Literature Review

COUNTDOWN: 4 Days Until HOPE Tool Starts, October 1, 2025 

Hospice of Amador and Calaveras raises over $66,000 at 26th annual “Celebrate Life” Art Auction on the Lawn Ledger.news, Jackson, CA; Press Release; 9/25/25 Hospice of Amador and Calaveras proudly announces the success of its 26th annual “Celebrate Life” Art Auction on the Lawn, which brought together community members, artists, donors, and supporters for an evening of generosity and celebration. Thanks to the incredible support of the community, the event raised over $66,000 to help provide compassionate, quality end-of-life care to patients and families in Amador and Calaveras Counties. “This event is a beautiful reminder of what can be accomplished when a community comes together for a cause,” said Samantha Lukow, Executive Director of Hospice of Amador and Calaveras.

Emergency Departments report more consults for hospice, palliative care Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; by Michigan State University; 9/25/25 One-third of Americans will visit an emergency department, or ED, within a month of their death. While EDs are primarily purposed to provide emergent care, they’re increasingly becoming an initial touchpoint for hospice and palliative care, or HPC, referrals and consultations, according to a new study from several researchers at Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences.  Why this matters:

A hospice intervention for caregivers: Improving home hospice management of end-of-life symptoms (I-HoME) pilot study Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Veerawat Phongtankuel, Sara J. Czaja, Taeyoung Park, Jerad Moxley, Ronald D. Adelman, Ritchell Dignam, Dulce M. Cruz-Oliver, Micah Denzel Toliver, M. C. Reid; 9/24/25 Background: While home-based hospice care seeks to reduce suffering at the end of life (EoL), patients continue to experience a high symptom burden. High symptom burden contributes to adverse outcomes, including patient suffering, burdensome care transitions, and caregiver burden. Yet, most caregivers lack formal education in patient symptom management despite providing up to 65 h of care per week. ... Conclusion: The I-HoME intervention was feasible to implement in the home hospice setting and acceptable to caregivers and hospice staff. Future efficacy trials are needed to determine whether this caregiver-focused intervention ... can measurably improve patient and caregiver outcomes in the home hospice setting.

COUNTDOWN: 5 Days Until HOPE Tool Starts, October 1, 2025 

Conquering imposter syndrome with Maureen Zappala Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); pod/videocast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Maureen Zappala; 9/24/25 Ever feel one mistake away from being “found out”?  You’re not alone.  Former NASA propulsion engineer Maureen Zappala shares how imposter syndrome secretly affects high performers and provides practical strategies to overcome self-doubt that holds us back from our full potential. Maureen shares her journey from melting equipment at NASA’s jet engine test facility to becoming the first female and youngest manager of its Propulsion Systems Lab.  Despite her impressive credentials, she constantly questioned her worth, even believing she was hired only because she was a woman. What makes this episode particularly valuable is Maureen's practical framework for tackling imposter syndrome.  She outlines five powerful strategies that begin with recognizing the symptoms and culminate in connecting with your deeper purpose.

Carolina Caring Foundation helps hospice patient fulfill dream at North Carolina Zoo Carolina Caring, Newton, NC; Press Release; 9/23/25 A hospice patient fulfilled her lifelong dream of meeting and feeding a giraffe thanks to the Life Enrichment Fund through the Carolina Caring Foundation. Deborah, a patient at Carolina Caring, has always been fascinated by the wildlife of Africa, the work of Jane Goodall, and the unique beauty of giraffes. ... Deborah has always had an adventurous spirit. In the past, she tried many new experiences—including a fun helicopter ride with her family during a beach trip—but one thing she always yearned to do was meet a giraffe. Her Carolina Caring social worker, Carley, recognized this dream and soon created a pathway for this wish to come true. . ... Carolina Caring gave this family more than just a trip to the zoo. They provided a celebration and memory-making that the family will now forever carry in their hearts and minds.

Living with dementia: To improve lives, we need to change how we think and talk about this experience in aging societies EurekAlert! - AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science); peer reviewed publication by The Hastings Center; 9/24/25 To experience or even contemplate dementia raises some of the most profound questions: What does it mean to be a person? How does someone find meaning in life while facing progressive neurological deterioration? ... To improve the lives of our fellow citizens who are living with dementia or providing dementia care, all of us need to pay attention to how we imagine and talk about these interwoven and increasingly common experiences, concludes Living with Dementia: Learning from Cultural Narratives in Aging Societies, a special report published by The Hastings Center for Bioethics. This report responds to calls from health care and social service practitioners for new ways to depict and talk about dementia, a collective term for Alzheimer disease and related dementias. Editor's Note: Click here for free access to multiple articles in this crucial report, such as

Delaware Hospice names McDonough next chief executive officer Coastal Point; Press Release; 9/23/25 The Board of Trustees of Delaware hospice has appointed Charles McDonough, MHA, as the organization’s next chief executive officer, succeeding Susan D. Lloyd, RN, MSN, who has served in the position for more than 38 years. “On behalf of the Board, I am honored to welcome Charles McDonough as the next CEO of Delaware Hospice,” said Board Chair Dan McCarthy. “Charles is a proven healthcare leader with deep expertise in hospice, palliative care and home health services. His career reflects a remarkable record of operational excellence, growth leadership and the development of compassionate care platforms. We are confident he will build upon Susan’s extraordinary legacy and guide Delaware Hospice into its next chapter of service and innovation.” ... McDonough will join Delaware Hospice on Sept. 29.

Exploring the opportunities and mitigating the challenges of Artificial Intelligence in nursing education Delaware Nurses Association; by Kristine Gawrych, Ed.D., RN; 9/22/25 The recent and rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have generated both excitement and concern in higher education. Opportunities for AI in nursing education can be transformative, including simulation, accessibility, and personalized learning. Just as the opportunities can be transformative, concerns such as bias, privacy, security, and ethics must be given due consideration. Nurse educators must understand enough about AI to effectively maximize its benefits and mitigate the challenges when preparing future nurses. ... Nurse educators must educate themselves on this ever-evolving technology to be able to develop strategies to mitigate the challenges of AI. 

Building blocks of hospice family caregiver support Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 9/24/25 Untapped reimbursement opportunities exist when it comes to developing a sustainable family caregiving infrastructure in the face of rising demand for home-based hospice care. ... Among the payment avenues with potential to improve support for caregivers is the Medicaid-funded Structured Family Caregiving (SFC) program. SFC coverage includes a modest financial stipend to health care providers that offer home- and community-based services for caregivers. ... Roughly 63 million Americans are family caregivers, an increase of nearly 50% since 2015, according to a report from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. About one-in-every-four adults is a caregiver to a family member, with 40% of these individuals providing high-intensity care, the report found. About half of the nation’s caregivers reported negative financial impacts, with one-in-five unable to afford basic needs such as food and 25% taking on debt. Additionally, one-in-five caregivers have poor health outcomes, the report found.Editor's Note: Are you aware that the 2008 CMS Hospice Conditions of Participation identify the "family" 423 times? (Yes, I've searched, counted, and categorized.) Click here for AARP's 2025 edition of Caregiving in the US.

The Denver Hospice and Colorado Visiting Nurse Association announce Ben Marcantonio as new President The Denver Hospice; by CS Master Admin; 9/23/25 Tim Bowen, President and CEO of Care Synergy, along with The Denver Hospice and Colorado Visiting Nurse Association (CVNA) Boards of Directors, are pleased to announce that Ben Marcantonio has been selected as the new President of The Denver Hospice and Colorado Visiting Nurse Asssociation. Marcantonio brings more than 40 years of leadership experience in healthcare, education, and social service organizations. Most recently, he served as Chief Integration Officer for the National Alliance for Care at Home, where he was responsible for integrating operational processes, systems, and departments of two national associations into one unified organization. ... Earlier in his career, Marcantonio was President and CEO of Hospice of the Chesapeake in Maryland, where he successfully expanded access to care, increased financial stability, and strengthened community-based palliative care services. He also served in leadership positions at San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine, Scripps Health, and Charter Hospital, and began his career in educational leadership with the Diocese of San Diego.