Literature Review

Effects of psychoeducation on burden, depression, and anxiety in informal caregivers of patients with dementia: A systematic review of randomized controlled trialsWestern Journal of Nursing Research; by Hyeyeon Shin, Chanchanok Wandee, Kathy D. Wright, Dónal P. O’Mathúna; 2/26As dementia rises globally, caregivers face prolonged and demanding responsibilities, increasing their risk of burden, depression, and anxiety. We aimed to identify the effectiveness of psychoeducation on burden, depression, and anxiety among informal dementia caregivers. This review clarifies the benefits of psychoeducation to inform the development of effective, targeted interventions. Psychoeducation offers dementia-related information, behavior management strategies, and caregiver support to improve mental health and caregiving effectiveness.

The business case for family caregiver skills training: Results from a multisite trial in the Veterans health care systemJournal of the American Medical Directors Association; Brystana G Kaufman, Michael A Lourie, Kasey Decosimo, Cynthia J Coffman, Joshua Dadolf, Matthew Tucker, Leah Christensen, Virginia Wang, Kelli D Allen, Susan N Hastings, Courtney H Van Houtven; 2/26Increasing caregiver training programs is valuable; however, even minimal health insurance cost-sharing can reduce access for those who need it most. We evaluated costs from the VA perspective, in which veterans and caregivers do not face high out of-pocket costs. Outside the VA, Medicare beneficiaries with care needs and caregivers do face these costs, potentially exacerbating health disparities. Integration and documentation of all caregivers in need of training is needed to support the systematic implementation of programs. Policies like the RAISE Family Caregivers Act encourage health systems to identify and provide necessary skills to family caregivers of hospitalized patients; yet, few health systems include a caregiver field in their EHR. As the need for caregiver training increases, health systems may leverage new reimbursement mechanisms to support the financial feasibility of delivering evidence-based caregiver training programs.

Hospice and palliative care during COVID-19 in New York City: Clinician-reported patient and family experiences and lessons for future crisesAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care; by Junyi Lin, Shih-Yin Lin, Daniel David, Laura T Moreines, Emily Franzosa, Abraham A Brody, Melissa D Aldridge, Dena Schulman-Green; 2/26The COVID-19 pandemic complicated hospice and palliative care (HPC) experiences of patients and family caregivers. We sought to understand HPC professionals' perceptions of patients' and family caregivers' HPC experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City and to make recommendations for improving HPC delivery during future public health crises.

Saturday newsletters focus on headlines and research - enjoy!

[Canada] Cultural safety in practice: Providing quality health care for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children and youth FreePaediatrics & Child Health; by Emilie Beaulieu, Sara Citron, Ryan Giroux, Cheyenne Laforme, Amber Miners, Brett Schrewe, Elizabeth Sellers; 2/26In Canada, cultural safety in health care has emerged in response to the racism and systemic discrimination that Indigenous peoples often face when accessing care. Grounded in cultural humility, antiracism, and trauma-informed care, cultural safety aims to ensure that Indigenous children and youth receive equitable, quality care. Paediatric health care providers can pursue building a culturally safe practice by applying the ‘learn, self-reflect, and act’ framework. They should also consider the home environment, language, and cultural heritage of each child, youth, and family seen in practice, alongside the barriers to and facilitators of healthy living that Indigenous children and youth experience in Canada. Being mindful of health care system policies and practices—and how they affect patient care both locally and historically—is an important step toward offering culturally safe care in any practice setting.

Palliative care in rural, remote, and northern communities: a scoping review BMC Palliative Care | Springer Nature; by Natasha Magyar, Katherine Kortes-Miller & Lynn Martin; 3/19/26 ... This scoping review provides an analysis of the current literature addressing palliative care in rural, remote and Northern regions globally and identifies themes in existing literature to determine areas of need for future research. ... Identified barriers include travel and cost of accessing care, policy issues, lack of communication, lack of knowledge/education. On the other hand, the identified facilitators include collaboration, advanced care planning, specialized education and training of care partners, utilization of telemedicine, and the use of volunteers.

A greener afterlife: Local cemetery champions natural burial PBS - WUFT, Gainesville, FL; by Alexis Vivanco; 3/17/26 A wicker-woven casket emerged from a funeral hearse earlier this month at the Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery for what would be the final resting place of Barbara Finley James. The coffin, modest and held together by various plant materials, was placed on a wooden cart. ... Members of several generations of the James family approached the casket, and placed hands on the various handles attached throughout. With a silent signal, the family began the march through the inclining dirt path to their loved one’s burial site. ... Natural burials, also known as green burials, are an alternate form of end-of-life care that champion cleaner funeral practices. The three characteristics that distinguish a natural burial are no embalming, no vaults, and all burial containers used must be biodegradable. 

“We make our own families”: Do child-free people die alone? Hospice worker shares her experience Daily Dot; by Rebecca Leib; 3/18/26 According to a longtime hospice worker, being child-free doesn't affect end-of-life care, but having strong community ties does. The decision to have children is a deeply personal one, fraught with societal pressures and fears. One common fear is that a childless person might die alone. Recently, however, child-free advocate @wearechildfree shared a video dispelling that fear. Whether someone has kids or doesn't, she says, meaningful end-of-life care is not about children specifically, but the result of cultivating a close and loving community.

Lanterns shine light on spiritual, financial help Fort Worth nonprofit gives to terminally ill FWR - Fort Worth Report, Fort Worth, TX; by Marissa Greene; 2/16/26 Nestled within a grove of trees, more than 300 lanterns twinkled around the perimeter of the Keith House on a recent evening in the Clearfork neighborhood. The pulsing glow of the tealight candle inside each white paper bag illuminated a first name and last initial inscribed into the front of the lantern. Each name represented a patient served by Project 4031, a faith-based nonprofit aiming to provide peace and comfort to terminally ill children, adults and families facing end-of-life challenges by easing financial burdens and fulfilling last wishes. 

What is the quality of care at the end of life? Qualitative findings from a nationally-representative post-bereavement survey across England and Wales Journal of Health Services Research & Policy | University of Cambridge; by Joanna Goodrich Sophie Pask, Chukwuebuka Okwuosa, Therese Johansson, Lynn Laidlaw, Cara Ghiglieri, Rachel Chambers, Anna E. Bone, Stephen Barclay, Fliss E. M. Murtagh, Katherine E. Sleeman; 3/13/26 ... Our aim in this study was to explore the quality of end-of-life care in England and Wales using the experiences of bereaved family carers, and to develop person-centred quality of care domains for end-of-life care. ... Six themes were identified in relation to the quality of care for those with advanced illness and their family carers. 

Scotland rejects assisted dying at final stage: MSPs cite coercion fears and palliative care gaps in decision Newser; by Arden Dier; 3/18/26 Scotland has just turned down a chance to become the first part of the UK to allow assisted dying despite widespread support among the public. After five debate sessions and a rare Friday sitting, members of the Scottish Parliament rejected the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill late Tuesday by 69 votes to 57, ... The free vote cut across party lines, ... Opponents repeatedly warned of coercion ... and arguing efforts should instead focus on better end-of-life care. Supporters ... shared personal stories of family members' suffering, insisted robust protections—including doctor checks to determine whether a person was being coerced—were built in.Editor's Note: Scotland's debate resonates with those throughout the U.S. and other countries. I invite you to revisit a "most read" article from our newsletters, "PositivelyJAX Award: The purple bench of Compassionate St. Augustine." Pair these with Daniel Goleman's "cognitive empathy," for which you might not agree--or feel it the same as another--but you do seek to learn and understand the other person's perspective.