Literature Review

Gone from my sight: Barbara Karnes on what happens in the final days of life | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Barbara Karnes; 3/25/26 Drawing from over four decades of bedside experience, Barbara shares how Hospice Care began as a movement outside the traditional medical model, rooted not in treating disease, but in caring for people and their families during life’s most vulnerable moments.  Her insights challenge modern healthcare to return to a more human-centered approach—one that prioritizes presence, education, and compassion.

Haven Hospice simulations help caregivers understand dementia Levy Citizen, Chiefland, FL; by Antoniette Meyer; 3/19/26 A program offered by Haven Hospice is helping caregivers, medical professionals and community members better understand what daily life can be like for someone living with dementia. ... Through Haven’s Dementia Care Program, participants can take part in hands-on simulations designed to replicate some of the sensory and cognitive challenges people with dementia experience. During the exercises, attendees may wear specialized goggles or gloves, listen to music or attempt tasks that simulate symptoms such as vision loss, hearing impairment, reduced motor function and changes in perception. ... Attendees who participate in the simulations often report that the experience is eye-opening, helping them develop greater empathy and learn ways to communicate more effectively with people living with dementia.Editor's Note: Experiential education like this offers something lectures alone cannot—an embodied understanding of what it may feel like to live with dementia. These kinds of empathy-building simulations are not only powerful, but also adaptable for many settings. Consider how similar approaches could support your interdisciplinary team, volunteers, and non-clinical staff—especially those who both contribute to patient care in meaningful ways and navigate dementia in their own families.

The good deaths of people who never marry: Lifelong single people are most likely to die pain-free and at peace. Psychology Today; by Bella DePaulo, PhD; 3/8/26 People who are single and want to stay that way are often taunted with scare stories about what will happen to them toward the end of their life—they will grow old alone, they will die alone, and all the rest. Same for people who have no children. But is the quality of the end of their lives really worse for those who never marry (or never have kids) than it is for those who are married, remarried, divorced, or widowed (or who have grown children)? We now have an answer, and it is not at all what those dire warnings predicted.Editor's Note: This Psychology Today article provides a new lens in the research we shared on 3/20/26, “We make our own families”: Do child-free people die alone? Hospice worker shares her experience. Important: “child-free” does not necessarily mean a person never married, and “never married” does not necessarily mean a person is child-free. Together, they raise a deeper question: is a “good death” defined by traditional family—or by the presence of meaning, connection, and peace, however we choose to build it?

Building health equity for Minnesota’s Hmong community: The role and impact of the HmongHmong Studies Journal; by Yeng M. Yang; 2/26This article examines the health care experiences of Hmong refugees in Minnesota and the U.S. since the late 1970s, highlighting major public health challenges as well as notable progress reflecting their resilience. It highlights how Hmong Americans have navigated obstacles to health care such as language barriers, cultural differences, and limited access to culturally competent healthcare, while emphasizing the vital role of the Hmong Health Care Professionals Coalition (HHCPC/ The Coalition).

Oversight Committee launches investigation into rampant taxpayer fraud in California hospice programs U.S. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Washington, DC; Press Release; 3/23/26Following alarming reports that California officials failed to properly safeguard federal funds, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Oversight Committee Republicans today launched an investigation into rampant taxpayer fraud in California’s hospice programs. ... The Oversight Committee is now requesting documents and communications regarding California’s oversight and internal controls to detect and prevent fraud for its federally funded hospice programs.Editor's Note: CMS Testimony at the Oversight Committee by Kim Brandt, Deputy Administrator & Chief Operating Officer, CMS. 

May your troubles be less, and your blessing be more. And nothing but happiness, come through your door. ~Irish Blessing

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

Feasibility and acceptability of a self-written, tele-delivered, LGBTQ+-affirming adaptation of dignity therapy for LGBTQ+ women with advanced cancerAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Lexie Wille, Kristie A. Wood, Mike C. Parent; 2/26Dignity therapy (DT) is effective in addressing dignity-related existential distress in people with advanced cancer, but the traditional protocol assumes supportive family structures, uses heteronormative language, and requires synchronous clinician facilitation. These features may limit accessibility for LGBTQ+ individuals. This pilot demonstrated that a self-written, tele-delivered LGBTQ+-affirming DT adaptation was feasible and acceptable for LGBTQ+ women with advanced cancer.