Literature Review

Systemic functioning of Puerto Rican families with a cancer patient: A qualitative-oriented mixed-methods studyJournal of Health Psychology; Nicole M. Vélez Agosto; 4/25Puerto Ricans are part of marginalized communities that are impacted by health disparities, such as lifestyles, health behaviors and access to care (Simmons et al., 2011). The purpose of study was to assess systemic functioning in Puerto Rican families with a cancer patient using the Spanish translated version of the Family Genogram Interview (FGI) that measures Bowen’s four emotional processes in nuclear family and family of origin. Results suggested an acceptable reliability for the FGI-Spanish and higher presence of symptoms in a spouse or partner, symptoms in family of origin, focus on a child and emotional cutoff in family of origin. Qualitative findings suggested that main concerns for participants were related to family changes surrounding illness and familial roles, consistent with Bowen’s theory and clinical implications for designing systemic interventions for Puerto Rican families.

Research study participation: High-quality hospice care for all patientsShannon Walsh, a doctoral researcher at the RAND Corporation and the Pardee RAND Graduate School, is conducting a study on how hospice ownership structures impact the delivery of care for patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). The study uses Medicare data and interviews with informal caregivers to explore care quality, caregiver experience, and access to services – particularly within for-profit hospices, including those affiliated with private equity firms. Ms. Walsh is currently recruiting family caregivers of ADRD patients who received hospice care in the past two years to participate in a confidential, one-hour phone interview. [Please click the link above for additional information.]

My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it. ~ Mark Twain

What grieving moms want for Mother's Day The Compassionate Friends - Supporting Family After a Child Dies; posted on 5/10/17, retrieved from the internet 5/8/25 Acknowledgement is what grieving mother’s want most for Mother’s Day, suggests a survey by wwwthecomfortcompany.net a website that specializes in meaningful sympathy gifts. The online survey asked, “What can others do to ease your pain on Mother’s Day?” Over 80 percent of the 200 respondents answered, “Recognize that I am a mother.” ... In response to the survey result, The Comfort Company has issued a list of ten simple ways to reach out to a grieving mother on this difficult holiday. 

Hospice of Southern West Virginia to host grief support session ahead of Mother’s Day ABC WOAY-4, Oak Hill, WV; by Brandy Lawrence; 5/6/25 [posted for their community before the event] As Mother’s Day approaches, many individuals face a renewed sense of loss and sorrow. To provide comfort and support during this emotionally challenging time, Hospice of Southern West Virginia (HSWV) will hold a special grief support session focused on coping with the loss of a mother or maternal figure. The session is scheduled for Thursday, May 8, 2025, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Bowers Hospice House. The event is open to anyone in the community navigating the grief of losing their mother. The session aims to offer a safe, compassionate space for attendees to honor loved ones, share cherished memories, and find solace in the presence of others who understand their pain.

Listen to what your mother tells you, especially near the end News+ Membership; by Jerry Davich; 5/7/25If your mother is no longer alive, what were her last words to you? My mom passed away two years ago and I’ve been asking myself this question since her last breath, which took place in my presence. I had just placed a yellow tulip next to her pillow on a bed inside her hospice room. It was an early Mother’s Day gift, continuing a tradition I started as a child with a stolen tulip from a neighbor’s yard. I knew my mother would not be around a month later for her special holiday. In fact, she wouldn’t be around just a minute later. While pondering that stolen moment, I looked over to my mom and noticed her left index finger moving. It was just a twitch, but until that time she had made no movements since she was admitted into a local hospice near my home. ...... Though I can’t recall my mom’s final words, I deeply feel her lasting legacy of love for my family. We continue to talk about her every day. We think of her every moment. We share photos and memories of her on a family group text thread. Some make us laugh. Some make us cry. This is the beauty and the heartbreak of losing a mother or a father. My mom may be gone, but her gentle voice can be heard in my head any time I want or need it. ...

'The Grief Lady:' NC woman uses mother's funeral flowers to create art, help others heal WRAL TV News, Raleigh, NC; by Heather Leah; 4/18/24, posted in our newsletter 4/29/24  Grief is a journey--and you never know for sure where it'll take you. When Janet Willis' mom passed away from small cell lung cancer in her 70s, Willis said she felt like she lost more than a mother; she lost a piece of herself. The loss launched her on a 100 day journey, creating art with the dried flower petals saved from her mother's funeral and sharing her grief experience with her followers. Each day she created a new piece of art – and each day it's as much a surprise for her as it is for her viewers. [See photos.]

HOSPICE: Daughter embraces mom’s hospice journey  City Sun Times, Phoenix, AZ; by Lin Sue Flood; 3/25/25  As a nurse, Robin Benton is used to caring for people who are ill. But it’s different when your mother is the one who is sick. Her mom, Charlotte Brewer, a former nurse herself, has multiple myeloma, a rare type of blood cancer. In March 2024, the 80-year-old Valley resident decided to stop curative treatments in favor of comfort care with Hospice of the Valley, where she worked for over 10 years, before retiring in 2007. ... Charlotte’s Hospice of the Valley nurse, Kelly Langston, admires the way the family is living this stage of life with great intention, creating new ways to deepen their love for each other. “They came up with an idea for a hug shirt,” shared Kelly. “Everyone in the family painted their arms then took turns hugging each other — stamping an imprint of encircled arms on the shirts. It’s a way to feel each other’s hugs even when they aren’t together.” [View this creative shirt.]

CAREGIVING: For 27 years, I had minimal contact with my abusive mother. Then she moved in with me. HuffPost; by Carole Brodsky; 1/20/25  ... Living with my mom was the last thing I ever thought I’d be doing as an adult. Perhaps I accepted her back into my life because there were no other options available. Perhaps it was because I was the daughter of someone who in today’s vernacular would be called a “tiger mom,” and I’d been taught caring for an aging parent was what “good daughters” did.  ... As a child, my mother was abusive.  ... [Now, as] Mom’s verbal skills declined, we had to use our eyes, guts and hearts to discern the needs of a person whose tether to this world was fraying before our eyes. ... My partner has a saying: I always forgive, but I never forget. I have unequivocally forgiven my mother for everything. I have tried, with varying degrees of success, to let the vestiges of her abuse die with her and not invade the lives of my children, grandchildren and now, great-grandchildren. The work on forgiving myself will continue for the rest of my life.

CAREGIVING:  Aging with adventure - The challenge of caring Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, MA; by Eric Weld; 2/28/25  I made a mistake. I took a hiatus from writing in this space about aging with adventure because I thought I was taking a hiatus from adventure. Boy, was I wrong. I errantly thought that spending more than a year caring for my elderly mother in her final time on earth was taking me away from adventure. I am honored to have enabled my mother’s final days spent at home — not her home, but my sister’s private home — instead of in a public or private nursing facility. ... I assumed, in taking on the role of her co-caretaker, I would temporarily preempt my semi-retirement modus operandi of striking out on great adventures. To the contrary, what I learned from spending nearly two years co-caring for my aging mother is that end-of-life care is, indeed, every bit an adventure on many levels. And of course, it’s certainly about aging. Editor's note: This son defines adventure as having four key components: "challenge, risk, education and movement. 

10 ways to embrace Mother’s Day with a seriously ill mother Roze Room Hospice, Culver City, CA; Website; retrieved from the internet 5/8/2025Spending Mother’s Day with a seriously ill mother can be emotional, but it’s also an opportunity to create meaningful and loving memories. Here are 10 ways to embrace Mother’s Day with a seriously ill mother:

Hospice nurses: specialized care, focused on comfortIndex Journal, Greenwood, SC; by St. Claire Donaghy; 5/7/25 For hospice nurses Kayla Beaty and Elizabeth "Regina" Ross, their goal is to provide patients comfort rather than cures, in the face of life-limiting illness with irreversible decline. Beaty is a home care nurse. Ross is a hospice house nurse. The two are employed by Hospice and Palliative Care of the Piedmont, based in Greenwood. ... "In this line of work, you seek to provide comfort, find out a patient and families' true needs and build a rapport," Ross said. Ross' dad died when she was 12. "That's what started me wanting to be a nurse," Ross said. "My mother also took care of my grandmother in her home while I was growing up. What brought me to hospice was a sister passing, here at this Hospice House. She was only 40 years old. My mother died a year later and my oldest sister passed last month. It's not just a job to me. It's a work of heart." ... "Comfort looks different to everybody," Beaty said. "It's about quality of life. It's not all doom and gloom either. We have fun with our patients and laugh and joke. It's often little things we take for granted."Editor's note: Reminder, National Nurses Week is May 6-12. It's crunch time. If not already, can you still reach out to your local media to feature a story about your nurses?