll on behalf of Nationwide, surveyed 1,334 adults aged 28 or more years who had household incomes of at least $75,000. Dipping into retirement savings can make a serious dent into long-term finances. Forty-two percent of the respondents said they believe that being a family caregiver likely will use up the money they had planned for the future, and 43% of the total said that they are afraid that caregiving expenses will keep them from ever retiring.Editor's Note: Pair this with another article in today's newsletter, "The real cost of cancer: 49% of patients carry $5K+ in medical debt."