Literature Review

Talking about death and dyingThe Saturday Evening Post; by N. West Moss; 1/19/24Last summer, my 88-year-old mother was diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer and opted for in-home hospice. She died three months later. Talking about death can be difficult. It can bring up feelings of fear, anxiety, and sorrow. It can also feel awkward as it requires acknowledging one’s own (or a loved one’s) mortality. 

Man with cancer once wanted assisted suicide, but was glad he chose natural death insteadLive Action, by Cassy Fiano-Chesser; 1/15/24“In our last moments, when he was awake, I sat on his bed and sang to him — Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now. He had watched her sing it at the Isle of Wight pop festival and it was a magical memory he had relived with us.

Videos help increase communication of care goals for hospitalized older adultsNational Institute on Aging; 1/11/24A video intervention delivered to older hospital patients by palliative care educators helped increase communication and documentation of care preferences. These findings, published in JAMA Network Open, are from a study led by NIA-funded Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers.

Impatiently waiting for my mom to dieYour Tango, by Kai Larsen; 1/10/24... I never hear her voice or see her face or think it’s her when a light burns out. She’s just gone. I write my portion of her obituary while she is still alive, but only because there’s not much to do while you’re living on the floor of the hospital that is designated for dying, and because it is taking her so long to do so. ...

How to ensure your passwords don't die with youCyberGuy Report, by Kurt Knutsson; 1/7/24As technology becomes more integrated into our lives, we need to consider how it affects our legacy and our loved ones. There are some uncomfortable but necessary end-of-life conversations we should all have with our loved ones, but passwords usually aren’t one of them. Yet with so much of our professional, personal and financial life online, it is more important now to include how to handle your digital life in those conversations.  

Financial hardship drives unhappiness in people living with dementia, study findsMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kristen Fischer; 1/4/24A new study is uncovering just how tough it can be financially to live with dementia. The report, published Dec. 29 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that nearly 56% of people with dementia face financial hardships. Those financial challenges are linked with worse reported satisfaction with life and healthcare. ... The study examined data from 534 participants with dementia who shared details on satisfaction with their lives and their healthcare. The researchers compared that data to information from questionnaires from 576 people who were newly diagnosed with cancer and receiving treatment.

My father, the giant: His life's work was caring for the people he lovedThe Atlantic, by Ross Andersen; 1/3/24Yesterday afternoon, my dad, Erik Dybkaer Andersen, lay sleeping at home in his hospice bed when a calm settled over his body and he drew his last breath. He was 78. For more than a year, we had known that cancer would take him; only the hour was uncertain. But it is still a shock to find him missing from his bedroom, from his family, from the world. It is too early to measure, much less put into writing, all that he meant to us. For now, I want only to read his life into the record, and to get across his essence, above all as a caretaker of those he loved.Editor's Note: Access to the full article requires a free trial or subscription to The Atlantic.

A medication mistake cost a Lockport woman her life. A new grant aims to help others avoid same fateThe Buffalo News, by Scott Scanlon; 1/2/24 In a perfect health care system, patients who ended up in the hospital would start to feel better soon and go home with a recovery plan, along with any medications designed to help in that process. ... “All medications have side effects, and some are especially harmful in older adults,” UB officials said in announcing a four-year, $1.95 million grant focused on improving medication prescribing.

Rosalynn Carter’s impact on caregiversBy R. Lynn BarnettBlogKevin MDDecember 25, 2023...  As caregivers, we are the voice for others, but we also need to be a voice for ourselves. ... I wasn’t prepared, as many people aren’t, for the fiscal and physical aspects of caregiving. ... The toll that caregiving can take is often underrated, understated, and under-appreciated. ... Rosalynn Carter was known as a “Steel Magnolia,” showing the same inner fortitude and mettle, combined with grace, of the main characters in the film of the same name. I think all of us caregivers become steel magnolias. It’s not that we deserve a medal for our actions; we just deserve a little peace.[Editor's Note, Joy Berger for Hospice and Palliative Care Today: Rosalynn Carter founded the Institute for Caregiving 35 years ago, preparing for the surge of Baby Boomers' aging and caregiving needs. Her memorable quote lives on: "There are only four kinds of people in the world--those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers." Visit www.rosalynncarter.org for more information.

Caring for Dementia during the holidaysValley Times News (Lanett, AL)December 20, 2023The holidays can be a stressful time for everyone, but they pose a unique challenge for senior citizens, individuals with disabilities, or those living with dementia and their caregivers. Dr. Joe Downs, from the Chattahoochee Hospice, said checking on caregivers of people with dementia is important all year around, but it can be especially important during the holidays. 

Caregivers Are Invisible. They Shouldn’t BeBy Emma Nadler, LPCCNewsweekDecember 18, 2023Eight years ago, I unexpectedly joined the other 38 million unpaid caregivers in the United States. The AARP estimates that 11.5 percent of the U.S. population are caring for family members in 2023. We are many, and somehow, we are still grossly overlooked and under supported in nearly every way. My daughter, Eden, now in second grade, was born with a rare genetic deletion—so rare it does not have a name. She lives on a feeding tube, endures various chronic medical challenges, cognitive impairment, severe autism, and requires around-the-clock care. 

Walgreens’ VillageMD to shutter more clinics in cost-cutting planModern HealthcareDecember 15, 2023Walgreens-backed VillageMD is exiting Indiana. The primary care provider plans to shutter all 12 of its Village Medical practices across the state, effective Jan. 19, a VillageMD spokesperson confirmed Friday. Some of the locations are co-located with Walgreens stores, but the stores are not closing, the spokesperson said. The closures stem from Walgreens’ larger cost-cutting plan announced in October that involves closing 60 VillageMD-operated clinics in five markets. Earlier this month, VillageMD said 10 clinics in the Jacksonville, Florida, area will close in January. Walgreens is seeking $1 billion in savings, most of which will come from pharmacy operations and scaling back capital projects by about $600 million.