Literature Review

Letters without limits: Jesse Tetterton The Johns Hopkins News-Letter; by Omkar Katkade; 11/22/25 Letters Without Limits, founded by students at Johns Hopkins and Brown University, connects volunteers with palliative care and hospice patients to co-create “Legacy Letters.” These letters capture memories, values and lessons that patients wish to share, preserving stories that might otherwise be lost. By honoring these voices and preserving legacies, Letters Without Limits hopes to affirm the central role of humanism in medicine, reminding us that every patient is more than their illness and that their voices deserve to be heard.

Hospice gets free solar power as firms chip in BBC News, Luton, England; by Louise Parry; 11/22/25 A solar company said it had seen "amazing generosity" from local and international firms who pulled together to provide a hospice with free renewable power. Keech Hospice in Luton has received an array of 504 photovoltaic panels, which would usually cost about £200,000 to install. "We're calling it a solar legacy project, not just a one-off donation, as it will save the hospice £50,000 a year," said project manager Eddie Doherty. Liz Searle, chief executive of Keech said: "This gift doesn't just power our building — it powers hope, care, and community for years to come."

We must find the time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives. ~ John F. KennedyEditor's Note: Whatever our differences--political, religious, cultural, more--may we heed these words, reflecting on but one of too many lives cut short. Today marks the 62nd anniversary of John Kennedy's state funeral, impacting our world-views and of sharing real-time, collective grief through television. YouTube - State Funeral of President John F. Kennedy, November 25, 1963

Geisinger medical students accompany Scranton, Wilkes-Barre Allied hospice patients with No One Dies Alone program WWIA/PBS/NPR; by Lydia McFarlane; 11/23/25 Tommy Ahlin was very close with his grandfather. He looked up to the man he called “Pap-Pap” for his military service, wisdom and family values. He spent the last few months of his life in a nursing home under hospice care, where he died at age 97. “Unfortunately, on the day he passed, he did pass by himself and was alone for a couple of hours before anyone got to him," Ahlin said. ... Ahlin, a second-year student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, or GCSOM, is now a representative for the No One Dies Alone program, which partners the medical school with Allied Services Hospice. Program volunteers vigil sit, which means to provide company to hospice patients whose loved ones can't be with them.

Executive Roundtable: Change is a powerful source of communication’s strategic value PR Daily News - Internal Communications; by Mike Prokopeak; 11/24/25 To paraphrase the uncle of a certain web-slinging Marvel superhero, with great change comes great responsibility. And so it is that communicators find themselves at a pivotal point in organizational development. They are tasked with driving business outcomes, coaching leaders and guiding employees through transformation, all while navigating a rising wave of change fatigue. How communicators effectively drive change at this pivot point has the potential to be a source of enduring business value. 

Hospice board members file suit against Baxter Health over alleged bylaw violations KTLO.com; by Philip Lanius; 11/24/25 A lawsuit was filed Friday [11/21] by members of the Board of Directors of Hospice of the Ozarks against Baxter Health (referred to in the suit as Baxter County Regional Hospital). ... The lawsuit alleges the action to appoint the new board members taken recently by the hospital was fraudulent and done to “seize control and power from the current 11-member Hospice board.” ... The hospital took the action, the lawsuit charges, so it “could seize and control assets” belonging to Hospice. 

He built a nursing home empire despite state investigations. Now, lawsuits are piling upCal Matters; by Jocelyn Wiener; 11/20/25California nursing homes affiliated with Shlomo Rechnitz are facing lawsuits alleging that patients were raped, ignored and unnecessarily exposed to COVID-19. His companies deny the allegations. In February 2024, a Los Angeles County jury awarded $2.34 million to an 84-year-old nursing home resident named Betsy Jentz, finding that the facility had violated her rights on 132 occasions, at times leading to serious injuries. [Three more equally offensive cases.] All of these facilities have one thing in common: state records list Shlomo Rechnitz as an owner. Court documents show Rechnitz and his companies have denied all allegations in all of the cases.

AGG Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of the National Alliance for Care at Home and AAHPM JD Supra; by Jason Bring, Bill Dombi, and T. Chase Ogletree; 11/20/25 AGG Healthcare attorneys Bill Dombi and Jason Bring and Litigation & Dispute Resolution attorney TC Ogletree filed an amicus (or “friend of the court”) brief on behalf of the National Alliance for Care at Home (the “Alliance”) and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (the “AAHPM”) with the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The case involves a hospice audit that proceeded through the administrative appeals process to an administrative law judge (“ALJ”) hearing, in which the ALJ denied the hospice’s Medicare reimbursement claims.

Coordinating at-home care, enhancing quality of life as a hospice nurse case manager Grand Haven Tribune; by Emmanuel Hospice; 11/19/25 Throughout her career, Brittany Rickert has explored nursing jobs in various settings but keeps getting drawn back to hospice. For her, there's little out there that offers such a unique and rewarding experience. "There are landmarks throughout our lives and death is one of them," says Rickert, a nurse of 15 years. "It is very special to be allowed into that sacred space with patients and their loved ones, to support them through such a pivotal portion of their life." ... She defines her position as the "coordinator of the patient experience altogether," working alongside an interdisciplinary team to bring supportive services directly to patients, wherever they call home.

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. ~ William Arthur Ward

How much power should we give AI in end-of-life decisions? Forbes; by Michael L. Millenson; 11/20/25 Could an artificial intelligence algorithm used for end-of-life care decisions predict better than your loved ones whether you’d want doctors to restart your heart if it stops unexpectedly? Or if you have a serious illness, should AI predictions about your overall survival odds be used to prod you to make your wishes clear before there’s a medical emergency? Ready or not, AI predictions are quietly set to become part of care decisions at the end of life. However, what role they’ll play in relation to human intelligence and values, and whether there can be a “moral” AI that takes those into account, remain wide-open questions. 

85-year-old woman in senior home brings down the house with Fleetwood Mac 'Landslide' cover: There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Upworthy; by Cecily Knobler; 11/16/25 On a hot Sunday in July, Carole Wade took the mic at a Dallas senior living facility where my mom lives. I happened to be visiting for the karaoke event, and the list of residents who couldn't wait to put their stamps on their favorite tunes was so long, the event had to be extended. ... When it was Wade's turn, the microphone was brought to her table. She took it in her hands as though it was an extension of her fingers as the music cued up. Then, as she began to effortlessly sing "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, the room got still. Frozen. All eyes were on her, and most of those eyes were wet. The lyrics, so beautifully fitting:

Honoring compassion: A beautiful afternoon with Hospice Austin ActiveRain, Austin, TX; by Dorie Dillard; 11/16/25 Each year, I look forward to the Beauty of Life Luncheon hosted by Hospice Austin, a tradition that has become both meaningful and deeply personal for me. Held at the JW Marriott in downtown Austin, this year’s event was nothing short of extraordinary. More than 1,000 attendees filled the grand ballroom, creating a powerful sense of community and shared purpose. Even more inspiring, the luncheon raised an incredible $1,000,000 to support Hospice Austin’s mission of providing compassionate end-of-life care.