Literature Review

COUNTDOWN: 3 Days Until HOPE Tool Starts, October 1, 2025 

New AAHPM CEO on ensuring widespread access to hospice and palliative care Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/25/25 Workforce, access to care, reimbursement and public policy are top agenda items for the A merican Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine as new CEO Pierre M. Désy takes the reins. ... Hospice News sat down with Désy to discuss the academy’s current priorities and the top issues facing hospice and palliative medicine. ... [Jim Parker] "Could you tell me some of your top priorities as you come into this new role?" [Dr. Pierre Désy] I have been focusing on listening and alignment. So the first part is a listening tour and relationship building tour, where I’m talking with every board member, one on one. I’m talking with committee chairs, council chairs. I’m speaking with all of our partners, every staff person, sponsors and individual donors.

[United Kingdom] 2 in 5 hospices planning to make cuts this year ehospice; by Hospice UK; 9/24/25 Data from Hospice UK reveals that as many as 2 in 5 hospices are planning to make cuts this year. With demand for services rising fast, the stark reality of insufficient funding leaves hospices with no option but to shrink services just as they should be expanding. Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK says: “Hospices are on the brink. Recent short-term funding for hospices in England, Scotland and Wales has been a genuine help, but as costs continue to snowball and demand keeps rising hospices can’t keep up and many are making or considering cuts. 

Alzheimer's Association: New telenovela series highlights Alzheimer’s in Hispanic and Latino communities Alzheimer's Association, Chicago, IL; Press Release; 9/15/25In conjunction with National Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month, the Alzheimer’s Association is premiering "Memories of My Grandfather" ("Recuerdos de mi abuelo"), a five-episode mini telenovela aimed at encouraging Hispanic and Latino families to have open discussions about memory loss, diagnosis and caregiving across generations. The series, available in both English and Spanish, follows the emotional journey of a multigenerational Hispanic family in the United States after their grandfather’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. The telenovela will be screened during two webinars hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association: one in English on Sept. 30 and one in Spanish on Oct. 7. Both webinars will feature a moderated discussion hosted by actress, film producer and Telemundo news anchor Gabi Del Moral. ... Both webinars are free and open to the public. Register for the English-language webinar or the Spanish-language webinar.

One year after Hurricane Helene: Lessons in resilience, recovery, and renewal Hospice & Palliative Care Today; Joy Berger and Cordt Kassner with Vern Grindstaff, Millicent Burke-Sinclair, and Chris Comeaux; 9/26/25 At this time last year, Hospice & Palliative Care Today brought you a series of articles reporting on the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast, focusing on hospices in the North Carolina mountains. We remain deeply grateful for the many ways you—our readers and colleagues—rallied in support of those hospice organizations and their communities during their time of urgent need. This Saturday, September 27, 2025, marks the one-year anniversary of that epic disaster. To reflect on what has been learned and how recovery has unfolded, Vern Grindstaff (CEO of Compassionate Care WNC, Burnsville, NC), Millicent Burke-Sinclair (President and CEO of Four Seasons, Flat Rock, NC), and Chris Comeaux (President and CEO of Teleios Collaborative Network, Flat Rock, NC) gathered in conversation with Cordt Kassner (publisher) and Joy Berger (editor-in-chief). The insights that follow honor the hospice employees who persevered to provide urgent patient care. We celebrate their spirit of compassionate community and courageous problem-solving from the onset one year ago through ongoing recovery.

A hospice intervention for caregivers: Improving home hospice management of end-of-life symptoms (I-HoME) pilot study Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Veerawat Phongtankuel, Sara J. Czaja, Taeyoung Park, Jerad Moxley, Ronald D. Adelman, Ritchell Dignam, Dulce M. Cruz-Oliver, Micah Denzel Toliver, M. C. Reid; 9/24/25 Background: While home-based hospice care seeks to reduce suffering at the end of life (EoL), patients continue to experience a high symptom burden. High symptom burden contributes to adverse outcomes, including patient suffering, burdensome care transitions, and caregiver burden. Yet, most caregivers lack formal education in patient symptom management despite providing up to 65 h of care per week. ... Conclusion: The I-HoME intervention was feasible to implement in the home hospice setting and acceptable to caregivers and hospice staff. Future efficacy trials are needed to determine whether this caregiver-focused intervention ... can measurably improve patient and caregiver outcomes in the home hospice setting.

Cancer patients are living longer than ever. Pain drugmakers haven’t kept up. Biopharma Dive; by Jacob Bell; 9/25/25 Decades of slow-moving research, along with broader failures of the healthcare system, have left millions of people in daily pain. Doctors fear that’s bound to continue. ... More than 2 million people in the U.S. alone are diagnosed with cancer each year. Conservative estimates hold that between 20% and 50% experience related pain, though that figure can climb as high as 80% for patients with advanced disease. Despite the large number of patients and the need for more therapies, drugmakers have mostly shied away from pain altogether, fearing that its complicated biology makes for too risky a research investment.  ... Opioids remain the core of many treatment regimens. This lack of drug choices is aggravated by much broader failures of the healthcare system. 

Avow recognizes World Hospice and Palliative Care Day Priority Marketing; Press Release; 9/25/25 Avow joins organizations around the globe in observing World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on Saturday, Oct. 11, a day dedicated to raising awareness of the critical role hospice and palliative care play in supporting patients and families facing serious illness. Editor's Note: For information to honor hits at your organization, visit our 7/15/25 post, World Hospice & Palliative Care Day 2025 - Achieving the Promise: Universal access to palliative care 

Delaware Hospice names McDonough next chief executive officer Coastal Point; Press Release; 9/23/25 The Board of Trustees of Delaware hospice has appointed Charles McDonough, MHA, as the organization’s next chief executive officer, succeeding Susan D. Lloyd, RN, MSN, who has served in the position for more than 38 years. “On behalf of the Board, I am honored to welcome Charles McDonough as the next CEO of Delaware Hospice,” said Board Chair Dan McCarthy. “Charles is a proven healthcare leader with deep expertise in hospice, palliative care and home health services. His career reflects a remarkable record of operational excellence, growth leadership and the development of compassionate care platforms. We are confident he will build upon Susan’s extraordinary legacy and guide Delaware Hospice into its next chapter of service and innovation.” ... McDonough will join Delaware Hospice on Sept. 29.

Nurse practitioner, RN shortage to hit 362,000 by 2032 Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Paige Twenter; 9/17/25 More than 1 million U.S. nurses are expected to retire by 2030 — far outpacing the projected number of new nurse graduates, according to research published Sept. 16. A study at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, based in Washington, D.C., investigated the growing skills shortage across 561 occupations. ... Between 2024 and 2032, an estimated 18.4 million workers with postsecondary education are expected to retire, according to the report. Only 13.8 million workers will enter the labor market with equivalent education and training ... The researchers predict a shortfall of 328,100 registered nurses, 42,100 licensed practical nurses and 33,800 nurse practitioners through 2032. 

Carolina Caring Foundation helps hospice patient fulfill dream at North Carolina Zoo Carolina Caring, Newton, NC; Press Release; 9/23/25 A hospice patient fulfilled her lifelong dream of meeting and feeding a giraffe thanks to the Life Enrichment Fund through the Carolina Caring Foundation. Deborah, a patient at Carolina Caring, has always been fascinated by the wildlife of Africa, the work of Jane Goodall, and the unique beauty of giraffes. ... Deborah has always had an adventurous spirit. In the past, she tried many new experiences—including a fun helicopter ride with her family during a beach trip—but one thing she always yearned to do was meet a giraffe. Her Carolina Caring social worker, Carley, recognized this dream and soon created a pathway for this wish to come true. . ... Carolina Caring gave this family more than just a trip to the zoo. They provided a celebration and memory-making that the family will now forever carry in their hearts and minds.

Hundreds of veterans to be honored at Summit Park during welcome home celebration ABC WCPO-9, Blue Ash, OH; by Taylor Woods; 9/24/25Hospice of Cincinnati is hosting its fourth annual welcome home celebration for veterans at Summit Park, honoring their service and sacrifice with special tributes. Meet Karl Matson, a retired Air Force veteran who now enjoys taking long walks at the park. ... "It's incredibly powerful to see the country honoring veterans today, especially for the Vietnam War veterans, they came back in during a tough time," Matson said. He is a hospice volunteer. According to Hospice of Cincinnati, one out of four hospice patients are veterans. Matson said it's important to recognize their sacrifices. Tributes will be given to veterans of each era, honoring those who are still around and those who are no longer with us.

Emotional analytics in HRtech: Measuring mood, motivation, and morale HRTechSeries; by HRTech Staff Writer; 9/22/25 Organizations have used the same set of HR metrics for decades to keep track of the health of their employees: turnover rates, absenteeism, performance scores, and time-to-hire. These benchmarks are useful, but they don’t tell the whole story about what really makes an organization successful. They keep track of what employees do, but not how they feel. That gap is no longer acceptable in today’s fast-paced workplace, where employee experience is becoming more and more important for engagement and retention.