Literature Review
Home health aide pay 2026: $17.36/hr average, top states & policy threat to your paycheck
08/16/26 at 03:55 AMHome health aide pay 2026: $17.36/hr average, top states & policy threat to your paycheck Unfinished Man; by Rasha; 8/11/26 The average home health aide makes $36,120 a year, or $17.36 an hour — but pay varies widely by state, setting, and a proposed federal rule change. You search “home health aide salary” and get three different numbers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says one thing, Payscale says another, and the Labor Department median sits somewhere in between. Which one do you trust? ... Some aides earn barely above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Others clear $20 an hour. And right now, there’s a policy fight happening that could change everything about how this job pays.
What to say to someone who is dying, according to hospice workers
08/16/26 at 03:50 AMWhat to say to someone who is dying, according to hospice workers Time; by Angela Haupt; 8/5/26 In the weeks before Her father died, Sydney Mishkin kept trying to figure out what she still hadn’t told him. She felt desperate to identify the words she might one day regret leaving unsaid. ... “How do you sum up a lifetime of loving somebody into a sentence or two?” she says. ... The answer, according to people who spend their careers alongside the dying, is that you don’t have to. There are words that can bring comfort, invite honesty, and help both of you find peace. But there’s no perfect script—and your presence likely matters more than anything you manage to say.
Can a short-term moratorium strengthen the hospice sector?
08/16/26 at 03:45 AMCan a short-term moratorium strengthen the hospice sector? LeadingAge; by Katie Smith Sloan; 8/11/26 President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan explains why LeadingAge supported the six-month moratorium on Medicare enrollment of new hospice providers and what nonprofit providers can do to strengthen the hospice sector.Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to attend a community theater production of the iconic musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” In a series of unforgettable scenes, Tevye, the production’s main character, makes difficult family decisions by artfully balancing opposing views before choosing his path. “On the one hand,” he intones, then ruminates on the important role tradition must play in the life of his village and family. “On the other hand,” he counters thoughtfully, then acknowledges that the inevitability of change must be factored into every decision.I’ve recalled Tevye’s internal monologue many times since May, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a six-month national moratorium on enrolling new hospice agencies in Medicare. ...
CMS offers guidance on expanding PACE program to rural areas
08/16/26 at 03:40 AMCMS offers guidance on expanding PACE program to rural areas McKnights Home Care; by Marissa Fernandez; 5/3/26 The National PACE Association praised recent guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which offered up mobile health clinics and using funding from the Rural Health Transformation Program as two main ways to expand the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly to rural areas. ... Mobile health clinics were identified as acceptable alternative care settings as long as they meet applicable local, state and federal health care facility regulations and documentation clearly labels it a mobile unit. CMS also offered guidance to states on using RHT funding for PACE organizations.
Sixth Circuit clarifies Medicare safe harbor for hospice providers in landmark coverage decision
08/16/26 at 03:35 AMSixth Circuit clarifies Medicare safe harbor for hospice providers in landmark coverage decision JD Supra; by Jason Bring and Bill Dombi; 8/5/26 Key Takeaways
Private equity ownership in hospice care: a systematic review (2012-2026)
08/16/26 at 03:25 AMPrivate equity ownership in hospice care: a systematic review (2012-2026) American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Denise D. Quigley, Shannon Walsh, Cordt T. Kassner, Lara Dhingra, Andrew W. Dick; 7/28/26 Hospice care is associated with improved end-of-life outcomes. Recent shifts in hospice utilization highlight several key trends. Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) (25%) have surpassed cancer (23%) as the leading primary diagnosis. Concurrently, industry ownership has transitioned from predominantly nonprofit to for-profit (70%) and private equity (PE) ownership has grown dramatically from 3% to 15%. To date, no study has synthesized evidence on PE ownership in hospice care. We conducted a systematic review of English-language, peer-reviewed studies published 2012-2026, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.
Short-term and long-term opioid prescribing by specialty, 2010 to 2024
08/16/26 at 03:20 AMMatrixCare publishes their list of 2026 CAHPS Honors Elite and Honors Award winners
08/16/26 at 03:15 AMMatrixCare publishes their list of 2026 CAHPS Honors Elite and Honors Award winners MatrixCare, by ResMed; retrieved from the MatrixCare website on 8/11/26 For over 10 years, the prestigious HHCAHPS Honors and Hospice CAHPS Honors programs recognize agencies that excel in delivering positive patient experiences and high-quality care as measured by the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) and Hospice Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers (CAHPS) satisfaction scores. ... By highlighting agencies that excel in patient satisfaction and quality of care, these programs not only celebrate outstanding achievement, but also set standards of excellence within the industry. They inspire agencies to continually prioritize the patient and caregiver experiences—fostering trust, compassion, and innovation in home health and hospice services. [Read the list here.]Editor's Note: This list was selected and published by MatrixCare (a ResMed company), and is limited to their clients, only. MatrixCare's "Honors" status indicates scores above MatrixCare's National Performance scores for at least 17 of 22 measures; "Elite" status indicates scores above national averages for all 22 measures. Several other CAHPS approved vendors provide their own scoring and awards. CMS--itself--does not run an award program; it does publish official Care Compare measure scores. Congratulations to all organizations listed, especially the approximately 70 that reached MatrixCare's top "Honors Elite" tier.
Flight of the Dove marks 21st year with 204 riders and more than $50,000 raised
08/16/26 at 03:10 AMFlight of the Dove marks 21st year with 204 riders and more than $50,000 raised Laurens County Buzz, Laurens, SC; by Staff; 8/10/26 Laurens County’s 21st annual Flight of the Dove drew 204 registered riders to Clinton on Aug. 1 and raised more than $50,000 in support of hospice care in Laurens County. Riders traveled from six states to take part, including South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Illinois and Texas. The oldest registered rider was 83 and the youngest was 20. Of those registered, 150 were men and 54 were women. The ride was supported by 51 volunteers stationed at the stadium and at rest stops along the route, along with 26 volunteer motorcycles.
Hospice physician: pain management growing more complex for families
08/16/26 at 03:05 AMHospice physician: pain management growing more complex for families Hospice News; by James Warda; 8/7/26 When a patient starts to receive hospice care, families often expect to focus on making memories, finding comfort and spending meaningful time together. However, many instead find themselves making frantic phone calls to multiple pharmacies, driving across town to locate medications, or waiting days for prescriptions that should be readily available, with a patient in need at home. According to the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s (AAHPM) Board of Directors Secretary, Dr. Michael Barnett, a hospice physician and former inpatient palliative care physician, this growing challenge is becoming an all-too-common part of end-of-life care.
If consuming too much caffeine causes short term memory loss...
08/16/26 at 03:00 AMIf consuming too much caffeine causes short term memory loss, just imagine what consuming too much caffeine can do!
Additional CMS website information for the Hospice Wage Index Final Rule
08/16/26 at 03:00 AMAdditional CMS website information for the Hospice Wage Index Final RuleCMS; compiled by Judi Lund Person; 8/4/26 Downloads on CMS website that provide additional information for the final rule:
Sunday newsletters
08/16/26 at 03:00 AMSunday newsletters focus on headlines and top read stories of the last week (in order) - enjoy!
Policy approaches to ensuring an adequate nursing workforce in coming decades
08/15/26 at 03:35 AMPatient- and caregiver-informed considerations for the design and implementation of generative AI–supported patient-centered clinical decision support: Qualitative study
08/15/26 at 03:30 AMImpact of palliative care consultation on neonatal end-of-life care utilization
08/15/26 at 03:25 AMMedical aid in dying: Bridging ethical guidance and bedside communication in nursing practice
08/15/26 at 03:20 AMMedical aid in dying: Bridging ethical guidance and bedside communication in nursing practiceJournal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Jeanna Ford, Phyllis Whitehead; 7/26As MAiD [Medical aid in dying] becomes more integrated into serious illness care, nurses, particularly those in hospice and palliative care, are increasingly the first clinicians to receive patient questions about this option. These inquiries are often embedded in broader concerns related to suffering, loss of autonomy, fear of prolonged dying, and desire for control rather than solely requests for hastened death. The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association’s recent position statement on medical aid in dying emphasizes compassionate, nonjudgmental care, respect for autonomy, professional integrity, and the ethical obligation of nonabandonment while recognizing the complexities of conscientious objection. This manuscript examines the evolving legal and ethical landscape of MAiD, explores the professional implications for nursing practice, and introduces the EXPLORE (Elicit, Explore, Probe Suffering, Learn Values, Observe Pressures, Review Support, Evaluate Next Steps) communication framework, a practice-based model developed to provide nurses with a structured, evidence-informed approach for responding to patient-initiated MAiD discussions.
Demystifying goals-of-care conversations in the emergency department: A step-based approach for older adults using the BRIEF-5 Framework
08/15/26 at 03:15 AM[Sweden] Effects and user-reported experiences of a self-management mobile health app for grieving adolescents: Randomized controlled trial
08/15/26 at 03:10 AM[Sweden] Effects and user-reported experiences of a self-management mobile health app for grieving adolescents: Randomized controlled trialJournal of Medical Internet Research; by Rebecca Rhodin, Rakel Eklund, Anneli Silvén Hagström, Rolf Gjestad, Atle Dyregrov, Josefin Sveen; 7/26Adolescents who experience the loss of a family member are at increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes, yet many face barriers or may be reluctant to access in-person or group-based support. This study evaluated the short- and long-term mental health effects of Alba - Youth in Grief, a preventive self-management mobile app for bereaved adolescents. Intention-to-treat analyses showed moderate reductions in prolonged grief symptoms at 12 months among adolescents randomized to Alba compared with the control group, with no significant effects at the 2- and 6-month follow-ups. The app group also demonstrated greater reductions in grief reactions, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and depressive symptoms compared with controls, with the strongest effects observed at long-term follow-up.
Palliative care and hospice: A practical guide for Nurse Practitioners
08/15/26 at 03:10 AM[Portugal] Ketamine for cancer-related pain in palliative care: A systematic review of clinical use and safety
08/15/26 at 03:05 AM[Portugal] Ketamine for cancer-related pain in palliative care: A systematic review of clinical use and safetyJournal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy; by Catarina Vitorino-Afonso, Paulo Reis-Pina; 7/26Ketamine has emerged as an adjuvant for opioid-refractory cancer-related pain in palliative care, but evidence remains limited. [This study found that] ketamine was used mainly as an adjuvant. Many reports described reduced pain and/or lower opioid use, although certainty was very low and attribution was limited by polypharmacy and regimen changes. Intravenous infusions were most common, but subcutaneous, oral, and intranasal routes were also used. Intranasal ketamine showed pragmatic utility for breakthrough pain, while oral ketamine was described in ambulatory palliative care settings.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness...
08/15/26 at 03:00 AMDarkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. ~Martin Luther King Jr.
[Portugal] The ethical and psychosocial dimensions of palliative care in prison: A scoping review
08/15/26 at 03:00 AM[Portugal] The ethical and psychosocial dimensions of palliative care in prison: A scoping reviewJournal of Bioethical Inquiry; by Ana Gehl-Costa, P. Reis-Pina; 7/26With prison populations expanding and aging, palliative care (PC) is an urgent concern. People in prison (PIP) face chronic illness, mental health conditions, and social vulnerabilities, creating ethical and psychosocial challenges to dignified end-of-life (EOL) care... Ethical domains included structural neglect of PIP with life-limiting illness, barriers to compassionate release, compromised autonomy, denial of death in prison culture, and inadequacies in care quality and access. Psychosocial domains encompassed stigma, mistrust, isolation, existential suffering, and fractured social bonds. PIP-led hospice models offered companionship but raised tensions around labour, confidentiality, and the normalization of death in custody... Prison-based PC requires systemic reforms, staff training, family and advocacy involvement, and legal safeguards to ensure equitable, compassionate, and dignified EOL care.Publisher's note: This article was included in the August 2026 issue of End-of-Life Care Behind Bars - Current Thinking, by Barry R. Ashpole.