Literature Review

How does Parkinson’s progress? End-stage symptoms and what to expectMass General Brigham; by Todd M. Herrington, MD, PhD; 4/7/26 The journey with Parkinson’s disease looks extremely different from person to person. ...

[United Kingdom] Hospice facing 'worst financial crisis in 35 years' BBC News, Southport, United Kingdom; 4/8/26 A hospice has said it faces closure in the next 18 months if it cannot overcome what it says is its worst financial crisis in 35 years. Queenscourt Hospice, in Southport, Merseyside, currently spends £7.5m annually, but has revealed its income is only £5.5m, and that it will have to cut services unless additional funding is found. Since it opened its doors in 1991, it has helped more than 70,000 patients and families across West Lancashire, Formby and Southport. However, the hospice said annual government funding had not risen with inflation.Editor's Note: From the UK with clear implications for the US -- when hospice funding lags, care doesn’t stretch—it breaks.

If you're goin to win the Masters, you must believe you can. ~ Gary Player

LACo Board presses for stepped-up enforcement of hospice, home care fraud MyNewsLA.com; by Contributing Editor; 4/7/26 The county Board of Supervisors directed its staff Tuesday to develop recommendations aimed at improving coordination with other agencies to crack down on home health and hospice fraud. “Fraud in home health and hospice care is not just a financial crime — it is a direct threat to the health and safety of some of our most vulnerable residents,” Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath said in a statement after the board’s unanimous vote. 

How does hospice care adapt to different home environments? Healthcare Business Today; by Editorial Team; 4/7/26 There isn’t just one way to do hospice care at home. Every home has its own noise level, layout, privacy restrictions, and rhythm of care, so the care team adapts to the space instead of making the space fit the care. ... Care Adjustments That Fit Real Homes

Saad Healthcare’s ‘The Retreat’ offers comfort for hospice patients and families Fox10 News - WALA, Mobile, AL; by Lee Peck; 4/3/26 Behind Saad Healthcare sits a place for families seeking comfort and support during end-of-life care. They call it “The Retreat” — Saad’s inpatient hospice center. Gloria Massingill recalls her first visit three years ago, when her husband Kenny was looking for hospice care for his 93-year-old father. ... Saad’s The Retreat has 24 hospice beds on site and an additional 15 at their Providence location.

Hospice of the Prairie & Prairie Home Health announces leadership transition The Dodge City Daily Globe, Dodge City, KS; by Tammy Lawson; 4/3/26 Dodge City Hospice of the Prairie & Prairie Home Health ... announces an Executive Director leadership transition. After 25 years of service, Julie Pinkerton, BS RN CHPN, will step down as Executive Director. ... Under Julie's leadership, the organization experienced growth through increased usage of home health and hospice care throughout the service area while establishing organizational sustainability, working closely with frontline clinicians and community partners. The organization is pleased to welcome Jeremy Rabe, MBA, as the new Executive Director of Hospice of the Prairie & Prairie Home Health. Jeremy brings more than 20 years of experience in healthcare leadership. ... Jeremy will begin his role as Executive Director on June 1 with Julie leaving the organization later in the summer.

Agrace expands to serve southeastern Wisconsin Fidelity, Milwaukee, WI; by PR Newswire; 4/2/26 Agrace, the largest Wisconsin-based nonprofit hospice, has expanded to serve the entire southern half of Wisconsin with the addition of Ozaukee, Washington, Racine and Kenosha counties to its Milwaukee service region. ... Southeastern Wisconsin Agrace patients are served through its regional office in Wauwatosa by a care team that includes a local hospice physician, nurses, CNAs, volunteers and a spiritual & grief counselor.

Quality improvement project: Implementing a mortality screening tool post hospital discharge to guide goals of care conversations and improve hospice admissions Geriatric Nursing; by Chelsea Goston, TeriAnn Benson, Heather Coats; 4/2/26 online ahead of print Problem: Bloom Healthcare has insufficient identification and under use of hospice services for eligible patients with chronic conditions. This gap leads to unnecessary hospitalizations, high costs, and suboptimal end-of-life experiences. ...Conclusions: The prognosis screening tool effectively facilitates timely hospice admissions and goals of care conversations in home-based care settings, enhancing end-of-life care and patient centered outcomes.

Westhampton teen's care packages honor her late father WN.com - Newsday; by Michael R. Ebert; 3/29/26 ... Elizabeth Sultan, a junior at Westhampton Beach High School, recently spearheaded a program called Peter's Packages, named in honor of her father, Peter, who died last year at 54 after suffering a heart attack while competing in the Jamesport Triathlon. Sultan's initiative provides curated care packages that contain items ranging from books to blankets. She said she was inspired to launch the effort after she and her brother, William, received similar comfort items from community members following their father's death.

Finding rare agreement on fixing the health care affordability crisisPenn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Hoag Levins; 4/7/26 In a rare display of bipartisan alignment, former Obama administration advisor Ezekiel Emanuel and Trump policy architect Brian Blase declared that the U.S. health care system is being choked by “perverse incentives” and monopolistic practices. ...

Croí Health raises $17.5M for patient care access, including through major philanthropic gifts MassNonprofit News; Press Release; 4/7/26 At the start of year three of their $20 million Voices Campaign, the Croí Health Charitable Fund has secured $17.5 million for patient care access.  Of this, they raised more than $11 million from an established donor base and more than 3,200 new, first-time donors. For the remaining amount, the Charitable Fund secured $6.5 million from leading philanthropists. About: Croí Health, formerly NVNA and Hospice, serves 27 communities, with a daily census of 1,200 and more than 200,000 patients annually. 

When shared decision-making becomes medical paternalism: Conversations about end-of-life care can turn into conflicts over authority MedPage Today; by DeAnna M. Pollock, MD; 4/1/26 "Why haven't they scheduled your dad for his feeding tube placement? They just want another family conference." I sighed and told my mother we may have to fight. The physicians caring for my father seemed ready to overrule her decision, even though she held his medical power of attorney. When I spoke with an intern, I explained that our family had not changed its mind about the course of treatment. We simply wanted to know when the feeding tube would be placed. Her response stunned me. "We refuse to place it," she said. "And we have the right to refuse anything." Calmly, I explained that, as a physician myself, ...