Literature Review

Saturday newsletters focus on headlines and research - enjoy!

“I just feel alone and by myself”: how adolescents experience loneliness when their parent has cancer BMC Public Health; by Lydia Mckeown, Martin Dempster, Jenny Groarke & Lisa Graham-Wisener; 3/31/26... Adolescents experiencing parental cancer report intrapersonal loneliness and interpersonal loneliness across their peer group and family life. Healthcare professionals should identify if patients have young dependent children early on so they can support parents to provide age-appropriate information about cancer to their young people and signpost parents to relevant support for their children. Editor's Note: This need becomes even more urgent when a parent is dying. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospice Conditions of Participation reference “family” 423 times—an intentional reminder that hospcie care extends beyond the patient. Supporting parents as they support their children is both essential and expected.

Social Media Watch 4/3/26

AI governance is not policy. It is infrastructure. Mondaq - Legal500| Intelligence; by Lowenstein Sandler; 3/23/26 If a regulator or litigant asked your organization tomorrow to explain how a specific AI system produced a decision, could you? Most organizations would struggle to answer. Not because they lack policies. Because they lack reliable evidence. AI governance that exists only in documents cannot scale. Real governance lives in systems, pipelines, identity controls, telemetry, and monitoring infrastructure that produce verifiable proof that governance is working.

Carolina Caring, nationally-recognized serious illness care provider, expands services to Davie County Carolina Caring, Davie County, NC; Press Release; 4/1/26 Carolina Caring, the nonprofit serious illness care provider serving Western North Carolina and the Charlotte Region, announces an expansion of services into Davie County. Carolina Caring is one of the first 3 hospice organizations established in North Carolina and has remained committed to the mission of providing high-quality, compassionate care for more than 45 years. The organization continues to evolve to meet the growing needs and expectations of the populations it serves. The expansion into Davie County follows a period of significant organizational growth and distinction.

April is Global Volunteer Month Points of Light - Global Volunteer Month; retrieved from the internet 4/2/26 Global Volunteer Month is a time to honor and celebrate volunteers worldwide while encouraging volunteerism everywhere. Volunteers, you are the heartbeat of strengthening communities, and throughout the month, we recognize your vital role. We also urge everyone to join us in taking action, as every act of service contributes to a more connected world. During April, lend your time, talent and passion to making a real difference in your own backyard and cause a ripple effect around the world.Editor's Note: How is your hospice celebrating and honoring volunteers this April? We’re gathering meaningful and creative ways organizations express appreciation for those who serve in so many roles throughout the year. We’d love to include yours. Please email me at jberger@hospicepalliativecaretoday.com with a brief description and a link to more details (article or webpage). Let’s honor the heart of hospice—together.

Expert panel updating NCHPC’s Palliative Care Clinical Practice Guidelines Hospice News; by Kevin Ryan; 4/1/26 The National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care (NCHPC) has chosen a panel of 33 palliative care experts to develop the 5th edition of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. Originally created in 2004, through the National Consensus Project, the guidelines established the first national, evidence-based standards for the palliative care field. The guidelines have been updated four times since 2004 and have been endorsed by more than 90 health and professional health care worker organizations.  

Hospice House board announces plans to sell shuttered facility Owatonna Peoples Press, Owatonna, MN; by Josh Lafollette; 4/1/26 For nearly two decades, Homestead Hospice House brought peace and comfort to community members in their final days, and brought joy to their loved ones in even the most trying times. Today, the house sits empty, despite the concerted efforts of local volunteers. After efforts to reopen the house stalled last year, the HHH board has announced plans to sell the facility and surrounding acreage, and use the proceeds to establish a fund dedicated to supporting local end-of-life care services.

California targeted in House Committee investigation of hospice fraud

Integrating palliative care: The power of silence in oncology Oncology Nursing News; by Angela Thomas, MSN, APRN, AGPCNP-C, ACHPN; 3/31/26Integrating palliative care principles into oncology requires the ability to allow silence to create a space where patients can process difficult news and feel truly seen. According to Angela Thomas, MSN, APRN, AGPCNP-C, ACHPN, these intentional pauses validate the patient’s experience and provide a necessary emotional release. By sitting in silence, providers acknowledge the gravity of the patient’s situation, which Thomas identifies as a core “heart issue” learned from palliative care and successfully integrated into the oncology setting. In a recent interview with Oncology Nursing News, Thomas, of Texas Oncology, discusses how practitioners can incorporate these techniques into their daily practice. 

New CMS delivery models enable senior living providers to get paid for what they’re already doing McKnights Senior Living, Nashville, TN; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 4/1/26 Speakers at the 2026 National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care Spring Conference on Tuesday shared several new federal programs that offer senior living providers opportunities to showcase their value and to get paid for what they are already doing in chronic disease prevention and management. 

Woman pushes for end-of-life care protections after murder charge dropped WRDW/WAGT, Augusta/Harlem, GA; by Liz Owens; 3/30/26  woman indicted for killing her mother with a lethal dose of morphine is pushing to change the law after prosecutors dropped the charge six months later. Rachel Waters returned to Harlem on what would have been her mother’s birthday to lay Marsha to rest and advocate for Marsha’s Law, which would provide legal protection for family members giving end-of-life care to dying loved ones. “Today is the first time I felt any meaningful sense of closure,” Waters said. “It’s very surreal. It was almost exactly a year ago that I came down to turn myself in after the indictment.”

Seniors who say they’re “not afraid of death” often still carry these quiet worries they don’t talk about Bolde; by Julie Brown; 4/1/26 My grandmother said it so matter-of-factly that it almost stopped the conversation. ... "I'm not afraid of it," she said. "I've had a very good life. When it's time, it's time." And she meant it. I believed her completely. But then, a few minutes later, she mentioned almost in passing that she hoped she wouldn't "get confused" at the end.