Literature Review

[Australia] Cancer and dementia incidence are strongly correlated worldwide: Evidence from cross-national regression analysesFuture Science OA; by Wenpeng You, Brendon J Coventry, Maciej Henneberg; 12/25Cancer and dementia are two major health problems affecting millions of people around the world. Countries with higher cancer rates almost always have higher dementia rates. Even after we accounted for income, life expectancy, and other social factors, cancer remained one of the strongest predictors of dementia. These findings suggest that cancer and dementia share many of the same underlying causes, such as aging, chronic inflammation, lifestyle habits, and changes that come with economic development. Understanding these shared patterns can help countries plan for future healthcare needs.

HopeWest holds 30th annual gala to support new dementia program KJCT 8 News - ABC, Grand Junction, CO; by Robbie Patla; 2/1/26 HopeWest held its 30th annual gala on January 31, bringing community members and partners together to support its new Dementia Support Program, which launched in July 2025. ... "This program really supports the caregiver’s journey and provides them with resources so that they are knowledgeable and have the tools to take care of their loved one,” said Breeana Gumpert, Chief Development Officer for HopeWest. ... Over 520 Grand Valley residents attended the sold-out event, which featured a “Romantic Renaissance” theme and raised funds for the program through ticket sales, a silent auction, and donations.

Protecting patients at the end of life why CON still matters - part 2 Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Paul A. Ledford and Tim Rogers;  1/30/26 In Part Two of Protecting Patients at the End of Life: Why CON Still Matters, host Chris Comeaux continues the conversation with two of the nation’s most respected hospice policy leaders—Paul A. Ledford, President & CEO of the Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association, and Tim Rogers, President & CEO of the Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina. This episode moves beyond regulatory theory and into the real-world patient and family experience—especially in states without hospice Certificate of Need (CON) laws. Drawing on decades of leadership, personal stories of loved ones in hospice, and data-informed insights, Paul and Tim explore what families actually face when hospice markets are oversaturated, fragmented, or poorly regulated.

Congressional hearing confronts hospice, health care fraud Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 2/4/26 Regulatory reform, better data and more state-federal and other stakeholder partnerships are necessary to combat health care fraud in the United States, including among hospices. This was a key message in a recent hearing by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Hospice fraud has been rampant in certain states. Unscrupulous providers have enrolled patients in hospice who were not eligible or without their knowledge or consent. They have also transferred patients from one hospice to another in exchange for monetary payments, engaged in “license flipping,” and paid illegal kickbacks for referrals, among other abuses.

Awards and Recognitions: January 2026

Sheinelle Jones honors nurses who cared for her late husbandTODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle; YouTube segment from tv show; 2/4/26 TODAY's Sheinelle Jones pays special tribute to the nurses and caretakers who looked after her husband Uche Ojeh while in hospice and not only made the time he had left more comfortable, but also supported her and the whole family during their most difficult moments. "The only reason I even have the strength to talk about it, is because I believe that they're our heroes. They deserve all the love and attention we can give them," she says. Then, the care team, Jazzie Stickle, Denise James Wright, Nykyra Owens, Chanel Duff and Jessica Goldstein, get a special surprise.Editor's Note: This segment on TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle honored Uche's birthday, the first birthday Sheinelle and her family are experiencing since his death from brain cancer in May 2025. Hudson Valley Hospice provided hospice care, and beautifully represented the best of hospice care's philosophy and care. In addition to nurses and aides, Sheinelle especially thanked Uche's speech pathologist who helped him voice "I love you." I invite you to watch this and be inspired:  Sheinelle Jones' late husband Uche relearned to say 'I love you' in hospice. And she has the video.

The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time. ~James Taylor

Medical Aid in Dying and our ethical duties—Call to actionJAMA Health Forum; by Yesne Alici, Liz Blackler, Julia Danielle Kulikowski, Amy Scharf; 1/26Medical aid in dying (MAID) is legal in 11 US states and Washington, DC, and is being actively considered in 18 additional states ... In all jurisdictions where MAID is legal, hospital systems have the option to opt out of providing MAID services but are legally obligated to share information about where patients can access resources. We maintain that all hospital systems and individual clinicians have an ethical responsibility to go beyond simply sharing information. Patients are going to ask about MAID, and institutions are ethically obligated to establish comprehensive policies that empower and encourage their clinical staffs—primarily physicians but also nurses and advanced practice clinicians—to purposefully and thoughtfully respond. Here, we describe the experience of our institution, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), in developing policies and procedures to fulfill this responsibility and highlight lessons for other health care organizations and oncology practices seeking to accomplish similar goals.

Preparing for the inevitable: a scoping review of death and dying education in U.S. medical schoolsAcademic Medicine; by Logan Patterson, Autumn Decker, Angelique King, Anna Roman, Cory Bolkan, Raven H Weaver; 1/26There remains a sizeable gap in evidence-based medical education related to knowledge, skills, and abilities pertaining to end-of-life care. The authors offer next steps for developing, implementing, and measuring evidence-based interventions to improve end-of-life care competency. The authors advocate for continued implementation of evidence-based educational interventions, regardless of anticipated specialty area, throughout all preclinical and clinical years.

Researchers identify new blood markers that may detect early pancreatic cancer; NIH-funded, four-marker panel could one day help catch one of deadliest cancers at more treatable stagesNIH press release; 1/30/26National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported investigators have developed a blood test to find pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The new test could improve survival rates from pancreatic cancer, which tends to be diagnosed at late stages when therapy is less likely to be effective. The findings were published in Clinical Cancer Research. Overall, only about 1 in 10 pancreatic cancer patients survive more than five years from diagnosis. However, experts expect that when the cancer is found and treated at an earlier stage, survival would improve. While finding the cancer early is key, there are no current screening methods to do so.

Hospice clinicians' approaches to terminal restlessness: A qualitative analysisJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; Andy Jan, Molly Turnwald, Susan Maixner, Thomas O'Neil, Lauren Gerlach; 1/26Terminal restlessness is frequently observed in hospice, yet it lacks a consistent definition, diagnostic framework, and treatment approach. Five themes emerged [from this study]: (1) Diagnostic challenge-clinicians reported difficulty distinguishing terminal restlessness from delirium, pain, or medication side effects; (2) Common symptom profile-agitation, confusion, hallucinations, and constant movement; (3) Temporal association with active dying process-terminal restlessness was viewed as a sign of imminent death; (4) Ruling out reversible causes-pain, urinary retention, or other modifiable factors; and (5) Treatment variability-approaches varied, though most clinicians were more comfortable using sedating medications once death was perceived to be imminent.

[UK] The effects of music interventions on behavioural and psychological symptoms in older adults with dementia: Systematic reviewAdvances in Mental Health; by Motunrayo A. Akinboye, Benjamin O. Ajibade; 12/25Dementia, affecting over 55 million people globally, often presents with behavioural and psychological symptoms (BPSDs) such as agitation, depression, and anxiety. Pharmacological treatments can lead to adverse effects, highlighting theneed for safer, non-drug alternatives like music interventions. Findings show that music interventions significantly alleviated symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and agitation. Both active (e.g., singing, playing instruments) andreceptive (e.g., listening) music therapy formats were effective, with sessions ranging from 20–90 minutes. Interventions were most successful when personalized and culturally tailored.