Hospice East Bay workers strike
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 10/5/26
Dozens of workers at California-based Hospice East Bay on Monday launched a seven-day strike. The strike includes 70 bereavement counselors, chaplains, nurses, social workers and pharmacists at the hospice. The workers joined the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) in 2023.

The blessing of hospice transport
Las Cruces Bulletin [NM]; by Mike Cook; 10/3/26
“We are the only hospice we know of who is able to arrange our own transportation,” Mesilla Valley Hospice Chief Operating Officer Mario Prieto said Sept. 24, after MVH’s first ever non-emergency transport vehicle received a blessing and became available for use... Having the vehicle means MVH can transport patients to the hospice from a hospital or a private home, Prieto said, which provides another important service to the families of MVH patients, and it means hospitals won’t have to hold a bed for a patient while waiting for transport or be responsible for the transport.

New Castlewood event raises $450,000 for Hope Hospice [CA]
Pleasanton Weekly; by Jeremy Walsh; 10/4/26
The inaugural “Plays for Hope” fundraiser held at The Club at Castlewood over three days this summer generated more than $450,000 to benefit Hope Hospice... “We are incredibly grateful to our partners at The Club at Castlewood and to everyone who participated, volunteered, sponsored, and supported the remarkable weekend,” said Skelly Wingard, CEO of By the Bay Health, the nonprofit that operates Hope Hospice.

Nearly one in four US adults projected to develop heart failure
Cardiologytoday; by Scott Buzby; 10/5/26
One in four U.S. adults are projected to develop HF in their lifetime. The prevalence of HF is expected to increase from 3% currently to 3.8% by 2050. HF mortality represented 14.6% of all deaths in the U.S... Nearly one in four U.S. adults are projected to develop heart failure in their lifetime, and the overall prevalence of the disease is expected to keep rising due to an aging population with increasing comorbidities, researchers reported.

Why are people so afraid of death? Psychology has a surprising answer
Yahoo!Life; by Chigozie Nzenwa; 10/5/26
Fear of death is not just about physical survival, but also about the psychological problem of death anxiety that can influence everyday behavior. Fear of death can look like a simple survival instinct, but psychologists think it goes much deeper than wanting to avoid physical danger. Humans can imagine the future, understand that death is unavoidable and picture a world continuing without them. That combination creates a kind of psychological problem other threats do not. Researchers call this death anxiety. It can involve fear of pain, nonexistence, losing control, leaving loved ones behind or simply facing something no one can fully know in advance. One influential theory argues that people cope with this awareness by building meaning, identity and self-worth around themselves.

Hot new drugs in palliative care: Max Stevenson, Alex McPherson, and Nisha Iyer
GeriPal podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Max Stevenson, Alex McPherson, Nisha Iyer; 10/1/26
When you think of palliative care pharmacotherapy, you probably think about the tried-and-true mainstays of our field like morphine, haloperidol, and senna. But the landscape of palliative symptom management is rapidly evolving, with hot new drug classes and rediscovered old-school opioids (and not just buprenorphine!). On today’s episode of the GeriPal Podcast, we sit down with three expert palliative care clinical pharmacists, Max Stevenson, Alex McPherson, and Nisha Iyer, to talk about 5 hot new drugs (or rediscovered).

Medicaid provider allegedly billed $165K for dead patient's rides among fraud exposed in explosive report
New York Times Post; staff writers; 10/5/26
A Colorado resident [Wesam Yassin] was charged with trying to steal hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars by billing the state’s Medicaid program for transporting a patient to doctor’s appointments — rides that would have taken place after that person had already died... It also pointed to charges against Ashley Marie Stevens, who is accused of trying to bilk the state for over $1 million in taxpayer dollars. She is accused of billing the state some $400,000 for non-medical rides for herself and her family in addition to “ghost rides,” which never even took place.

In Gulfport, a lesson for seniors: Don’t get trapped by AI scams
Tampa Bay Times; by Lane DeGregory; 10/5/26
Claudine Fle shares tips with seniors about how to avoid AI scams. Her workshop was the first time the Gulfport Senior Center held a class on AI.

• Your grandson isn’t really tied up in some basement, being held for ransom — even if the caller sounds like him.
• That man on the dating site doesn’t need $30,000 for a kidney — even if he tells you you’re beautiful, and his only hope.
• Your Amazon account didn’t get hacked — even if the official-looking email says it did.

“Don’t panic,” Claudine Fle told a group of older adults on a recent afternoon. “Don’t fall prey.” They had gathered for the Gulfport Senior Center’s first workshop on artificial intelligence, 23 people all over age 60... “A lot of times, seniors don’t report being scammed because of shame and guilt,” Fle said. “They don’t want their kids to scold them, or people to think they’re senile. If I can save one person from giving away their life savings, that’s my goal.”

DAI closes HCA hospice, home health transaction
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/5/26
Deaconess Associations Incorporated (DAI) has closed its acquisition of 31 home health and hospice agencies from HCA Healthcare. The deal includes 24 home health locations and seven hospice locations across eight states... Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, DAI is a faith-based, independent, nonprofit health care enterprise with a portfolio of more than $1 billion spanning diversified health services, programs, investments and community grant initiatives nationwide. The organization operates in 23 states, including six where it offers home health and hospice services. Across its broader footprint, DAI also provides physical, occupational and speech therapy services in senior living communities. The 31 acquired operations are concentrated primarily in Texas and Florida, with additional locations in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Missouri, Kansas and Colorado.

What doctors are talking about in 2026: AI, pain, burnout
KevinMD; by staff writers; 10/4/26
Three subjects led the quarter: AI (77 clinician essays by 59 authors), burnout (36 essays by 31 authors), and pain, opioids, and addiction (30 essays by 18 authors).

Medicare Advantage looks great when you’re healthy - Here’s the trap that springs when you get seriously ill
FinanceBuzz; by Kristin Hitchcock; 10/5/26
The extra benefits for seniors offered by Medicare Advantage can look attractive when someone first enrolls. Low premiums, bundled drug coverage, and dental or vision benefits may make a plan seem like an easy choice. But a serious diagnosis can change what a person needs from their coverage. A recent study found that Medicare Advantage members were likely to leave their plans as their medical needs became more complicated... The more medically complex a beneficiary became, the more likely they were to leave their plan.

I saw a quote that said, "When you're a good swimmer, people will always assume that you're not drowning." Check on your crew...