Literature Review

Niagara Hospice to offer free community presentation for National Healthcare Decisions Day Niagara Frontier Publications; Press Release; 3/28/25 April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day, which is a day set aside to educate and empower individuals to discuss and document their end-of-life health care wishes. Niagara Hospice invites the community to attend the free presentation, “Advance Care Planning: Advance Directives for Health Care,” ... Advance care planning includes advance directives like health care proxies, do not resuscitate (DNR) orders, and living wills. Advance directives help to ensure end-of-life care wishes are followed if one is unable to make necessary decisions for themselves. [Continue reading ...]Editor's note: For more information about National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD), explor The Conversation Project, at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. 

What is death positivity? Healthline; by Sarah Choi, medically reviewed by Joslyn Jelinek, LCSW, ACSW, RDDP; 3/28/25 Death positivity involves acknowledging death as simply the final phase of life. It emphasizes open discussions around death and education on the options, rights, and choices surrounding it. ... The Death Positivity Movement was coined in 2011 by funeral director Caitlin Doughty, but the sentiment existed long before — the movement’s origins date back to the 1970s, drawing on the hospice movement. ... Elements of the Death Positivity Movement:

Mass layoffs hit workers at HHS; sweeping cuts extend to CDC, NIH, FDA: Recap USA Today; by Sarah D. Wire, Josh Meyer, Bart Jansen, Ken Alltucker, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Eduardo Cuevas, Sudiksha Kochi, Adrianna Rodriguez and Terry Collins; 4/1/25Mass layoffs began Tuesday at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and at the Food and Drug Administration, the first steps in a plan to cut 10,000 jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services. The department responsible for overseeing protection for Americans' health, food and drug supplies and Medicare and Medicaid is also closing its internal agencies that are focused on older adults and people with disabilities. It's also getting rid of its offices tackling HIV and improving minority health. Staff had to present their badges at the building entrance and those who had been fired were given a ticket and told to return home. More than 100,000 federal workers have already lost their jobs in the last two months as part of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's efforts to shrink staffing levels in federal departments and agencies. Tens of thousands more are expected as more agencies implement their reduction in force, or RIF, plans in the coming weeks.

Health system CFOs fight for Medicaid on Capitol Hill Becker's Hospital Reivew; by Alan Condon; 3/31/25 Multiple health system CFOs recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, advocating against proposed Medicaid cuts that could threaten access to care and lead to the closure of essential hospital services. Health system executives participating in these discussions included:

Medicare Administrative Contractors [MACs] did not consistently meet Medicare Cost Report Oversight Requirements HHS-OIG; Issued on 3/18/25, posted on 3/19/25 ... What OIG Found: MACs did not consistently meet Medicare cost report oversight requirements.

Hospice of the Chesapeake leader aims to think outside the box on hospice, palliative care McKnights Home Care; podcast by Liza Berger with Rachel Jordan; 3/27/25 As the director of legislative affairs and advocacy at Hospice of the Chesapeake, the largest independent not-for-profit hospice provider in the state of Maryland, Rachel Jordan strives to treat the patient and not the disease. This helps explain why she worries less about the line between “curative” and “noncurative” care and more about whether a particular treatment helps to make a patient feel more comfortable. Jordan spoke to McKnight’s Home Care about her views of hospice and palliative care for a Newsmakers podcast. [Continue to the podcast ...]

Stetson University professor joins millions of Americans as she embraces caregiver role for her aging parents Spectrum News 13, Orlando/Deland, FL; by Nicole Griffin and Devin Martin; 3/31/25 According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 10 million Americans act as unpaid caregivers for an elderly parent on a regular basis. Millions in that group not only have a full- or part-time job, they are also part of the so-called “sandwich generation” — people who find themselves supporting their children and parents at the same time. ... Stetson University professor Wendy Anderson is part of that group. ... She has moved in with her parents to help care for her elderly father and mother, who is in at-home hospice care. [Continue reading ...]

The blind side of leadership: Toxic positivity in workplace culture Forbes; by Tracy Lawrence; 3/26/25 A surprising number of leaders are unaware of toxic positivity, even as they unwittingly cultivate it. It’s understandable, but toxic positivity isn't just a cultural nuisance – it's a serious strategic liability. When organizations prioritize "feeling good" over honest communication, they lose the ability to address emerging problems, identify market shifts, and leverage their teams' full capabilities. In my experience coaching executives across industries, I've observed that the most successful organizations aren't those with the fewest problems – they're the ones where issues can be safely identified and addressed before they become crises. [Continue reading ...]

PACE and Medicare: Eligibility, coverage and cost U.S. News & World Report; by Claire Wolters; 3/31/25 Transitioning to senior living communities isn't the only option for older adults who need more care. Here's what to know about the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE. This article is based on reporting that features expert sources. ... [Continue reading ...]

What to know about palliative and hospice care Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ); by Liz Seegert; 3/28/25 ... [Palliative care] is fundamental to health and human dignity and is a basic human right, according to the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard.  When reporting on serious illnesses, journalists can help demystify palliative care and encourage more people in need to take advantage of it by clearly explaining the differences, and benefits, and incorporating anecdotes to further illustrate how these types of care make a difference in the lives of patients and their families. [Continue reading ...] Editor's note: Share this article--written for health care journalists--with your communications and marketing leadership, with your community newspapers' journalists, and your employee/volunteer educators. Too often, new hospice/palliative care employees at all levels of roles and responsibilities begin their roles without clear knowledge, comprehension, and application of distinctions between standard healthcare, palliative care, and hospice care.  

Bill Gates AI jobs: 3 roles that will surviveArchynewsy; 3/30/25...  Despite the potential for widespread automation, Gates identifies three key areas where human expertise will remain indispensable: creative work, those requiring high levels of emotional intelligence, and skilled trades. These professions share a common thread – they rely on uniquely human capabilities that AI currently struggles to replicate. ... Gates predicts substantial changes in sectors like healthcare and education, with AI potentially handling many diagnostic and instructional duties currently fulfilled by doctors and teachers. ... [Continue reading ...]

It is human nature to think wisely and act foolishly. ~ Anatole France

As ‘right to die’ gains more acceptance, a scholar of Catholicism explains the position of the Catholic Church The Conversation; by Mathew Schmalz; 3/31/25 An individual’s “right to die” is becoming more accepted across the globe. ... Assisted suicide is now permitted in 10 U.S. states and in Washington. In 2025,five more states are set to consider “right to die” legislation. The “right to die” can refer to several means of dying. ... [Descriptions of terms "right to die," "euthanasia," "assisted suicide/dying."] ...