Literature Review

Hospice Savannah launches Certified Nursing Assistant Training Program Savannah Tribune, Savannah, GA; Press Release; 12/17/25 Hospice Savannah is proud to partner with Senior Citizens, Inc. and Savannah Technical College to launch the Edel Caregiver Institute’s Weekend Certified Nursing Assistant Training Program. ...  Open to all community members, the program provides full CNA accreditation through Savannah Tech and will include specialized dementia and elder-care skills training. For those who qualify, scholarships are available offering tuition assistance, CAT Bus vouchers, childcare support, discounted meals, and immediate employment opportunities with Hospice Savannah or Senior Citizens, Inc. upon successful completion and certification.Editor's Note: This innovative CNA Training Program was awarded a $50,000 grand from Savannah Philanthropic Partners, under the leadership of President/CEO Kathleen Benton.

Executive Personnel Changes - 12/19/25

Healthcare AI trends and the new urgency for AI in healthcare Presidio; by Presidio - Insight Blog; 12/18/25Presidio’s new report, “Unlocking Healthcare’s AI Potential,” brings together the voices of more than a thousand physicians and nurses across the U.S., U.K., and Ireland who live with these shortcomings every shift. Their experiences paint a picture of a system that is straining under the weight of outdated tools, even as new approaches offer a way to rebuild on stronger ground. 

MAID: Medical Aid in Dying - Should Medical Aid in Dying be legal? Britannica; by The Editors of ProCon; 12/16/25

Is moral adequacy possible in the face of structural disadvantage? The experiences of health and social care staff in supporting homeless people using substances at the end of life Palliative Care and Social Practice; by Gary Witham https, Gemma Anne Yarwood, Sarah Galvani, Lucy Webb, and Sam Wright; 11/26/25 Background: Homeless people using substances at the end-of-life face many challenges in accessing and receiving good care. These can relate to poor interdisciplinary working by health and social care practitioners, stigma and structural disadvantage. Results: The data analysis resulted in three key discourse positions relating to how practitioners position themselves in relation to the practice challenges of supporting homeless people using AODs and approaching end of life. These were as follows: (i) what constitutes a good death and where, (ii) the limitations of professional boundaries and (iii) maintaining moral adequacy in the face of traumatic death.

[Asia] Bridging paediatric palliative care across Asia ehospice; 12/16/25 Global Treehouse and Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) partnered together for dramatic expansion of the Magnify Tool to make impacts for children’s palliative care providers during 2025. We culminated our work together at the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) conference in Manila, Philippines. Co-hosted by our organisations, we presented about the power of using the Magnify Tool, a resource designed for and by providers to use their own data to improve the quality of care they offer to children and families with palliative care needs. 

Holiday considerations with a loved one on hospice Emmanuel Hospice, Grand Rapids, MI; 12/8/25 What kind of gift do you give someone receiving hospice care? How do you celebrate knowing it might be your last holiday with a loved one? Suffice to say, the holiday season brings difficult challenges for families going through an end-of-life journey. While gatherings and gifts might look different, Joan Blessings with Emmanuel Hospice says it can still be a cherished time with the right support from friends, family and hospice care team members. ...  She’s found that engaging different senses is one way to include patients in holiday festivities.

The future of the hospice physician: HOPE, staffing & technology Maxwell TEC; podcast by Tom Maxwell with Dr. Andrew Mayo and Dr. Tiffany Richter; 12/15/25... In this episode, Tom sits down with two of the most respected clinical leaders in the country: Dr. Andrew Mayo (Chief Medical Officer, St. Croix Hospice) and Dr. Tiffany Richter (Chief Medical Officer, Agape Care Group). They break down the debate between full-time vs. contracted physicians, the "hybrid" model that is winning, and the heartbreaking regulatory gaps preventing dialysis patients from accessing hospice care. Plus, they share deeply personal stories that remind us why we do this work. 

West End Health Foundation awards $15,000 to Trillium House hospice care MyUpNow.com, Ishpeming, MI; by Alexandria Bournonville; 12/15/25 To support locally based hospice care, the West End Health Foundation (WEHF) awarded $15,000 to Trillium House, a Marquette-based hospice care center. ... “This grant will help cover some of the cost of caring for those who need hospice support at Trillium House for a total of 50 days a year for three years," said Trillium House Executive Director Melissa Cavill. "That’s 150 days of high-quality, compassionate care in a safe and home-like environment, and it’s all designated specifically for West End residents.”Editor's Note: By translating dollars into days of hospice care, this message makes the grant's impact visible and human. It reminds us that return on investment is not only financial, but measured in serving hospice patients and families through the dying moments that matter most. How does your organization give meaning to its numbers? 

Health systems shun black-box AI, choose human-validated models for safety and accuracy, survey finds Complete AI Training; 12/17/25 Hospitals and health systems are clear: AI should work with clinicians, not replace them. A new November 2025 market survey from Reaction Data, commissioned by Carta Healthcare, shows strong preference for "hybrid intelligence" - AI paired with clinical oversight - for safer, more reliable outcomes. The message is consistent across findings. Fully autonomous, black-box AI is viewed as risky and insufficient for high-stakes clinical use. Human validation and clinician involvement are seen as essential for accuracy, safety, and adoption.

Small but mighty: 5 lessons from smaller teams delivering high-quality palliative care CAPC; by Megan Hesketh; 12/16/25 ... High-quality palliative care isn’t defined by program size or budget—it’s defined by consistency, collaboration, and a shared commitment to patients and families. Across the country, smaller palliative care programs are demonstrating what’s possible when teams focus on training, teamwork, and outcomes that matter. In summer 2025, CAPC spoke with twenty smaller organizations—community hospitals, critical access hospitals, independent hospices, and small practice groups serving fewer than 150 beds—to understand how they sustain their commitment to high-quality palliative care. Their experiences highlight what makes these programs effective: clear structures, intentional learning, and a deep sense of accountability to their communities.

'Music makes everything better': Austin doctor spins vinyl to give patients a sense of home KUT 90.5, Austin, TX; by Olivia Aldridge; 12/16/25 Lying in her bed at Dell Seton Medical Center, 64-year-old Pamela Mansfield sways her feet to the rhythm of George Jones’ “She Thinks I Still Care.” Mansfield is still recovering much of her mobility after a recent neck surgery, but she finds a way to move to the music floating from a record player that was just wheeled into her room. “Seems to be the worst part is the stiffness in my ankles and the no feeling in the hands,” she says. “But music makes everything better.” Mansfield was being visited by the ATX-VINyL program, a project dreamed up by Dr. Tyler Jorgensen to bring music to the bedside of patients dealing with difficult diagnoses and treatments. He collaborates with a team of volunteers who wheel the player on a cart to patients’ rooms, along with a selection of records in their favorite genres.

Countdown to 2026: New Year changes in telehealth impacting Medicare providersJD Supra; by Christopher Guthrie, Kenya Hagans, Shamika Mazyck, Aaron Sagedahl, Quarles & Brady LLP; 12/16/25 The manner in which services are provided via telehealth has the potential to look very different for healthcare providers—particularly those providing services to Medicare patients—in 2026. ...