Literature Review

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~ Mark Twain

Hospice Foundation of America receives Partner of the Year Award from Penn State College of MedicineHospice Foundation of America, Washington, DC; Press Release, Cindy Bramble; 9/11/26 Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) was named 2026 Partner of the Year by the Penn State University College of Medicine [Thursday, 9/10]. The award recognizes HFA’s significant contributions to a National Institutes of Health funded research initiative, the Project Talk Trial, which studied how to best engage communities across the U.S. in advance care planning. ... With its vast national network, HFA connected PSU College of Medicine researchers to community organizations across the country to bring advance care planning conversations to 1,799 people in 78 communities across 32 states and the District of Columbia. Project Talk Trial is the largest research study of its kind.Editor's Note: Congratulations, Hospice Foundation of America! We thank you for your longstanding, innovative leadership to improve hospice care throughout our nation.

Everyone wants to be seen.  Everyone wants to be heard.  Everyone wants to be recognized as the person that they are and not a stereotype or an image. ~ Loretta Lynch

The dark side of full patient autonomy Medscape; by Lisa O'Mary; 9/14/26 Paternalism is out. Shared decision-making is in. But some communication and ethics experts say medicine is veering far too much toward full patient autonomy. A new review in the journal Health Communication found that clear delivery, active listening, and empathy were associated with patient trust. Obvious? Probably. But here’s the twist: The authors also found that paternalistic styles didn’t always harm trust — and even aided shared decision-making in some situations, particularly in contexts such as emergency care, serious illness, and end-of-life decisions.

Perceived importance of good death components among patients with advanced cancer and family caregivers JAMA Network; by Hammoda Abu-Odah, PhD, Gulbeyaz Can, PhD, Sotirios Plakas, PhD, Juanjuan Zhao, PhD, Xixi Wang, MSN, Alexandros Stergiou, MSc(c), Ourania Govina, PhD, Kimya Kilicaslan, PhD, Bahar Ozdemir, MD, Matthew J. Allsop, PhD, Mitsunori Miyashita, PhD, Alex Molassiotis, PhD, Janelle Yorke, PhD, and Frances Kam Yuet Wong, PhD; 9/14/26Importance: Although the concept of a good death is central to palliative care policy and practice, empirical evidence is largely derived from high-income Western or single-country contexts, limiting cross-setting relevance.Objective: To determine the importance of good death components, compare priorities across settings, and examine patient–caregiver differences and setting-by-role interactions. ... Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study, patients with advanced cancer and family caregivers across 5 settings shared a broad aspiration for a good death, but priorities varied across settings. Emotional peace, dignity, and family connection were consistently highly valued. These findings suggest that culturally sensitive palliative care models should recognize both shared end-of-life priorities and setting-specific meanings of a good death.

Addus HomeCare announces a definitive agreement to acquire Personal Care Division of AccentCare BusinessWire, Frisco, TX; Press Release; 9/14/26 Addus HomeCare Corporation (Nasdaq: ADUS), a provider of home care services, [Monday 9/14] announced a definitive agreement to acquire the personal care division of AccentCare for an anticipated purchase price, after customary purchase price adjustments, of approximately $275.0 million. The transaction relates only to AccentCare's personal care operations outside of New York and does not relate to its hospice and home health operations. The acquired operations serve an average daily census of approximately 13,700 customers through locations in a 10-state footprint. 

[United Kingdom] Dad who hates sand to take on Sahara trek BBC News; by Emma Stanley; 9/13/26 A dad who hates sand is trekking the Sahara Desert to raise money for the hospice that cares for his son. Andrew Privett, from Leyland in Lancashire, is one of 31 adventurers who are preparing to trek 30 miles (48km) across Morocco's Erg Chegaga Dunes over six days in November. They will face extreme temperatures, challenging terrain and long days beneath the desert sun, in the first overseas challenge for Chorley's Derian House Children's Hospice.

[Hospice bereavement director] A non-anxious presence: Red Cross volunteer supports Flight 93 families and responders American Red Cross; video interview with Patti Anewalt, PhD; 9/1/26 [Dr. Patti Anewalt is the retired director of Hospice and Community Care's Pathways Center for Grief and Loss, Mount Joy / Lancaster, Pensylvania. Of note, her hospice organization supported her volunteer time in this crucial Red Cross disaster mental health role.] When Patti Anewalt first learned about the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, she immediately sensed her phone might ring. At the time, Patti was an American Red Cross volunteer in Central Pennsylvania and an experienced grief counselor [whose PhD was in trauma]. As coworkers gathered around televisions to watch events unfold, she told her boss she thought she would be called to respond. She was right. The next day, Patti was deployed to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where United Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville ... For two weeks, she worked alongside fellow Red Cross volunteers, supporting victims' families, disaster workers and responders as they navigated one of the most tragic moments in American history. ... As family members arrived in Pennsylvania, many visited the crash site for the first time. Some were unsure whether they even wanted to go. ... "Whenever we're teaching in hospice, we say we're a non-anxious presence at a very difficult time in people's lives," she said. "The role I had there was no different than my day role at hospice because it's just being a non-anxious presence to people who are in the worst time in their lives and being present for them." ...Editor's Note: Many readers know Patti--both as faithful friend and for her prolific leadership teaching about trauma, grief, and hospice organization's appropriate (and not appropriate) responses to community tragedies, especially in the years following 9/11. Patti led NHPCO's professional Bereavement Group to be the most active, growing group during her 6-year volunteer tenure. Patti was a regular reader of our newsletter until her well-deserved, recent retirement.

Nurse accused of ‘exorcism’ as nursing home resident’s 911 calls went unanswered for 34 minutes Yahoo!News; Olivia Richman; 9/12/26 A resident at a Pennsylvania nursing home called 911 at 2:53 a.m. and reported that a nurse was trying to kill people. Four calls and more than half an hour later, police finally reached the room. ... The grand jury report says the agency licensed practical nurse, Octavia Lasha Robinson, was standing over a hospice resident identified as E.B. when officers arrived on June 23, 2025. Robinson had her fingers pressed into the resident's mouth, while blood was visible on the resident's clothing and bedding and on items scattered around the room. The episode was described by witnesses as an attempt to drive demons from the resident. The report says Robinson repeatedly spoke about demonic possession as police took her into custody.

You say "impossible," but all I hear is "I'm possible." ~ Ted Lasso, from season 2, episode 11

As states increase oversight of PE in nursing homes, deals decline Skilled Nursing News; by Amy Stulick; 9/26/26 More states are imposing new laws to add oversight of private equity (PE) in healthcare, including nursing homes. As a result, the number of PE-involved healthcare deals declined since least year, according to a report in Pitchbook, and the value of those deals in the first half of this year is lower than this time in 2025. California, Oregon and Rhode Island each had laws or regulations that take effect this year requiring more documentation and transparency when it comes to mergers, acquisitions and other deals in the healthcare sector.

New law makes medical aid in dying possible in McLean County — if you can find a provider WGLT-NPR; by Courtney Conroy and Eric Stock; 9/11/26  Illinois' medical aid in dying law took effect Saturday. Terminally ill adults across the state have the legal option to request medication from a physician to end their lives. In McLean County, it might not be that easy. The region's two major hospital systems have declined to participate in the new law. Local hospice and other care providers have not responded to interview requests. The county coroner's office does not plan to weigh in.