Literature Review

Pidgie Chapman marks nearly four decades as a hospice volunteer The Pilot; by Maggie Boncurrter; 11/7/25 The ladies weren’t exactly Thelma and Louise of big screen fame, but they probably looked very similar driving through the Moore County community of Addor. FirstHealth Hospice volunteer Pidgie Chapman had a patient decades ago who loved to dress up and wear fancy hats. Chapman had quite the chapeau collection, so she presented her patient with a giant, floppy hat while donning a similar one. “In those days we could drive our patients around,” said Chapman, who has been a hospice volunteer since 1986. “We got in the car and visited all her friends – in our hats. She was absolutely delighted.” ... Chapman is one of the area’s most seasoned hospice volunteers, starting her career soon after the philosophy of care took hold in Moore County. 

Hospice of Orange & Sullivan’s sixth annual community breakfast features caregivers’ emotional stories of courage, compassion and dignity FocusMedia, Middletown, NY; Press Release; 11/7/25 Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties, Inc.’s Sixth Annual Community Breakfast celebrated the profound difference Hospice makes through caregivers who shared touching stories of supporting patients during their final life journey. The ”Real Stories, Real Impact” panel discussion was moderated by Eric Gatsik, President and CEO of Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties and Heather Bell-Meyer, President and CEO of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce. About 115 attendees at the Barn at Villa Venezia connected, reflected and were inspired by stories of love, dignity and trust offered to patients at the end of their lives. 

Doves & Diamonds event draws record crowd Beloit Daily News, Beloit, WI ; by Clint Wolf; 11/9/25 A record crowd turned out Saturday for the 21st Annual Doves & Diamonds Gala event at the Eclipse Center. Tami Scarpetta, executive director of foundation, marketing and community relations for Beloit Health System, said 354 guests had registered to attend the event, which is the largest fundraising event for Beloit Regional Hospice each year. ... “We usually raise about $100,000 each year. We are hoping to top that this year,” Scarpetta said. She said, before the event even kicked off, the bourbon raffle already had raised $12,000 in pre-sales. 

Difference-making factors linked to higher reach of Specialist Palliative Care among people with heart failure across a national sample of VA Medical Centers American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Yan Zhan, PhD, RN, MBA, Edward J. Miech, EdD, Erica A. Abel, PhD, MD, and Shelli L. Feder, PhD, APRN, FPCN, FAHA; 11/10/25 Conclusion:  High Specialist Palliative Care (SPC) reach among people with advanced heart failure (aHF) was linked to combinations of several modifiable factors related to staffing, cardiology involvement, and outpatient palliative care. These findings provide actionable insights into improving SPC delivery across VAMCs.Editor's Note: What education or other partnerships do you have with VA Medical Centers in your service areas? Or, what gaps for veterans exist because of a lack of VA Medical Centers? Use these "combinations of modifiable factors related to staffing, cardiology involvement, and outpatient palliative care" for your strategic planning to improve care for veterans struggling with advanced heart failure.

LifeCare Home Health acquires Infinity Hospice Care Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 11/7/25 LifeCare Home Health in Nevada has acquired Infinity Hospice Care for an undisclosed amount. Infinity serves patients across Nevada and Arizona. Through the deal, LifeCare also obtains a Las Vegas-based inpatient facility. The transaction marks the company’s first entry into the Arizona marketplace. Editor's Note: LifeCare Home Health recently acquired St. Gabriel's Hospice & Palliative Care in Texas. 

[Canada] Sheridan awarded over $1 million to advance research on health equity, leadership systems and unhoused care Sheridan College, Ontario, Canada; Press Release; 11/10/25 Sheridan is advancing solutions to some of today’s most pressing social challenges — in healthcare, gender equity, and homelessness — through three applied research projects supported by more than $1 million in federal funding from the College and Community Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF). ... [This funding will]  support development of innovative solutions that address pressing social issues and the needs of our community: amplifying the voices of patients receiving palliative care to improve clinical trainings, empowering women with sustainable pathways to leadership and examining the impact of mobile primary care units for the homeless and underhoused.

Hospice care recipients of calendar fundraiser The Grapevine, Martha's Vineyard, MA; by The Martha's Vineyard Times; 11/7/25 In honor of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month and as an ode to his family’s personal experience, Vineyard photographer Michael Blanchard donated $5,000 to Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard (HPCMV). The proceeds come from Blanchard’s 2026 Inspirational Calendar for the Annual Appeal, which is a dedication to the memory of his parents, who both received hospice or palliative services at the end of their lives. “Hospice was there for my family,” Blanchard said. “This donation is simply a way to say thank you and encourage others to support the work they do for our Island.” 

Hospice organizations honor veteransHospice & Palliative Care Today; compiled by Joy Berger; 11/10/25 We honor all veterans today with these samples of ways that hospice and palliative care organizations are recognizing and thanking veterans for this 2025 Veterans Day.

Early lessons learned implementing the dementia-focused GUIDE modelHealthcare Innovation; by David Raths; 11/5/25At NAACOS meeting, Bluestone ACO’s Nate Hunkins, M.P.H., described how GUIDE care navigators are complementing its advanced primary care model. Key highlights:

A wedding to remember: Piedmont Athens Regional staff create unforgettable moment for hospice patient and familyPiedmont [GA]; 11/6/25When Charlie Carnes was placed on hospice care at Piedmont Athens Regional, his daughter, Ivey, shared a heartbreaking sentiment with hospital staff: she was getting married soon, and her father wouldn’t be able to attend. What happened next was simply extraordinary. Moved by Ivey’s story, the compassionate team at Piedmont Athens Regional sprang into action to create a moment the Carnes family would never forget. Within hours, staff members came together to plan a wedding ceremony inside the hospital’s Sacred Space, ensuring Charlie could witness his daughter’s special day.

The last nightJAMA Network; by Lenore M. Buckley; 11/6/25... But on this final evening (tonight will be the last day of inpatient consult call of my career), I slow down and stop to think about these things. As I look past those drab gray walls, the rows of computers on chipped Formica tables, and the incessant alarms, I see it in all its glory for the last time—the myriad of patient faces in shared rooms who, due to illness and/or aging, are at turning points in their lives hoping for the best we can offer. I see modern health care’s potential to restore people back to their lives. I think of the times that I and it had failed, but I also think of the wonderful successes. It is a moment of holiness, so profound that I must do it quickly, quietly, and privately or I too might be overwhelmed by emotion.Publisher's note: A wonderful reflection on a medical career.

California bans AI chatbots from posing as licensed health providersMedscape; by Steph Weber; 10/30/25California has drawn a hard line on how artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots represent themselves to consumers, banning the tools from implying they are licensed medical providers such as MDs and psychotherapists... “Everything keeps changing, so it’s hard to be definitive,” John Torous, MD, MBI, psychiatrist and director of the Digital Psychiatry Division in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, told Medscape Medical News. “But there’s certainly concern that some AI chatbots are marketing directly to children and minors, and there’s direct evidence that some will actually pull up a fake medical license number.” ... “[T]he model by default should not provide instructions about how to commit suicide, but if an adult user is asking for help writing a fictional story that depicts a suicide, the model should help with that request,” Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, said in a blog post on the company’s website in September. He added that the platform aims to “[extend] freedom as far as possible without causing harm or undermining anyone else’s freedom.”Publisher's note: AI regulatory lines are blurry and far behind advancements.

AAHPM 2026 Award WinnersAAHPM press release; 11/7/25Congratulations to all of 2026 award winners!