Literature Review

When they don’t recognize you anymore: Dementia study looks at loved ones’ responses Penn Live - Nation & World News; by Paula Span, KFF Health News; 5/4/25 It happened more than a decade ago, but the moment remains with her. Sara Stewart was talking at the dining room table with her mother, Barbara Cole, 86 at the time, in Bar Harbor, Maine. Stewart, then 59, a lawyer, was making one of her extended visits from out of state. ... “She said to me: ‘Now, where is it we know each other from? Was it from school?’” her daughter and firstborn recalled. “I felt like I’d been kicked.” Stewart remembers thinking, “In the natural course of things, you were supposed to die before me. But you were never supposed to forget who I am.” Later, alone, she wept.

‘I want to pat dogs until I die’: End-of-life planning should be more than just Living Wills Healthy Debate; by Kathy Kastner; 5/4/25 France Légaré, Canada Research Chair in Shared Decision-Making and Knowledge Mobilization, wants to have stimulating conversations and be able to move around with her dog until she dies. Daneil Martin, the Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Women’s College Hospital, wants to “smell chocolate until I die.” The two doctors are among the 200+ who took the time to fill in the blank on a whiteboard, “I WANT TO__ UNTIL I DIE,” an initiative I undertook after tuning in to a hospice and palliative care medicine Twitter chat in the good old days of Twitter. As a layperson who became an entrepreneur in the health space, I was intrigued by the lament of health-care professionals on the chat: If only people talked about end-of-life wishes more, much grief could be avoided. 

Hospice nurses: specialized care, focused on comfortIndex Journal, Greenwood, SC; by St. Claire Donaghy; 5/7/25 For hospice nurses Kayla Beaty and Elizabeth "Regina" Ross, their goal is to provide patients comfort rather than cures, in the face of life-limiting illness with irreversible decline. Beaty is a home care nurse. Ross is a hospice house nurse. The two are employed by Hospice and Palliative Care of the Piedmont, based in Greenwood. ... "In this line of work, you seek to provide comfort, find out a patient and families' true needs and build a rapport," Ross said. Ross' dad died when she was 12. "That's what started me wanting to be a nurse," Ross said. "My mother also took care of my grandmother in her home while I was growing up. What brought me to hospice was a sister passing, here at this Hospice House. She was only 40 years old. My mother died a year later and my oldest sister passed last month. It's not just a job to me. It's a work of heart." ... "Comfort looks different to everybody," Beaty said. "It's about quality of life. It's not all doom and gloom either. We have fun with our patients and laugh and joke. It's often little things we take for granted."Editor's note: Reminder, National Nurses Week is May 6-12. It's crunch time. If not already, can you still reach out to your local media to feature a story about your nurses? 

Pine Tree Hospice hosts 29th Annual Variety Show The Piscataquis Observer - The Voice of Rural Maine, Dover-Foxcroft, ME; by Staff; 5/5/25 On a rainy, dreary Saturday in April, the volunteers of Pine Tree Hospice presented the group’s 29th Variety Show and created a little sunshine at the Center Theatre for the 100 attendees. The corps of volunteers ran the show from greeting attendees to taking tickets to selling tickets for the quilt raffle to running the first annual pie faffle. The Annual Variety Show, a major source of funding for the group’s volunteer-based non-medical support services, raised nearly $8,000.

The Joint Commission cuts 55 administrative employees Modern Healthcare; by Hayley Desilva; 5/6/25The Joint Commission said Tuesday it laid off 55 administrative employees last week as the organization navigates structural changes to improve its operational efficiency. All affected employees worked at the organization’s central office in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. The Joint Commission declined to say whether those employees could apply for other roles or if additional cuts are planned. ... The organization also declined to comment on the status of any funding from the federal government. In its most recent federal tax filing, for 2023, it reported more than $207 million in total revenue, a $1.4 million decrease from 2022.

OHSU, Legacy walk away from merger Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 5/5/25 Oregon Health & Science University and Legacy Health, both based in Portland, said May 5 that they mutually agreed to terminate their planned merger. ... Neither system provided additional details on the reasoning behind their decision. The combined system under OHSU Health would have covered 12 hospitals and more than 32,000 employees, and been one of Oregon’s largest service providers to Medicaid members. As part of the merger, OHSU had said it would invest about $1 billion over a decade to support primary care and community-based services that would be part of the combined system. Editor's note: OHSU provides palliative care and Legacy Health provides palliative and hospice care.

Tri-Cities Chaplaincy announces $3.5 million renovation of Kennewick Hospice House Apple Valley News Now, Kennewick, WA; by Dan Hanson; 5/6/25A place that has provided comfort and peace to terminally ill patients and their families for nearly three decades is getting a significant upgrade. Tri-Cities Chaplaincy has announced a $3.5 million renovation project for Hospice House in Kennewick, marking the first major renovation to the facility since it opened in 1996. The comprehensive renovation aims to modernize the region's only inpatient hospice facility while enhancing patient, family, and staff spaces. Construction is expected to last between four and six months. 

16 hospital executives’ thank-you notes to nurses Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Mariah Taylor and Kelly Gooch; 5/2/25In honor of National Nurses Month in May and National Nurses Week (May 6-12), hospitals and health systems are recognizing the difference nurses make in their organizations. This year, the American Nurses Association’s theme of National Nurses Week, “The Power of Nurses,” highlights the invaluable contributions of nurses worldwide and the real-life challenges they face every day. Here are some stats to know about nurses in 2025:

NPHI Honors Visionary Leaders and Organizations at 2025 Annual Summit: The National

1-on-1 coaching, leadership academies: 5 systems developing the next generation of leaders Becker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 4/30/25 With an aging U.S. population and healthcare workforce, many hospital and health system leaders are focused on building the next generation of leaders to tackle the work ahead. Healthcare executives from across the country recently shared with Becker’s how their systems are developing leadership pipelines.

Obituary: Dr. John A. MulderNorton Shores, MI; 5/5/25Dr. John Adrian Mulder, a devoted husband, loving father, revered physician, and cherished friend, died peacefully at Vanderbilt Hospital after a short bout of pneumonia on May 1, 2025. John was born in Pontiac, MI to Rev. Dr. John and Lydia Mulder on September 12, 1952. As John’s family followed his father’s service to the Methodist Church, they lived in Pontiac, Detroit, Saginaw, Royal Oak, and Dearborn. ... A pioneer in the field of palliative care, Dr. Mulder was known not only for his clinical excellence, but also for his uncommon grace and empathy. He was a guiding light for thousands of patients and families as they navigated the most vulnerable moments of life. Dr. Mulder’s impact extended far beyond the exam room. As a teacher, international speaker, and thought leader, he helped shape national conversations around end-of-life care. Instilled with a deep sense of purpose and compassion, John dedicated his life to the service of others through medicine, ministry, music, and mentorship. A pioneer in the field of palliative care, Dr. Mulder was known not only for his clinical excellence, but also for his uncommon grace and empathy. He was a guiding light for thousands of patients and families as they navigated the most vulnerable moments of life. Dr. Mulder’s impact extended far beyond the exam room. As a teacher, international speaker, and thought leader, he helped shape national conversations around end-of-life care. 

Understanding grief: A journey with Belize Hospice and Palliative Care AssociationChannel 5 Belize; by Sabreena Daly; 5/2/25Grief is often seen as something that begins after a loss, but for many, it starts much earlier. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a role, a routine, or even a sense of identity, grief can take many forms and often arrives long before death itself. At the heart of this journey is the Belize Hospice and Palliative Care Association, which offers compassionate care not only for those nearing the end of life but also for their loved ones who walk that path with them. The organization provides support for anticipatory grief and healing, embracing the whole person—physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. This week, and for the rest of the month, Sabreena takes a deep dive into understanding grief. She brings us this week’s story and a look on the Bright Side, exploring how the association helps individuals navigate their grief journey with care and compassion.