Literature Review

* CEO, Hildegard House, nonprofit, Louisville, KY

Alzheimer’s definitions, biomarkers, and antibodies: Halima Amjad, Barak Gaster, and Heather WhitsonGeriPAL podcast; by Alex Smith, Eric Widera, Halima Amjad, Barak Gaster, Heather Whitson; 3/12/26It’s an era of breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s research, yet for many clinicians, it’s also a time of profound uncertainty. We are currently navigating competing definitions of the disease, multiple new biomarkers coming on market seemingly every week, and the clinical rollout of new amyloid antibodies. How do we translate this rapid-fire science into daily practice? On this week’s GeriPal podcast... we dive deep into:

Metro East hospice aide caring for her own son with rare terminal disorder First Alert 4, Collinsville, IL; by Jeffrey Bullard; 3/13/26 A Collinsville mother has worked as a hospice care aide for more than 13 years, and soon she will be placing her son in that care. “She is the best,” said Brenda McGarvey of Amber Mers, her coworker at Unity Hospice Care. “If you didn’t know Amber personally, you would never know what she is going through,” explained Beverly Lee. Amber is facing a mother’s worst nightmare. Her son Emil is dying.

Facing death as a doctor: Knowledge vs natureMedscape; by Sarah Amandolare; 3/12/26 The decision to enroll her father in hospice care came easily for Janet Abrahm, MD. Abrahm, a palliative care doctor and former oncologist, helped her father — an internist who died of prostate cancer at home — understand the program’s benefits, such as family bereavement services, and that he could be readmitted to the hospital if needed. “Most doctors don’t know that,” said Abrahm, who is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston and the author of Comprehensive Guide to Supportive and Palliative Care for Patients with Cancer. “They think it’s a one-way street, I imagine — that you put somebody in hospice and then that’s it. ... The level of engagement physicians have with death in their practice may inform how they want to die — and how they counsel loved ones facing a serious illness. But a new study suggests even as they face end-of-life decisions through the lens of their expertise, physicians can also be swayed by the same financial, familial, and existential burdens afflicting their patients. 

Community built it. Corporate changed it. The Durango Herald, Durango, CO; by Myriam Palmer; 3/13/26 Durango Herald reporters have been informing us about the changes in palliative and hospice care at Mercy Hospital CommonSpirit. In November, we learned that Mercy Hospice House would be temporarily closed to realign with the CommonSpirit model. It is notable that the construction of Mercy Hospice House was fully funded by community contributions. Years of soliciting donations from the entire community resulted in great pride when it began receiving patients in 2017. In the months since we learned that Hospice House was temporarily closed, we said farewell to the director of hospice services at Mercy. The most recent comprehensive article (Herald, March 1), attempted to explain the new for-profit model of outpatient palliative care at Mercy.  

Spotlight On: Linda Ward, President & CEO, Gulfside Healthcare Services Capital Analytics Associates (CAA); 3/16/26 Linda Ward, president and CEO of Gulfside Healthcare Services, sat down with Invest: to discuss the organization’s strategic expansion across Tampa Bay, its commitment to underserved communities, and the evolving regulatory landscape shaping post-acute care. Key points:

If you don't get out of the box you've been raised in, you won't understand how much bigger the world is. ~ Angelina Jolie

Now open: VITAS Healthcare inpatient hospice care at Oak Manor PR Newswire, Largo, FL; by VITAS Healthcare; 3/16/26 Residents in Pinellas County now have improved access to high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care with the opening of VITAS Healthcare inpatient care at Oak Manor in Largo. As the first VITAS inpatient center in the region, the facility strengthens the continuum of care for people facing terminal illness by providing around-the-clock clinical support in a comfortable, supportive environment. The center features 12 private patient rooms designed to offer comfort, dignity and support for patients and families. The facility ... is expected to care for more than 400 patients and their families each year. 

When using AI leads to “brain fry”Harvard Business Review; by Julie Bedard, Matthew Kropp, Megan Hsu, Olivia T. Karaman, Jason Hawes, Gabriella Rosen Kellerman; 3/5/26A new study finds that certain patterns of AI use are driving cognitive fatigue, while others can help reduce burnout... Firms are incentivizing employees to build and oversee complex teams of agents—for example, by measuring and rewarding token consumption as a proxy for performance. Meta, for one, includes the number of lines of code generated by AI as a performance metric for engineers. As enterprises use more multi-agent systems, employees find themselves toggling between more tools. Contrary to the promise of having more time to focus on meaningful work, juggling and multitasking can become the definitive features of working with AI... The literature is filled with mixed signals on the relationship between AI and worker burnout. (Burnout is as a state of chronic workplace stress consisting of exhaustion, negative feelings about work, and decreased effectiveness on the job.) Some studies suggest that using AI to replace tiring tasks alleviates exhaustion; other studies, sometimes on the same populations, show AI use worsening burnout outcomes... This highlights the subtle-but-important distinction between the types of stress that AI can alleviate, and those that it may worsen. Our findings are both a guide and a warning.

Is hospice over-sedating my mom? AgingCare; by Ginger May; 3/11/26 This might be a common question. Mom was signed on to hospice nine days ago. ... Prior to hospice, she was alert and going down to meals each day and participating in conversations. ... Hospice recommended a small dose of morphine to reduce the cough and as they explained "to relax the airway." [Descriptions of her mother's decline. ...] Yesterday, I talked to the hospice nurse and told her I thought it was too much. The nurse disagreed and said mom needed it to prevent "air hunger" and is more comfortable with it than without it. I felt like if I disagreed too much, I was depriving my mother of "comfort." ...Editor's Note: Yes—this is a common question. Families often wonder whether medications intended for comfort are instead taking their loved one away too quickly. Leaders, listen carefully to this daughter’s experience with the hospice nurse. When families question a medication or express fear, what actually happens next? Are their concerns welcomed? Or, dismissed and perhaps even debated? Communication at the bedside does more than explain care. It shapes whether families carry trust—or regret—into bereavement.

Drew Brees visit delights Saints fan living final days in hospice care in Southern California Fox 8, New Orleans; by Ken Daley; 3/14/26 Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees this week paid a surprise visit to a devoted Saints fan living out his final days at a hospice care facility in Southern California. According to social media posts from the Southern California Hospice Foundation, a 48-year-old man identified as Eddie likely has 1-2 weeks to live after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and undergoing four surgeries in the past month that were unable to improve his prognosis. The initial post last Tuesday said Eddie had been transferred to the Heavenly Home hospice in Mission Viejo, an Orange County community between Los Angeles and San Diego. It said Eddie was originally from New Orleans, has always been a devoted fan of the Saints, and especially admired Brees. The post said one of his final wishes was simply to meet an NFL player.

Leveraging AI, automation, and data analytics in a hospice setting HealthTech; by Lindsay Myers; 3/13/26 In the hospice setting, the revenue cycle is not only complex but also uniquely fragile, as billing cannot proceed without complete documentation. The sequential nature of hospice billing, where one month’s claims must be fully processed before the next can begin, means that even minor deficiencies can halt revenue entirely. Small delays or errors upstream can have a profound impact on cash flow. ... To improve this process, the Chapters Health System is developing an AI-driven chart review process to analyze the completeness of clinical and other documentation in real time. The goal is to identify missing or inconsistent elements and route those issues directly to the party that can make corrections ...

Hospice of Humboldt announces $250,000 matching gift My Humboldt Life, Eureka, CA; 3/15/26 Hospice of Humboldt is pleased to announce a $250,000 matching gift from the owners of Premier Financial Group to support the continued growth of its Home-Based Palliative Care program. ... Launched in 2022, Hospice of Humboldt’s Home-Based Palliative Care program currently serves 70 patients and meeting the next fundraising goal will allow them to expand to 140 individuals. “Nearly 30 years ago, our founders set out to model how organizations can invest meaningfully in their communities through a strong culture of giving,” said Wayne Caldwell, CFP®, Chairman of the Board and Founder of Premier Financial Group.