SUPPORT EMERGES FOR THE FIRST GENERATION OF LGBTQ WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS Bereaved members of the LGBTQ community are for the first time grieving as legally recognized widows and widowers following the legalization of same-sex marriage. While the loss of a same-sex partner is nothing new, marriage may be having an impact on how that […]
STUDY PROVIDES A DETAILED PORTRAIT OF AMERICA’S MODERN CAREGIVERS Media have given considerable attention lately to today’s caregivers. With an average age of 42, the modern caregiver is younger and facing new challenges. Many balance caregiving between elderly family members and children, their careers and their second unpaid full-time roles as caregivers. A new […]
HELPING MEN EMBRACE GRIEF The reluctance to share dark feelings surrounding grief is not uncommon for men, says psychologist Jackson Rainier. In “How Men Grieve” published in Next Avenue, Rainier discusses the particular difficulties men encounter when dealing with a loss. He draws from his own professional and personal experience as a widower, shining […]
Each quarter TNMHO hosts a 1 hour WHV partnership meeting to share expertise and to help hospices that are participating meet program requirements. You only need to sign up once to get on the roster, and then you will be notified by email of every meeting. The meeting usually will have 1-2 speakers followed by […]
GROUPS FOCUS ON HOSPICE CAREGIVER BURDENS As hospice care expands and more Americans are dying at home, caregivers are often left to take on huge responsibilities they may not be prepared for. In a story that comes from a partnership between Nashville Public Radio, NPR, and Kaiser Health News, the state of caregiving is […]
NEW JERSEY LEGISLATORS ADDRESS NEEDS FOR END-OF-LIFE AND PALLIATIVE CARE New Jersey Assembly Democrats are focused on improving citizens’ access to palliative and end-of-life care. Three bills are addressing these needs. One of the bills recently became law, and the other two “received full legislative approval.” The bill that has become a law (A-4682/S3118) […]
STUDY EXAMINES CORRELATION BETWEEN CAREGIVERS AND PATIENTS’ END OF LIFE SYMPTOMS Symptom management is an important part of hospice care and many studies have looked at symptom types and prevalence at the end of life (EoL). However, much about EoL symptoms remains unknown and appears to be highly variable. One area needing further study […]
COMMUNITY-DRIVEN CULTURAL TRAINING EXPANDS PALLIATIVE CARE IN ALABAMA AFRICAN AMERICAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES In Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System has been increasing efforts to expand offerings outside of their university hospital and better serve those they care for. They’ve added palliative services to their house calls program and telecare […]
AMERICANS ARE NOW DYING AT HOME MORE OFTEN THAN IN HOSPITALS A report published by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) reveals that, for the first time in more than 50 years, more Americans are dying at home than in the hospital. While this marks a positive turn in the movement toward a […]
MEDPAC PRESENTATION CALLS FOR NO HOSPICE RATE INCREASES AND REDUCTION IN AGGREGATE CAP The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) held its public meeting on December 5-6, 2019. MedPAC makes recommendations to Congress each year on the adequacy of hospice (and other provider) payments, and on action the Congress should consider. In the December […]
AUTHORS SAY INPATIENT HOSPICE ENDANGERED BY MEDICARE REGULATIONS
IN-HOME PALLIATIVE CARE CAN BE A POWERFUL INTERVENTION
WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE HOLDS TESTIMONY ON “CARING FOR AGING AMERICANS”
SPECIAL NOTE: HNN newsletter, on October 29, 2019, shared a summary of updates from the October 25, 2019 Oregon POLST Program News. National POLST contacted HNN to correct inaccuracies in the Oregon POLST Newsletter covered in the recent HNN article. The National POLST response addresses “Oregon POLST’s separation from National POLST;” “Developing a uniform POLST form;” and, “Designation […]
SPECIAL NEWS OF NOTE The US House passed the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA), HR 647. PCHETA now advances to the Senate and advocates are hopeful for swift advancement. (C-TAC, 10/28, https://www.thectac.org/2019/10/palliative-care-and-hospice-education-and-training-act-passed-by-u-s-house/) OREGON POLST AIRS ISSUES OF CONCERN Oregon POLST shares program news that addresses numerous updates from […]
STUDY REVEALS THAT “FIGHTING A BATTLE” WITH SERIOUS ILLNESS MAY CREATE MORE HARM THAN GOOD “When it comes to cancer and other serious diseases, we often rely on words of aggression and tenacity,” says an article in USC News. “Patients are ‘fighters,’ and those who experience remission or return to good health are ‘survivors.’ Obituaries […]
INCLUSIVE HOSPICE CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH OBESITY More patients with obesity are enrolling in hospice care though hospice providers are not always well-equipped to provide targeted care to this group. “Hospice often cares for patients who are underweight or emaciated due to advanced disease or chronic illness, which can contribute to the lack of […]
Welcome to these new hospice provider members: A Healing Touch Hospice – Weslaco
At Home Health Care Hospice – Houston
ARTICLE SHARES NEW MODEL FOR ASSESSMENT OF SPIRITUAL NEEDS AT END-OF-LIFE The Journal of Palliative Medicine covers the development of a new model, PC-7, for scoring religious/spiritual (R/S) needs in palliative care patients at the end-of-life. “The aim of this project was to develop an evidence-based model for spiritual assessment, specific to adult palliative […]
NHPCO RELEASES “HOSPICE PROGRAM INTEGRITY INITIATIVES” NHPCO released integrity guideline for hospice care. The release is part of their role in providing assistance to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), and Congress in “helping to stop fraud and abuse before it occurs and embracing any new […]