Literature Review

[United Kingdom] Parents to open 'virtual hospice' after unit shuts BBC News, London, England, UK; by Chris Slegg; 1/31/26 Families of seriously ill children in east London say they are setting up their own hospice service after being left without adequate care following the closure of local hospice, Richard House. The facility in Newham closed on 18 December despite a campaign by parents to keep it open in December. Parents, working with former Richard House chief executive Paul Richards, now plan to open East London Hospice, in order to provide care to families in their homes. 

Beyond cost-cutting: A new era in healthcare performance improvement Guidehouse; by Staff; 1/27/26 Healthcare leaders are redesigning operations, rethinking workforce, and embedding technology to weather unprecedented margin pressures. ... 

AMOREM Nourishes Our Neighbors Canned Dood Drive successful The Avery Journal-Times, Newland, NC; by Staff report editor; 1/30/26 HIGH COUNTRY In an effort to give back to their community, AMOREM staff joined together for an AMOREM Nourishes Our Neighbors Canned Food Drive in January. The event, coordinated by AMOREM's wellness committee and dietary services, was inspired by the organization's mission, vision and values. Staff were challenged to donate canned foods in a friendly competition between campuses and the collection from each campus was distributed to local food banks. ... A total of 667 items with a total value of $1,024.25 were collected and distributed to Yokefellow in Lenoir, Burke United Christian Ministries in Morganton and Hospitality House of Northwest NC in Boone.

Choice Health at Home expands footprint with acquisition of Cy-Fair Health Care and Alliant EIN Presswire, Tyler, TX; Press Release by Choice Health at Home; 1/30/26 Choice Health at Home, a leading provider of home health, hospice, and personal care services across the Southwest US, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Cy-Fair Health Care in Texas and Alliant Home Health, Palliative, and Hospice Care in Colorado (“Alliant”). These strategic acquisitions further strengthen Choice Health at Home’s presence in key growth markets while expanding access to high-quality, patient-centered care. Cy-Fair Health Care is located in Tomball, Texas, and provides home health services throughout Southeast Texas. 

Retired VA Nurse shares what she learned from over 10,000 dying veteransTampa Bay 28-ABC, Tampa Bay, FL; by Wendy Ryan; 1/30/26“Everything I've learned that has really mattered, I learned from the dying. Perspectives shift dramatically as death approaches. The day before you're given a terminal diagnosis, you take your life for granted. The day after, you wake up,” said Deborah Grassman, reading her book ‘Soul Injury.’ For over three decades as a VA hospice nurse practitioner, Deborah Grassman helped over 10,000 veterans take their final breath in peace. In those sacred moments, she began to see something they all carried. She calls it a “Soul Injury”, a wound that quietly haunts you. ... 

[Australia] The Palliative Aged Care Outcomes Program (PACOP): establishing a national framework to improve palliative care in long-term care facilities for older people BMC Geriatrics; by Johnson, C.E., Dai, Y., Bryce, L. et al; 1/31/26 Background: With an aging population worldwide, many countries face increasing challenges in delivering quality palliative care in long-term care facilities for older people (LTCFs). In Australia, a Royal Commission into Quality and safety of Aged Care in 2021 highlighted significant gaps in this field. In response, the Palliative Aged Care Outcomes Program (PACOP), a person-centred outcomes framework, was developed to address gaps in identification, assessment and management of palliative care needs in LTCFs.Conclusion: PACOP has achieved substantial uptake and early signs of successful implementation in Australian LTCFs. ...

Husband with Parkinson's was admitted into at-home hospice program and has dramatically improved. Have others experienced this? Aging Care; by Klwolf; 1/21/26 My DH has Parkinson’s that has been getting progressively worse for months. In early December we had him assessed for hospice and he was admitted. Since then, he’s improved dramatically. Has anyone else experienced dramatic improvement AFTER hospice enrollment? The hospice staff simply shrugs and says this sometimes happens and that we need to be prepared for him to revert back to his previous state. Editor's Note: Many clinicians have seen individuals improve after hospice enrollment, often due to better symptom control, reduced stress, or consistent interdisciplinary care. The concern here is not the improvement itself, but the hospice team’s reported response. A shrug can feel dismissive to families already living with uncertainty. How do we teach teams to communicate about improvement—honoring hope while preparing families with clarity, compassion, and trust?

Defining palliative care quality in a tight reimbursement environment Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 1/27/26 Palliative care delivery is undergoing an evolutionary period of change. These services are offered in several different ways across the country, which brings both benefits and challenges when it comes to defining quality in the space. Today’s palliative care providers are shaping the outlook of the field, but through diversified approaches, according to Brynn Bowman, CEO of Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). The field is reaching a pivotal stage when it comes to supply and demand or resources, an issue that greater standardization could help to address, she indicated. 

Winter weekend storms: Off the grid United States power outage tracker USAToday.com; real-time data map; updated every 15 minutes  USA Today provides a real-time U.S. Power Outage Tracker that aggregates data from more than 1,000 utility companies nationwide. This interactive map updates automatically every 15 minutes, offering near–real-time visibility into outages as severe weather and blizzard conditions unfold. Editor's Note: Share, save, and bookmark this resource. Use it to stay ahead of power disruptions in your service areas. For leaders in affected or high-risk regions, final preparations today can reduce harm this weekend. Assess and review with your leaders and teams (especially newer employees): 

WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States World Health Organization; 1/24/26 As a founding member of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States of America has contributed significantly to many of WHO’s greatest achievements, including the eradication of smallpox, and progress against many other public health threats including polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and more.WHO therefore regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe. The notification of withdrawal raises issues that will be considered by the WHO Executive Board at its regular meeting starting on 2 February and by the World Health Assembly at its annual meeting in May 2026.

‘Death Cafe’ will explore end-of-life issues, over refreshments OC Register, Orange County, CA; by Teri Sforza; 1/21/26 The Orange County Deathworkers Alliance wants to chat about your inevitable demise. Yes, members say, they’re a blast at parties! The Alliance is not a grief support group exactly, but a collection of caregivers, doulas, doctors, organizers and the like who help folks get a grip on the details attendant to their own mortality, and/or the mortality of loved ones. ... Death Cafés are a global movement, allowing people to discuss the oft-taboo thoughts and questions they have about the end of life. Organizers say the format encourages folks to share personal stories, explore their feelings and/or simply listen to other perspectives in a supportive atmosphere.

Sunday newsletters focus on headlines and top read stories of the last week (in order) - enjoy!

Dear Colleagues,