Literature Review

Bridging the differences in care for grieving people: Worden’s differentiation between grief counseling and grief therapy Death Studies; by Mark D. de St. Aubin and William G. Hoy; 2/14/26 Worden’s (Citation1982, Citation2018) landmark textbook on caring for bereaved individuals differentiated grief counseling from grief therapy, defining the former as the efforts of both professional and lay caregivers to support bereaved people in normal grief. Grief therapy, he posited, is the more structured intervention offered by credentialed caregivers to support individuals coping with a more complicated experience of mourning. In this article, the authors explain Worden’s perspective, describe his types of complicated mourning for which grief therapy might be warranted, and offer clinical application to the approaches Worden takes.

Physicians slightly more likely to die at home or hospice Chronic Disease, Public Health; by Adrian Wong and Michaela Dowling; 2/23/26 1. In this cross-sectional study, physicians were slightly more likely to die at home or in hospice than both the general population and individuals in other professions.2. The largest absolute differences between physicians and other professional groups were observed when Alzheimer disease or stroke was the underlying cause of death.

Uplift Hospice purchases Autumn View in Georgia Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 2/25/26 Uplift Hospice has acquired Georgia-based Autumn View Hospice for an undisclosed amount. The transaction brings Uplift Hospice’s average daily census to more than 650 patients, cared for by over 375 employees across Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Georgia. The two organizations connected through an introduction by the M&A advisory firm Agenda Health, which advised the seller through the transaction. Combining with Uplift will accelerate Autumn View’s growth, according to the seller’s COO Lavell Hewitt.

Why Silverado’s new CEO thinks memory care must ‘be bold’ to serve new customers Senior Housing News; by Austin Montgomery; 2/24/26 Memory care providers today must take bold approaches to develop the next generation of new leadership and serve the incoming baby boomer generation. That’s according to Silverado CEO Designate Wayne Sanner. Last year, Sanner joined the California-based memory care provider with plans to take over for longtime CEO Loren Shook, who will transition to a role as the operator’s executive chairman of the board later this year.

“You’re not just there to do a job”: a qualitative examination of Canadian long-term care worker strengths BMH Health Services Research; by Duneesha Goonetilleke, Nick Boettcher, Sofia Celis & Bonnie Lashewicz; 2/25/26, online ahead of print Results: We present three themes identifying interlocking expressions of strength. First, during crisis, workers stretched roles, redistributed tasks, and supported one another to sustain care under extreme constraint. Second, staff upheld person-centred care in their daily actions, working from values of dignity, relationships, and residents’ goals. Third, workers translated experience into learning and advocacy, articulating ideas to improve staffing, role clarity, leadership practices, and visitation approaches. Across these expressions, workers’ tenacity, togetherness, and shared purpose enabled collective action, although these strengths often entailed costs such as fatigue and moral strain. 

Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz in hospice care. Here’s the latestPennLive Patriot News; by Matt Connolly; 2/25/26 Hall of fame college football coach Lou Holtz entered hospice care last month and there was speculation at the time that he could have days, if not hours, left to live. However, nearly a month later there has been no significant update on his condition, which is obviously good news after someone enters hospice care. ... Holtz, 89, is best known for his run as head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1986 through 1996. That included a 12-0 season and national championship in 1988. 

The trends—and traps—shaping 2026 JD Supra; by Morgan Lewis; 2/24/26 The global business landscape in 2026 is marked by accelerating political realignments, intensifying regulatory oversight, rapid technological maturation, and shifting market expectations. In this year’s report, our lawyers assess the trends and emerging risk areas that organizations across industries and regions are likely to encounter in 2026 and beyond. Drawing on insights from a dynamic array of developments—from the business repercussions of geopolitical recalibration to the continued expansion of transformative technologies—this compilation delivers a forward-looking perspective designed to support informed strategy and purposeful decision-making for businesses worldwide.

Chapters Health System announces agreement with Housecall Providers Chapters Health System, Temple Terrace, FL; Press Release; 2/24/26 Chapters Health System ... announced today that the Board of Directors of Housecall Providers and its parent company, CareOregon, has submitted a definitive agreement for Housecall Providers to become part of Chapters Health. Pending approval of the Oregon Health Authority's Health Care Market Oversight program, this agreement will further expand the Chapters Health System's presence in the Pacific Northwest and align two nonprofit organizations committed to providing high-quality, community-based chronic illness care.

As more states legalize assisted suicide, boomers contemplate end-of-life choices The Washington Post; 2/24/26 While polling has shown that a majority of Americans favor the legality of the practice for terminally ill patients, people are more split on the morality. [Access may be limited per paywall.]

Canisius shapes future physicians through compassionate care Canisius University, Buffalo, NY; Press Release; 2/23/26 At the bedside of someone’s final moments, silence often speaks louder than words.  For students from Canisius University, that quiet became a teacher of one of the most powerful lessons of their education — one that cannot be learned from textbooks alone. Through specialized training, a group of undergraduate students discovered that medicine is not only about treating illness but about presence, dignity and care as they served as mercy doulas at Sloan Comfort Care Home, where they learned to provide companionship and steady support to those nearing the end of life.

‘Part of the deal’: Essential workers brave storm as authorities urge residents to stay home GBH News; by Jeremy Siegel and Marilyn Schairer; 2/23/26 [Note the date] Massachusetts is under a state of emergency, but that isn’t stopping essential workers from braving whiteout conditions and hurricane-force winds today. A powerful Nor’easter is expected to blanket the region with up to 2 feet of snow. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has urged all residents to stay home if possible. Flights and Amtrak trains have largely ground to a halt, and hundreds of thousands of households have lost power. Early this morning, though, hundreds of doctors, nurses and other medical professionals still trudged through the dense snow. ... [Click here for "Final town-by-town snow totals: Here's what fell in Mass. during the Feb. 23 blizzard."]Editor's Note: Bravo to all hospice essential workers who braved the storm to tend patients and their caregivers. So, what happens when a blizzard collides with a person actively dying?  Think it through. Family desparately tries to get there? The person dies? Neither your teams nor the funeral home rep can get to the home? Think it through and prepare, now:

Hospital chaplain shares what end-of-life patients regret most Religion Unplugged; by Elizabeth Eisenstadt Evans; 2/24/26 ... In her research focused on the greater Boston area, Brandeis University professor (now President of Bryn Mawr College) Wendy Cadge found that many chaplains — whether they serve in hospitals, prisons or the military — often focus on end-of-life care and “big questions,” ones that might arise more forcefully in a time of crisis. ... When I’m with people near the end of their lives, what I most often witness is not fear of death itself, but grief over unfinished relationships and or unexpressed parts of the self. Many people grieve time they now see as wasted on what felt urgent in the moment but unimportant in hindsight — work that eclipsed connection, worry that crowded out presence, obligations that pulled them away from what actually nourished them. Alongside this is grief for words left unsaid, tenderness withheld, and versions of themselves they didn’t feel permitted to become.