I’m a bit confused

I’ve been thinking about the mechanics of the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus and how it sustains the bearer’s life. Specifically:

  1. Does the bearer have to constantly hold the staff to stay alive?

  2. If that’s the case, does that mean Kassandra/Alexios were literally holding the staff for over 2000 years without ever letting go?

The reason I’m asking is because we see that once the bearer lets go of the staff—if they’re past their normal lifespan—they die immediately. This happens when Kassandra/Alexios passes the staff to Layla in the modern-day storyline or with Pythagoras, when he passed the staff to the protagonist.

So, how does this work exactly? Was Kassandra stuck carrying the staff for centuries without a break, or is there some detail we’re missing about how the staff’s abilities?