Literature Review

Kids’ Grief and Healing Camp provides space for kids experiencing loss WVIR-29 News; Charlottesville, WV; by Kyndall Hanson; 2/7/26 Hospice of the Piedmont hosted its Kids’ Grief and Healing Camp on Saturday, February 7, giving children a space to share feelings and memories about their loved ones while connecting with others experiencing similar loss. “I’m not alone in this,” said Ella Matucci, an 11-year-old attending the camp. “Everyone is gonna lose someone in their life. Sometimes, I guess, it just happens earlier to some people, but we all have to go through it.” The free day camp works to provide children with a sense of togetherness and support during grief, offering a place for kids to come together, be kids, and express themselves in a safe space.

We’re all going to die: It’s time to get more comfortable with talking about dying India New England News; by Anna Lamb, Harvard staff writer; 2/7/26 More than 90 percent of Americans believe that we should be able to talk about death and dying, according to a recent poll. But only 27 percent were comfortable doing it, and 31 percent were uneasy about contemplating their own mortality. But things may be starting to change. ... Susan Block, founding chair of the Department of Supportive Oncology at Dana-Farber and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, thinks it’s time. ... Block and two other palliative care physicians at Harvard-affiliated hospitals shared their thoughts on having difficult conversations about dying and what those talks can teach us.

To uncover your true potential you must first find your own limits and then have the courage to blow past them. ~ Picabo Street, Olympic skier 1998

Factoring in the human side of robotics The Journal of Healthcare Contracting; by R. Dana Barlow... If incorporating robots in supply chain becomes the norm, and many believe it will be the case, then supply chain executives, leaders, managers and professionals must come to grips with any reservations they might have. How to accomplish that depends on the individual and the corporate culture in which he or she serves and works. ... “We’re in healthcare. Continuous improvement and innovation are a big part of the Memorial Hermann culture,” he told The Journal of Healthcare Contracting. “We have our caregivers, physicians, nurses. They’re always looking for new, innovative ways to deliver great patient care. ..."Editor's Notes: Are supply chain executives admonished to "come to grips with any reservations they might have," or should they--do they--listen, learn from, and incorporate valid reservations into their development and use of robotics? I do not assume to have answers--for the sake of delivering "great patient care"--I simply ask the glaring question.

They balanced life and work. Now more women are quitting. Here's why USA Today; by Jessica Guynn; 1/29/26 ... [In]2025, more than 455,000 women left the workforce. Now, a national survey casts a light on what drove that decision for many women. Nearly half of the women who voluntarily left said they did so because of their caregiving responsibilities and the high cost and limited availability of child care, according to a survey from women’s advocacy group Catalyst. 

[Canada] The quiet web of care: Hospitals, hospice, paramedics and community working as one The Millstone; Mississippi Mills area, Canada; 1/25/26 When we think about care, most of us picture the hospital: rooms, nurses, doctors, the moment a life changes. But real care in North Lanark is not anchored to a single building. It’s a living web the Mississippi River Health Alliance — Almonte General Hospital, Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital, Fairview Manor, and Lanark County Paramedic Service — working alongside Home Hospice North Lanark and Houle Healthcare so neighbors can get the right help at the right time, in the place that matters most. ... They are parts of the same journey, passing the baton back and forth so patients, families and neighbors are not left to navigate alone.Editor's Note: Pair this with today's post, "Why patient flow will decide hospital performance in 2026."

Longmont restaurant owner hits the road to make hospital patient's wish come true NBC 9 News, Longmont, CO; by Colton Chavez; 2/6/26 A Longmont restaurant owner is driving to Montana this weekend to personally deliver baked potatoes to a patient who listed visiting his establishment as one of their wishes. Eddy Ellson, owner of Big Bear Baked Potatoes, received a message through his restaurant's website from a hospice nurse in Montana asking if he could share his recipe or send food to a patient named Kristle, who wanted to visit his restaurant but was too ill to make the trip. "One of her last wishes she asked the nurse to take her to Denver because she wanted to go to Big Bear Baked Potatoes," Ellson said. Instead of sending a recipe, Ellson decided to make the journey himself. He plans to cook for Kristle, her family, and her nurses on Super Bowl Sunday, when his restaurant is normally closed.

California AG Bonta charges 7 in Monterey County over hospice fraud scheme totaling $3.2m KSBW 9 Action News, Monterery, CA; by Ricardo Tovar; 2/6/26 California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that arrests have been made and felony charges filed against seven people in connection with an alleged hospice fraud scheme filed in Monterey County. The total loss to Medi-Cal and Medicare is estimated to be $3,211,419.79, according to Bonta's office. The complaint alleges that the conduct occurred from approximately April 1, 2016, through June 1, 2024 — a period of roughly 8 years and 2 months.

What hospice leaders need to know about H.R.7148 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress | signed by the President, 2/3/26Congress.gov; content below gleaned by Judi Lund Person, Guest Editor

Measures that matter: How better metrics can transform end-of-life care | part twoTeleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner, with guests Bob Tavares, Robin Heffernan, and Mindy Stewart-Coffee; 2/6/26 Top News Stories of the Month, January 2026What gets measured shapes how patients experience the final chapter of life.  In Part Two of Measures That Matter, Hospice and healthcare leaders explore how focused, meaningful metrics—not check-the-box measures—can improve quality, reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, and strengthen value-based end-of-life care. The conversation highlights a small, high-impact set of indicators that better reflect real-world Hospice performance—such as visits in the last days of life, live discharges and burdensome transitions, gaps in nursing visits, access to higher levels of care (GIP and Continuous Home Care), and patient experience, including the simple but powerful question: “Would you recommend this Hospice?”

Experiences and knowledge of family caregivers providing end of life care to older adults at home American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Delaney E. Knutson, BSN and Barbara St Marie, PhD, AGPCNP, FAANP, FAAN; 1/28/26 Conclusion: This scoping review highlighted the need for increased information for family caregivers regarding end-of-life care to reduce the challenges and burden for families caring for their older adult at home at end-of-life. Areas for improvement include increased support from family and friends, caregiver respite, increased education about caregiving, and improved communication between hospice programs and home caregivers. 

How ‘rest’ became the biggest four-letter word in healthcareMedscape; by Eric Spitznagel; 1/30/26As a resident at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut, he did his best to get enough of it, which wasn’t often. Even when he managed a full night’s sleep, it didn’t bring the relief he expected. His body might slow down, but his mind didn’t. “My mind kept racing through patient records,” Jacobs said. “So even sitting on the couch wasn’t helping.” He was on the cusp of understanding what few healthcare workers figure out: True rest requires more than lying down. It requires something that pulls your attention out of the mental loops that medicine trains clinicians to spin 24/7. ...

“Existential risk” – Why scientists are racing to define consciousness WDC TV News; by WDC TV News Staff; 2/1/26 As artificial intelligence continues to advance and ethical concerns grow alongside it, scientists say the need to understand consciousness has reached a critical point. In a new review published in Frontiers in Science, researchers warn that progress in AI and neurotechnology is moving faster than scientific understanding of consciousness. This gap, they argue, could lead to serious ethical problems if it is not addressed. The authors say explaining how consciousness emerges is now an urgent scientific and moral priority. A clearer understanding could eventually make it possible to develop scientific methods for detecting consciousness. That breakthrough would have far-reaching consequences ...