Literature Review

Pet volunteers helping those at Hinds Hospice through challenging times ABC Action News KFSN-30 - Fresno, CA; by Ana Torrea; 8/15/25 Going through a terminal illness can be hard on a person and their family. Being placed in hospice or palliative care can be just as isolating. Pet volunteers can help ease their feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Sven Hamilton is the Director of Volunteer Services with Hinds Hospice. "Most importantly, it's just being able to be there for our patients and to bring that little bit of joy as they are facing a disconnection with all the things they once loved," he said. Health experts say animal-assisted therapy can help enhance physical, emotional and social well-being.

With time running out, advocates mount push for telehealth, hospital-at-home extensions McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 8/15/25 With the Sept. 30 expiration date approaching for telehealth flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, industry advocates are urging lawmakers to pass a two-year extension. “We have only 48 days to avert a telehealth shutdown on October 1, and we’re relying on continued bipartisan, bicameral support to win the day,” Kyle Zebley, executive director of American Telemedicine Association Action and senior vice president of public policy for the ATA, said Thursday [8/14] in a statement.

Asking older adults with impaired cognition and care partners about serious illness experiences can elicit goals of care during advance care planning Americn Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Glory H. Thai, BS, Valecia Hanna, MS, Peiyuan Zhang, MSW, Chase Mulholland Green, MPH, John Cagle, PhD, MSW, Jennifer L. Wolff, PhD, and Martha Abshire Saylor, PhD, RN; 8/13/25 Older adults with cognitive impairment and their care partners were able to respond to serious illness experience questions, with responses eliciting a spectrum of goals of care. Integrating such questions into advanced care planning (ACP) for older adults with cognitive impairment may clarify goals of care and improve decision-making for patients and families. 

[United Kingdom] Dying patients bundled into ambulances and transferred in their final hours after 'cruel' managers shut hospice without warning Daily Mailm United Kingdom; by Liz Hull; 8/15/25 Dying patients were bundled into emergency ambulances and moved in their final hours after managers shut down a hospice without warning. Nurses on duty at the Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice, in Leeds, were left in tears after being told to ring relatives of end-of-life patients with the distressing news that their loved ones were being immediately transferred. ... One woman died within five hours of being moved, while another two patients had passed away within 48 hours. At least two families lodged formal complaints about their treatment in the aftermath.

YoloCares: A caring coalition for California The Davis Enterprise; by Craig Dresang; 8/15/25 In his closing remarks at a 2016 stakeholder meeting, hosted by the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Victor Dzau (academy president) said, “We need a coalition, a movement, a critical mass. We need to work together so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We need to come together to develop resources for policy and communication. We need to improve our communication — to patients and families, healthcare providers, government, and the public.” His words perfectly captured the founding spirit of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California. ... The group is a small but mighty powerhouse that works closely with healthcare systems and providers, patient advocacy groups, professional associations and policy — and lawmakers to promote high-quality care for seriously ill Californians. 

Hands Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA); by R. Jordan Williams, MD, MPH; 8/13/25Lend me your hand Callused or calaminedWrinkled or plump,Nails bittenNails extendedSplintered and pittedNails neatly or never cropped.Lend me your hand Strong or weak Cold or warmingSwollen and swanned; Gnarled in knots ...Editor's Note: Continue reading this powerful poem. Additionally, JAMA published this description of the poem, "Poetry and the Medicine of Touch" by Rafael Campo, MD, MA: "In this deeply felt poem, the hand becomes a potent metaphor for our shared humanity ... Aspiring clinicians are still taught to assess, to palpate, to diagnose through touch. Yet, as “Hands” reminds us, patients’ hands hold far more than clinical signs—they reflect stories, histories, fears, and hopes. ..."

Guest Voice: What ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ teaches us about living with MS Multiple Sclerosis News Today; by Donald Kushner, MD; 8/15/25 Donald Kushner, MD, is a retired physician, board certified in internal medicine and hospice and palliative care. He has been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than 20 years and draws on his dual perspective as both doctor and patient to explore illness, identity, and adaptation. He’s writing a book about how people with chronic illness and their support systems can better understand — and talk to — each other.

How to strategically integrate AI without falling for the hype Forbes; by Mammon Baloch; 8/14/25 In the current business environment, companies must develop a clear and strategic understanding of how to leverage AI effectively. As the leader of an organization focused on AI and SaaS integrations, I've seen a pervasive and harmful myth take hold: the notion that AI is a plug-and-play miracle, capable of solving every business challenge on its own. This misconception breeds inflated expectations and distracts from the real, achievable strategic advantages that AI offers.

35 years of palliative care progress: What lies ahead for society engagement? Journal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Vilma A Tripodoro, Marie-Charlotte Bouësseau, Stephen Connor, Carlos Centeno; 8/14/25This special article presents a narrative synthesis of key policy milestones, conceptual transitions, and global indicators in the development of palliative care. It contrasts two WHO-endorsed public health models: the 2007 "Umbrella" strategy and the 2021 "House" framework, analysing their complementarities and global relevance. ... The future of global palliative care depends on political will, fair allocation of resources, robust monitoring, and meaningful community participation. ...

Unity receives $25,000 grant from K.C. Stock Foundation to expand home-based palliative care service The Chamber - Manitowoc County, WI; 8/14/25 Unity is honored to announce the award of a $25,000 grant from the K.C. Stock Foundation to support its Supportive Care Management (SCM) program, which provides compassionate, home-based palliative care to individuals in Northeast Wisconsin facing serious illness. “We are deeply grateful to the K.C. Stock Foundation for recognizing the growing need for accessible palliative care,” says Unity Executive Director Alisa Gerke. ... Unity’s Supportive Care Management program provides an extra layer of support and education for individuals and their family when living with a serious illness, delivering expert care wherever a patient calls home. 

McGill Palliative Care National Grand Rounds: Dignity, Personhood and Intensive Caring: New Insights into Patient Suffering - Dr. Harvey Max ChochinovMcGill Palliative Care announcement; 8/13/25This free presentation has the following objectives:

Palliative care plays an essential role in heart failure care Cardiovascular Business; by Michael Walter; 8/13/25 Palliative care should play a significant role in the day-to-day management of heart failure (HF) patients, according to new recommendations from the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA). HF patients are associated with high mortality and a considerably worse quality of life, the group wrote. Care teams should be doing everything in their power to help patients control their symptoms and live the best lives possible. The HFSA guidance is available in full in the Journal of Cardiac Failure. ... “When using a guide, conversations are more likely to be feasible, acceptable and associated with positive experiences for both patients and clinicians,” the authors wrote.