Literature Review

'Very shocking' | Warner Robins neighbors in shock after elderly couple found dead at their home[GA] 13WMAZ; by Jasamine Lee; 6/26/25A quiet Warner Robins neighborhood is reeling after police say an elderly couple was found dead in what investigators believe was a murder-suicide. According to Warner Robins Police, officers responded to a home on Hillcrest Avenue around 6 p.m. Wednesday for a welfare check. When they arrived, they discovered 88-year-old Robert Moll dead in the backyard from a gunshot wound. Inside the home, his wife, 80-year-old Judy Moll, was also found dead from an apparent gunshot wound... Neighbors said the Molls had been facing serious health issues and that hospice nurses visited the home frequently. Captain Paula Blevins with the Salvation Army said that cases of intimate partner violence often remain hidden. “Intimate partner violence is very heartbreaking, always very heartbreaking,” Blevins said. “It affects more than 12 million people in the United States every year.”Publisher's note: How does your hospice evaluate possible partner violence? How can your hospice prepare - before the fact - to handle such a situation after the fact?

Caring beyond cure-Perspectives of pediatric oncology nurses on end-of-life careJournal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Peter Scarperi, Meredith MacKenzie Greenle; 6/25In a sample of nursing students and nurses working in pediatric oncology, this mixed-methods study aimed to describe attitudes toward and experiences of providing end-of-life care and examine the relationship between education, work experience, and attitudes. Overall, participants held positive attitudes toward end-of-life care, with staff nurses more positive than student nurses. All participants had provided end-of-life care, yet only 2 (5.41%) thought their education thus far prepared them. Age, education, experience, and burnout were associated with attitudes toward providing end-of-life care. Qualitative themes included challenges of preparedness and training, the nurse’s role, and parent team barriers. Training in pediatric end-of-life care is crucial to improve nurses’ comfort with providing this care.

Mindfulness and relaxation interventions reduce depression, negative affect and stress in widow(er)sJournal of Loss and Trauma; by Lindsey M. Knowles, Deanna M. Kaplan, Melissa Flores, Sydney E. Friedman, Mary-Frances O’Connor; 6/25Mindfulness training (MT) and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) interventions show promise for improving bereavement-related grief (Knowles et al. 2021). Mindfulness training (MT) develops the systematic and secular practice of focusing one’s attention on present moment experiences, emotions, and thoughts, from an open, nonreactive, and nonjudgmental perspective (Bishop et al., 2004). Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) facilitates physiological and psychological relaxation via a systematic release of generated bodily tension (Bernstein et al., 2000). MT and PMRhave been shown to reduce depression relapse, and improve depression, perceived stress, mindfulness and/or quality of life in clinical and non-clinical populations ...

A sacred commitment: Eden Memorial Jewish Funeral Home and Chapel in New Jersey upholds Jewish burial traditions The MarCom Journal, Fort Lee, NJ; by Frank Patti; 6/17/25 As contemporary life continues to evolve, Eden Memorial Chapel in Fort Lee remains dedicated to honoring Jewish burial traditions that have guided generations. Located at 327 Main Street, this New Jersey Jewish funeral home and chapel serves communities across New Jersey and New York, including Englewood, Manhattan, Harlem, Yonkers, and Newark, offering a full range of funeral services grounded in halachic practice and compassionate care. The funeral home’s approach reflects a balance between tradition and modern needs. Its services are structured around sacred Jewish customs, including Tahara (ritual purification), Shmira (guarding the deceased), and the use of a traditional Aron (plain wooden casket without metal parts). These practices are carried out in accordance with rabbinical standards and in coordination with Chevra Kadisha organizations, ensuring religious integrity throughout. 

BrightSpring’s president of hospice services resignsHospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/20/25Michael McMaude has resigned as the president of hospice services of BrightSpring Health Services, effective Friday. He will continue to provide services to the company as a non-employee consultant, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing by BrightSpring... BrightSpring is a home- and community-based health care services platform that serves more than 400,000 patients daily across all 50 states. The Louisville, Kentucky-based company provides hospice, home health, primary care, rehabilitation, pharmaceuticals, behavioral and home health. BrightSpring went public last year with a $1 billion initial public offering (IPO).

[St. Catharines, Canada] Niagara woman gives back to Hospice NiagaraNOTLLocal.com; Niagara-on-the-Lake local staff; 6/17/25Angie Roberts' father spent the final days of his life at Hospice Niagara, after months of being cared for by his family at home. What started with murals on the walls of her own home led Angie Roberts to a new project: a floral mural in the supportive counsellor’s office at Hospice Niagara. When Angie Roberts lost her father, Harold Griffith, to lymphoma, she found comfort and healing in something unexpected: a paintbrush... “Going to hospice was a huge relief for us. It was a gift,” she said. “It was really a wonderful gift that hospice was able to give to our family.” Angie wanted to give back for the care her dad received, while creating a warm and welcoming space for other families in their time of need. The mural features colourful flowers inspired by the fresh bouquets placed in every residence room, including her dad’s favourite — a yellow carnation— and patterned leaves drawn from the quilts that cover every bed.

h/care expands presence in Arizona through partnership with American Premier Home Health, Hospice, and Palliative CareUS Daily Ledger press release; 6/24/25h/care, a national leader in home health and hospice care, proudly announces the addition of American Premier Home Health, Hospice, and Palliative Care, a highly respected provider in the Phoenix area, to its growing platform. This partnership which commenced in February marks another significant milestone in h/care’s mission to deliver high-touch, high-tech, and high-trust care to aging Americans in their homes.

From burnout to belonging: Creating space for grief in clinical education American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Journals Blog; by Rachita Gupta; 6/16/25 ... While significant progress has been made in addressing burnout and emotional distress in medicine, and in incorporating these topics into medical education, many clinicians remain hesitant and uncertain about how to address grief and distress from patient care in day-to-day clinical practice. This uncertainty exists both in terms of their own experiences and, even more so, in supporting trainees. A lack of emotional processing in these difficult situations can accelerate burnout and further disconnect clinicians from the humanism and vulnerability that are intrinsic to the privilege of practicing medicine. ... The recently published Hospital Pediatrics article by Bloomhardt et al, “Good Grief? Introducing the TEARS Framework for Educator to Support Learners Experiencing Grief,” (10.1542/hpeds.2024-008096) addresses the hesitancy many clinicians experience when assessing learners’ emotional processing during or after distressing patient cases by introducing the TEARS framework. ...Editor's Note: See a related post in today's newsletter, "“Her toes fell off into my hand”: 50 moments that changed healthcare workers forever."

There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.  ~Rosalynn Carter 

Strengths and opportunities: Clinicians' perspectives on palliative care for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in the United StatesMuscle & Nerve; Kara E Bischoff, Gayle Kojimoto, David L O'Riordan, Yaowaree L Leavell, Samuel Maiser, Astrid Grouls, Alexander K Smith, Steven Z Pantilat, Benzi M Kluger, Ambereen K Mehta; 6/25Half of ALS clinicians [surveyed] reported they are able to manage patients' pain (55%) and mood symptoms (52%) "very well." Fewer reported managing care partner needs (43%) and spiritual/existential distress (29%) "very well." Fifty-eight percent of pALS [people with ALS] are referred to outpatient PC and 69% to hospice at some point in the illness. ALS clinicians generally felt satisfied with PC teams' care, but PC clinicians were less confident managing motor symptoms (51% confident) and helping care partners understand how to provide care (51%) and use equipment (25%). Most clinicians felt the quality of PC provided by ALS (77%) and PC (90%) teams is good/excellent. However, qualitative comments highlighted that both ALS and PC clinicians have knowledge gaps, and collaboration between ALS and PC clinicians should increase.

Temporal trends in opioid-related care and pain among Veterans at the end of lifeJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Melissa W. Wachterman, Stuart R. Lipsitz, Erin Beilstein-Wedel, Walid F. Gellad, Karl A. Lorenz, Nancy L. Keating; 7/25In response to the opioid crisis, federal guidelines were implemented, including the Veterans Health Administration's (VA) Opioid Safety Initiative in 2013. The impact of policies on patients near the end of life is unknown. Over a time period during which opioid safety initiatives were implemented, opioid prescribing near the end of life decreased, accompanied by decreases in opioid-related hospitalizations but increases in pain. These findings suggest that important tradeoffs may exist between reducing opioid-related serious adverse events and undertreating patient pain in the last month of life. Opioid prescribing guidelines could consider incorporating prognosis into recommendations.

When GIP is not enough: Revocation of hospice to meet patient goalsJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Margaret Krasne, Alden Rinaldi, Richard Leiter; 5/25In 2021, 6.3% of hospice discharges were due to beneficiary revocation. The Hospice Care Index, a quality metric impacting hospice reimbursement, penalizes hospices for revocations, regardless of the reason for revocation. We will review the literature on reasons for hospice revocation, factors affecting revocation rates, the impact of revocation on quality metrics, and strategies for optimizing revocation rates.Publisher's note: This was a poster session at the 2/25 AAHPM conference.