February 14th special edition with heartwarming stories
Editor's Note: Hospice & Palliative Care Today's issue highlights heartwarming stories on this Valentine's Day 2024. We celebrate the life-changing, compassionate care that your organization provides each day.

We invite you to share this with other hospice and palliative leaders throughout your organization or larger network. They can register to receive this free, daily newsletter at https://hospicepalliativecaretoday.com/registration. 

The Last Portrait: Local photo exhibition captures different takes on dying [Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc., New Hartford, NY]
Utica Observer Dispatch, by Amy Neff Roth; 2/9/24
... The 26 black-and-white photos, taken by local photographer Mark DiOrio, all capture moments in the life of someone who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness [and under the care of Hospice & Palliative Care, In., New Hartford, NY].  “I wanted to photograph them because they’ve been given news that nobody wants to hear,” DiOrio explained. “They’ve been given the news that it’s going to be their time soon. And when you’re given that kind of news, you have choices to make on how you handle it. I felt that these people, what they had to say and the emotions that they communicated in that moment were invaluable.”

Silverado Hospice - Hospice stories
Silverado Hospice website, video stories of hospice patients; retrieved from the Internet 2/13/24
Categories include: Random Acts of Kindness; Hospice Dream Getaway; Hospice Patient's Wishes Granted; The Mendoza Wedding; Jordan: A Hospice Story; Living on Hospice; Rosie the Riveter; WWII Submarine Veteran Recognized for His Service; Silverado Hospice Volunteer Turned Patient Shares Her Story; Retired Firefighter Experiences "One More Shift" 

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. 
U.S. Medicine, by Chester Buckenmaier III, MD, COL (ret), MC, USA; 2/13/24
New Year’s Eve 2023 was marked with sadness for my family as my mother-in-law, Susan “Sue” Timperley, passed. ... Because of Sue’s strength in life, when her death came faster than we or her physician expected, we were spared further trauma. ... Hospice proved as helpful in death as they were in life by easing the weight of Sue’s loss through arrangements for her body. This support allowed Sue to die as she lived, with quiet strength and regal dignity. Our family was gifted with the time to focus on her memory rather than sterile hospital rules and cold machines.

What is a good death? End-of-life doulas can help the dying have one.
Boston Globe, by Sherrie Dulworth; 2/9/24
... Home hospice agencies offer vital services for terminally ill people who wish to die at home, assisting with, among other things, pain management and helping the terminally ill avoid needless medical procedures. ... But while it is often thought that home hospice workers are the primary caregivers for the dying, this is not so. Instead, it is loved ones who often do the heavy lifting, both physically and emotionally, that comes with tending to the dying. ... This is where a death doula comes in, and the work they do speaks to the nonmedical, more spiritual side of what it means to have a good death.
Publisher's note: Article may be behind a paywall.

Hospice of Montezuma announces program to help patients care for their pet
The Journal, by Bailey Duran; 2/9/24
Hospice of Montezuma announced a collaboration with Pet Peace of Mind to help local hospice patients take care of and make plans for ... their pets' care after their life ends. Hospice of Montezuma will partner with local pet care providers such as Denkai Animal Sanctuary to ensure that patients’ pets receive food, veterinarian care and exercise. The nonprofit Pet Peace of Mind, based in Salem, Oregon, partners with hospices and hospitals. ... “Hospice patients fare better when they get to keep their pets and know they are getting the love and attention they need,” Pet Peace of Mind said.

There’s no place like home — when you die 
McKnights Home Care, by Liza Berger, McKnights Editor; 2/9/24
My dad died last week. I am still processing the event, which now ranks among the hardest, most surreal experiences of my life. As difficult as it is, I, my three siblings and mom take comfort in two things (that may hardly surprise McKnight’s Home Care readers): He died fast and he died at home.

Hospice nursing a ‘privilege and honour’, says chief nurse
Nursing Times, by Edd Church; 2/13/24
The chief nurse of a children's hospice is seeking to challenge perceptions of the specialty and encourage more nurses into it.

These 8 traits make great doctors, and residents can develop them
AMA, by Brendan Murphy; 2/5/24

1. Are generous, selfless, humble, adaptable and resolute.
2. Express values that drive behaviors “above and beyond” their colleagues’ expectations.
3. Are intentional about—and experts at—teaming.
4. Are calm in the “eye of the storm.”
5. Employ a wide array of creative systems thinking skills to solve problems.
6. Have exemplary interpersonal and communication skills.
7. Teach systems-based practice as part of clinical care.
8. Identify personal and professional mentors as key to their development.

Michael Stiggers talks on misconceptions of hospice care
The Times-News, by Wayne Clark; 2/10/24
"People are always telling me that I must have a difficult job to do and that they wouldn't trade places with me," said Stiggers, who is the chaplain for Chattahoochee Hospice. "They think it must be the worst job in the world, but they are wrong. It's one of the best jobs you can have. I absolutely love my job."

Digital tool reduced burden, improved mood for cancer hospice caregivers
Cure, by Ashley Chan; 2/9/24
Using a Symptom Cancer at Home (SCH) intervention significantly reduced caregiver burden, compared with usual hospice care (UC), according to a study from the journal Cancer.

The importance of art in a “good death”
Hyperallergic, by Brianna L. Hernandez; 2/11/24
... Resham Mantri and Eliana Yoneda are two artists and death doulas who are collaborators and founders of Community Deathcare Digest, an evolving collection of art projects and death cafes, as well as a bi-weekly newsletter about death and care. The newsletter gathers resources and educational content, and coordinates mutual aid for death rituals and funeral needs.

Hospice support, staff appreciation: [Singing Telegram]
Daily News, Wahpeton, ND, by Frank Stanko; 2/9/24
You just never know who is going to drop by Daily News’ office in Wahpeton. [On] Giving Hearts Day, celebrated Thursday, Feb. 8, ... a singing telegram [was delivered]. The unique gift was shared by Daily News Publisher Tara Klostreich to appreciate the staff and also as a way to support CHI Health at Home Hospice. [They] sang three favorites, ‘Can’t Help Falling Falling in Love’ and ‘Love Me Tender’ by Elvis, plus ‘Daisy Bell.’ 

Sister Úna lived a good death
WTTW-Chicago PBS, video by Independent Lens; available for viewing 2/5/24 to 5/5/24
Following a cancer diagnosis, Sister Úna—a mischievous, rule-breaking Catholic nun dedicated to social justice—chooses to live as she’s dying. In this touching end-of-life documentary, the self-proclaimed “leader of the misfits” plans her funeral in her last nine months to live.

How do you live while your brother is dying? ‘Suncoast’ is a teen take on hospice
Wisconsin Public Radio, by Mandalit Del Barco; 2/9/24
A new film streaming on Hulu considers a subject that’s sometimes in the news, but not often in entertainment: hospice end-of-life care. Suncoast is writer-director Laura Chinn’s fictional account of her life in the early 2000s as a Florida teen with a severely ill older brother. ... Chinn helped her mother care for him for years, and at the end of his life, they moved him into a hospice center, ... the same place that a woman named Terri Schiavo was on life support for 15 years. ... Renée Stoeckle, a spokesperson for the real-life Suncoast Hospice, was in the audience at the Sundance premiere. During the question and answer presentation after the movie, she walked to the front of the theater to thank Chinn for portraying the work of hospice nurses and grief counselors in a compassionate way.

End-of-life care for children: making it possible to die at home
Nursing Times, by Jill Davies; 2/5/24
UK - A children’s community nursing team collaborated with an adult palliative care urgent-response service to provide 24-hour end-of-life care for paediatric patients. This made dying at home a realistic option for these patients, which had not previously been the case.

Sally Norden's skydive for Children's Hospice South West: A leap of faith for a good cause
BNN, by Mazhar Abbas; 2/13/24
Sally Norden took a leap of faith and skydived from 15,000 feet to raise funds for Children's Hospice South West. Her courage and dedication to the charity inspired others to support the cause.