Literature Review

* CEO, Hildegard House, nonprofit, Louisville, KY

Study: Families pleased after meeting nursing home advance care planning specialist McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Foster Stubbs; 3/10/26 Overall, family caregivers who met with advance care planning (ACP) specialists reported positive experiences in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. The study enrolled 28 family caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia who had engaged in an ACP discussion with the ACP specialist in the prior three-month period. ... [Authors said,] “Their reports of needs and challenges reinforce the importance of ACP training programs like the ACP Specialist that promote routine conversations in the NH to support family decision makers for persons living with dementia.”

Ohio’s Hospice fundraiser in Malvern raises more than $42,000 Your Ohio News; by Kyle Valentini; 3/22/26 The Carroll County community came together March 21 to raise funds for nonprofit hospice care during Ohio’s Hospice Spring Spectacular Treasures of Time at Good Shepherd Hall in Malvern. According to Ohio’s Hospice, more than 175 attendees took part in the event, supporting celebrity servers while helping raise $42,175. 

The Pennant Group highlights acquisition momentum, conservative guidance at Oppenheimer Healthcare chat MarketBeat; by MarketBeat; 3/21/26 [The Pennant Group's] Chief Financial Officer Lynette Walbom said the company’s guidance includes conservatism, largely tied to the scale and complexity of the UnitedHealth Group/Amedisys transaction. ... She said the company expects an annualized EBITDA margin around 16% for the Home Health and Hospice segment. For Senior Living, she said the company expects margin expansion through the year, leading to an annualized margin around 11%.

VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region Vermont celebrates 80 years Bennington Banner, Bennington, VT; by Mark Rondeau; 3/22/26 [Historic photo shows workers with the Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice, a predecessor to VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region, in the 1970s.] VNA & Hospice of the Southwest Region, founded in 1946, is celebrating 80 years of service to the community and compassionate care. “Our agency is celebrating 80 years of providing home health services in the community this year,” VNAHSR said in a statement. “We started as just a small group of community members that gathered to create an organization that would provide skilled nursing in the home with a mission to promote health and independence.Editor's Note: Timeline shows this VNA's beginnings as a "Certified Home Health Agency" to merging with Rutland Area Hospice in 1996, and more.

15 hospices incorporated in a single day, in a single suite in Van Nuys Daily Breeze; by Jason Henry; 3/22/26 A group operating out of a Friar Street office building in Van Nuys that advertises “virtual offices” incorporated 22 hospices and home care agencies in one year, including 15 hospices registered in one day to a single suite, according to an investigation by the Southern California News Group. The 15 hospices, all formed in “Suite 205” at 14545 Friar St., later collected $12.3 million from Medicare and Medi-Cal billings in 2023 and 2024, records showed. ... While operating out of the same building is permitted, hospices cannot use the same office, according to Sheila Clark, the president and CEO of California Hospice and Palliative Care. ... She’s been sounding the alarm about fraud risks in Los Angeles’ hospice industry for years now. ...However, these hospices seemingly bypassed that limitation by appending letters from “A” to “P” onto the suite number in official documentation.

Official statement from NPHI on recent hospice fraud media coverage and ongoing federal enforcement efforts National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI); Press Release; 3/20/26 ... NPHI is actively engaged with federal leaders to advance targeted solutions that root out bad actors while safeguarding the integrity of the hospice benefit. It is important to underscore that these issues are not representative of the majority of hospice providers, who are focused every day on delivering high-quality, compassionate care to patients and families. Official Statement by Tom Koutsoumpas, Founder & CEO of NPHI: "... It’s important to be clear — this is not a failure of the hospice model of care. It is the result of a subset of providers exploiting the healthcare system, and that must stop. ..."Carole Fisher, President of NPHI, added: "“At its core, hospice care is about trust — trust from patients and families during some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. That’s why NPHI is committed to supporting decisive action to address bad actors, while continuing to uphold and protect the high standards that define this field.”

The secure leader: How attachment styles shape leadership | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Jamie Goff; 3/18/26 What if the greatest barrier to effective leadership isn’t a lack of skills—but a lack of self-awareness?  What if the real challenge isn’t learning more tactics, but understanding the internal stories, beliefs, and patterns that shape how you lead every day? In Part One of this powerful conversation, Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Jamie Goff, executive coach and author of The Secure Leader, ... Dr. Goff challenges the traditional focus on technical leadership skills and instead shines a light on the internal mindset shifts that truly transform leaders.

VA Pittsburgh chaplains: Providing hope, healing and spiritual support for Veterans U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; by Jordan Harris; 3/9/26 From suicide prevention to end-of-life care, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) chaplains deliver compassionate, holistic support that strengthens the well-being of Veterans and staff. Chaplains provide more than spiritual guidance -- they offer hope, comfort and connection when Veterans need it most. Whether it’s supporting someone through a mental health crisis, walking alongside families during end-of-life care, or simply listening in moments of uncertainty, chaplains are a steady presence. Their work helps Veterans find meaning, resilience and peace as part of their healing journey.

First renovated rooms completed in Columbus Hospice Center Refresh Capital Campaign, over $635K raised The Republic; by Hallie Gallinat; 3/21/26 The Hospice Center in Columbus, as part of the ongoing Hospice Refresh Campaign, has completed its first renovated patient room and family room. The campaign, launched to modernize the Hospice Center after more than 20 years of service to the community, has now raised over $635,000 toward its $2 million goal. ...  Donors were invited to a private open house on March 12 to celebrate the completion of the first renovated spaces.

Haven Hospice simulations help caregivers understand dementia Levy Citizen, Chiefland, FL; by Antoniette Meyer; 3/19/26 A program offered by Haven Hospice is helping caregivers, medical professionals and community members better understand what daily life can be like for someone living with dementia. ... Through Haven’s Dementia Care Program, participants can take part in hands-on simulations designed to replicate some of the sensory and cognitive challenges people with dementia experience. During the exercises, attendees may wear specialized goggles or gloves, listen to music or attempt tasks that simulate symptoms such as vision loss, hearing impairment, reduced motor function and changes in perception. The activities are designed to demonstrate how dementia can affect memory, communication, emotions and everyday functioning.

The good deaths of people who never marry: Lifelong single people are most likely to die pain-free and at peace. Psychology Today; by Bella DePaulo, PhD; 3/8/26 People who are single and want to stay that way are often taunted with scare stories about what will happen to them toward the end of their life—they will grow old alone, they will die alone, and all the rest. Same for people who have no children. But is the quality of the end of their lives really worse for those who never marry (or never have kids) than it is for those who are married, remarried, divorced, or widowed (or who have grown children)? We now have an answer, and it is not at all what those dire warnings predicted.Editor's Note: This Psychology Today article provides an additional focus on "people who never marry" from the article we posted on 3/20/26, “We make our own families”: Do child-free people die alone? Hospice worker shares her experience. Important: "child-free" does not necessarily mean the person never married. Likewise, "never married" does not necessarily mean the person is "child-free."

Hospice organizations call for Medicare provider enrollment moratorium in California Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/20/26 A coalition of hospice and home health industry stakeholders are calling for a statewide moratorium in California on provider enrollments due to widespread Medicare fraud. A key area of focus is the greater Los Angeles County area. The group of providers and associations has written to U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz saying that rampant fraud in the state requires federal intervention. The signatories on the letter included the Save Home Health Coalition, California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA) and Texas Association for Home Care and Hospice (TAHCH).