2025

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Hospice of the Valley: Redefining the End-of-Life Care Delivery Outlook

Hospice News

Rising competition in the hospice space has fueled pivotal changes in end-of-life care delivery both for better and for worse, according to Arizona-based Hospice of the Valley Executive Director Debbie Shumway. Healthy competition can be a good thing, driving innovation and quality improvement, Shumway stated. More providers can also mean greater access during a time of growing demand among swelling aging populations.

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The Unexpected Gifts of End-of-Life Reflection

Life & Death Matters

Written by: Reena Lazar When my father was dying two decades ago, he spoke openly about his experience, but I struggled to engage in those precious conversations. Years later, while studying deathcare, I was struck by a profound realizationthere were so many things left unspoken, so many questions I wished I had asked about his […] The post The Unexpected Gifts of End-of-Life Reflection appeared first on Life and Death Matters.

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Caring for the Unrepresented: A Podcast with Joe Dixon, Timothy Farrell, Yael Zweig

GeriPal

Summary Transcript CME Summary Many older adults lose decision-making capacity during serious illnesses, and a significant percentage lack family or friends to assist with decisions. These individuals may become unrepresented, meaning they lack the capacity to make a specific medical decision, do not have an advance directive for that decision, and do not have a surrogate to help.

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Dementia caregiving is a marathon, not a sprint.

Aging Life Care Association

Being a caregiver for a person living with dementia can be lonely. Over time, friends and family may start to fade away or your involvement with the person in your care can become more time consuming. Your world can begin to feel small. Dementia caregiving can be overwhelming. As you encounter tricky situations, you might … Continue reading Dementia caregiving is a marathon, not a sprint. → The post Dementia caregiving is a marathon, not a sprint. appeared first on Aging Life Care As

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The Evolution of Communication in Healthcare Settings

Healthcare communication has evolved from handwritten notes and paper charts to digital tools like EHRs, telemedicine, and AI-powered platforms. This blog explores how these advancements improve patient outcomes, streamline care delivery, and enhance provider collaboration. Learn about the role of mobile health (mHealth) apps, secure messaging, and social media in bridging communication gaps.

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“You cannot do it alone”: One couple’s journey with dementia

HopeHealth

When a caregiver discovers free dementia resources in Massachusetts, it leads to weekly respite care for her husband, 24/7 hospice support, and more. The post You cannot do it alone: One couples journey with dementia appeared first on HopeHealth.

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The Truth About Self Care: It’s Not All Bubble Baths and Yoga Pants.

Caregiver Warrior

We all know self-care is necessary for Caregiver survival, so why is it so hard for us to practice it? Here's some help! The post The Truth About Self Care: It’s Not All Bubble Baths and Yoga Pants. appeared first on Caregiver Warrior.

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Making every word count: The role of AAC in LTC

Rehab Realities by Renee Kinder

Have you ever reread a text message, wondering if it was taken the wrong way? Or sent an email only to receive no reply, leaving you questioning its tone? We all have, right? Now imagine navigating these communication hurdles without the ability to speak or write fluently. For many individuals we serve who present with chronic, progressive and/or neurological conditions, this is what they face daily.

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Norovirus, a Formidable and Underappreciated Hazard: What Nurses Need to Know

AJN Off the Charts

Norovirus, a highly contagious virus that causes acute gastrointestinal illness, is making its presence known across the United States. Symptoms typically begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure and last one to three days and include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal pain. During the last half of 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported close to 500 norovirus outbreaks , a significant increase when compared to the same time period in 2023.

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Three Things to Expect When Heading Home for Hospice Care

Traditions Health

Hospice care is an option for someone who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and a life expectancy of six months or less. Its focus is to ease pain, enhance comfort, and help make the most of the remaining time with loved ones. Your family can arrange hospice care at a hospital, inpatient hospice facility, long-term care facility, or home. People often choose hospice at home because its a familiar, relaxed environment.

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How to Support Your Senior During the Doldrums of Winter: Post-Holiday Seasonal Affective Disorder

Accessible Home Health Care

Its a new year. Holiday celebrations have come to a close, and lifes routine is starting to return. For some, this transition from a lot of activity back to normalcy is easy, but for seniors who are struggling with seasonal affective disorder, this can be a challenging time. With the turn of the calendar, the winter season can bring new challenges to the light that many families are not prepared for.

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3 Reasons to Retire Pagers from Healthcare Settings

Let's discuss the trusty pager—an old favorite that’s losing its shine in hospitals and clinics. While once a staple in hospitals and clinics, pagers now present significant limitations that hinder rather than facilitate communication among healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals are constantly on the move, and they need communication tools that can keep up with their fast-paced lives.

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Oncologists: Palliative Care Plays ‘Critical Role’ in Improving Quality, Health Equity

Hospice News

Interdisciplinary palliative care delivery can help to improve quality and health disparities among underserved cancer patient populations, according to oncology specialists. Cancer patients across diverse cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds often lack access to goal-concordant care that sufficiently addresses their physical, emotional and spiritual needs, according to Nadine Barrett, president of the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC).

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Advance Your Skills with Complimentary Education

Life & Death Matters

Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO) is offering complimentary online training for Ontario-based healthcare providers and administrators working in community settings, including long-term care. Enhance your ability to provide person-centered, compassionate care with two exceptional educational opportunities: Both courses are available online and must be completed by March 31, 2025.

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How to Make an Alzheimer’s Diagnosis in Primary Care: A Podcast with Nathaniel Chin

GeriPal

Summary Transcript CME Summary Things are changing quickly in the Alzheimers space. We now have biomarkers that can reasonably approximate the degree of amyloid build-up in the brain with a simple blood test. We have two new FDA-approved medications that reduce that amyloid buildup and modestly slow down the progression of the disease. So, the question becomes, what, if anything, should we do differently in the primary care setting to diagnose the disease?

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Navigating Housing Options for Seniors: A Comprehensive Guide

Aging Life Care Association

Choosing housing for older adults can be tricky because of all the different nomenclature used. When clients call an Aging Life Care professional, they usually have no knowledge of how each type of housing differs, or worse, they think a nursing home is the only real option for their loved one. Kira Reginato, an experienced … Continue reading Navigating Housing Options for Seniors: A Comprehensive Guide → The post Navigating Housing Options for Seniors: A Comprehensive Guide appeared

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The Ultimate Guide to Improving Caregiver Engagement & Retention

Want to learn how to retain your caregivers & improve caregiver retention X3? The home care industry is experiencing turnover rates of over 80%. How are you ensuring your agency is retaining caregivers? This FREE eBook from Smartcare Software is packed with industry secrets needed to keep your caregivers happy, engaged, and retained, unlocking the full potential of your agency.

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Navigating the Emotional Struggles of Compassion Fatigue in Nursing

Minority Nurse

Nursing is one of the most rewarding yet emotionally demanding professions. Nurses are on the front lines of patient care, often providing comfort during some of the most critical moments of people’s lives. However, the constant emotional toll of caregiving can lead to a phenomenon known as compassion fatiguea form of burnout tied explicitly to the emotional strain of caring for others.

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Cultural approach in neonatal pain management

Evidence-Based Nursing - BMJ blogs

This weeks blog has been written by Dr Siti Yuyun Rahayu Fitri, Associate professor in Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing at the Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia The survival rate of neonates, especially those treated in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), has improved significantly. This aligns with WHO data indicating that neonatal deaths have decreased by 44% since 2000 1.

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Trailblazers in Scrubs: Celebrating Black Nurses Who Changed History and Inspire the Future

Daily Nurse

Nurses are not just caregiversthey’re advocates, educators, and changemakers. This Black History Month, let’s take a moment to reflect on the incredible contributions of Black nurses who broke barriers, faced adversity head-on, and paved the way for a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system. These stories are not just history but a call to action for every nurse to honor their legacy by fostering equity and empowermen t in our profession.

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Nursing: Leading the Charge for Healthcare Diversity

Diversity Nursing

Diversity in healthcare is essential for ensuring fair treatment and enhancing patient outcomes. Among healthcare professionals, Nurses have emerged as champions for diversity, leveraging their unique positions as caregivers, educators, and advocates to lead the charge. Let's take a look at how Nursing is transforming healthcare by embracing and promoting diversity.

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The Role of Technology in Remote Patient Monitoring

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is transforming healthcare by enabling providers to track patient health outside traditional clinical settings. This blog explores the role of technology in RPM, including wearable devices, mobile apps, and connected medical tools that collect and share real-time data. Discover how RPM expands care access, improves outcomes, enhances patient engagement, and reduces costs by shifting from reactive to proactive care.

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The Pain Left Behind: Reflections on a Medical Mission and an Island’s Overwhelmed Nurses

AJN Off the Charts

“My family left after the volcanic eruption,” Sister said to me with a heavy heart. “But I asked myself, who will take care of my fellow Montserratians who stayed behind? These poignant words reflect the resilience and dedication of the nurses I encountered during my recent medical mission to Montserrat. During my time on the island, I collaborated with cardiologist Icilma Fergus Rowe of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, who returns each year to provide much-needed c

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Understanding the Hospice Admissions Process

Traditions Health

Although you may have heard of hospice care , you may not know how its actually arranged. Because hospice is for terminally ill patients, it can be difficult to talk about for yourself or your loved one. Traditions Health understands how stressful it can be to opt for end-of-life care. Here is a guide to understanding the hospice admissions process.

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Spread The Love This Valentines Day with Hospice Quinte

Changing Lives Podcast

This Valentines Day, Hospice Quinte invites you to celebrate love and support our community in a meaningful way with our Loved One’s Box. Whether youre remembering someone special or simply sharing the love with those around you, this treat box is the perfect way to indulge while supporting a great cause. To purchase a Loved Ones box for a donation of $30 , youll receive an assortment of 15 delicious items , including homemade treats made with love by our dedicated kitchen volunteers.

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Shoring Up the Next Generation of Hospice Chaplains

Hospice News

Hospice chaplains often have little recourse for upward mobility along their career ladders. This can make recruitment and retention difficult among the next generation of the spiritual care workforce. More professionals from a wider range of interfaith groups are entering the field, according to Shana Sullivan, bereavement coordinator of Texas-based Heart to Heart Hospice.

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Real-Life Examples of HIPAA Violations and How to Avoid Them

Speaker: Jack Clough, Chief Growth Officer

Download our 30-minute webinar where we delve into real-life examples of HIPAA violations and preventative measures every organization should know! You will learn: The critical factors that lead to HIPAA violations and how to identify them. Three compelling real-life cases of organizations that faced severe HIPAA penalties. Proven strategies to safeguard YOUR organization against HIPAA violations.

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How Palliative Care Training Programs Make a Difference in Healthcare Delivery

Life & Death Matters

Providing excellent care is about seeing individuals as persons, not just patients. This approach, championed by Kath Murray, Founder of Life and Death Matters, emphasizes person-centered care and is the foundation upon which palliative care is based. Nurses play a crucial role in delivering compassionate care, and palliative care training programs enhance their ability to […] The post How Palliative Care Training Programs Make a Difference in Healthcare Delivery appeared first on Life and

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Plenary Abstracts at AAHPM/HPNA: Yael Schenker, Na Ouyang, Marie Bakitas

GeriPal

Summary Transcript CME Summary In todays podcast we were delighted to be joined by the presenters of the top scientific abstracts for the Annual Assembly of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine ( AAHPM ) and the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Nurses Association ( HPNA ). Eric and I interviewed these presenters at the meeting on Thursday (before the pub crawl, thankfully).

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Building Healthy Hydration Habits for Older Adults

American In-Home Care

Staying hydrated might seem simple, but as we age, it becomes a cornerstone of maintaining health and well-being. Did you know that as people age, the body loses its ability to sense thirst? Combine this with factors like medications, mobility issues, and health conditions, and its easy to see why dehydration is a serious concern for older adults. At American, Advocate, and Whitsyms In-Home Care, we know that developing healthy hydration habits for older adults protects physical health and enhan

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Tips to Balancing Caregiving and Your Personal Life

Caregiver Support Services

Balancing caregiving responsibilities is one of the more challenging parts of looking after a loved one. Depending on the needs of the patient, it can eclipse your own life and cause personal problems. But you can cope with finding balance by asking for help or sharing some of the responsibility. Address Emotional Challenges There is an emotional toll that comes with care for you and the patient.

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Best Practices for Sharing Protected Health Information (PHI)

Explore essential topics in this ebook, including what constitutes PHI and how to identify it using 18 indicators. Gain insights into the importance of safeguarding PHI to protect patient privacy and learn about the severe consequences of HIPAA violations. Discover practical strategies for securely exchanging PHI within your healthcare organization, including assessing risks and implementing effective safeguards.

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Climate change and nursing; catalysing sustainability in healthcare

Evidence-Based Nursing - BMJ blogs

This weeks blog has been written by Ebenezer Akore Yeboah, a nurse and PhD candidate at Coventry University, UK, specialising in nursing, climate change, and sustainability. He is a member of the UK Florence Nightingale Foundation’s sustainability expert group. Climate change is having a widespread impact on all forms of life, leading to shifts in weather patterns, increased disease burdens, and economic struggles across the globe 1.

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Meet Carlee Minyard: The ER Nurse Who Set a Stroke Care Record and Transformed a Life in Just 17 Minutes

Daily Nurse

When every second counts, ER nurse Carlee Minyard steps up to the challenge. Her remarkable achievement of a 17-minute door-to-treatment time for stroke care at Saint Mary’s Regional Health System in Russellville, Arkansas, not only set a new record for the hospital but also showcased her exceptional skill, quick thinking, and unwavering commitment to saving lives.

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Top Nursing Specialties for 2025

Diversity Nursing

The field of Nursing continues to evolve rapidly, driven by advancements in technology, shifting healthcare needs, and a focus on specialized patient care. As we look toward 2025, certain Nursing specialties stand out for their growth potential, earning opportunities, and capacity to make a meaningful impact on patient outcomes. Whether youre an experienced Nurse seeking a new challenge or a student deciding on a career path, these specialties are worth considering. 1.

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Human Metapneumovirus: Another Important Cause of Respiratory Illness

AJN Off the Charts

Photo by Maria Kovalets/Unsplash Respiratory viruses are part of our surrounding ecology, with rates increasing and decreasing across seasons and in accordance with the individual virus environmental preferences and human interactions. The SARS-CoV2 pandemic heightened international concern regarding respiratory virus presence and continues to serve as a stark reminder that illness anywhere in the world can have a profound impact on health in the United States.

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The Essential Guide to HIPAA-Compliant Messaging for Home Care Teams

Explore the risks posed by non-compliant consumer apps like Instagram and WhatsApp in healthcare settings. Learn about potential HIPAA penalties and use a self-evaluation flowchart to determine your organization's need for HIPAA-compliant messaging. Discover straightforward steps to implement secure communication solutions efficiently, ensuring compliance and protecting patient data effectively.