Literature Review

Finding solutions: Augusta nurse opens new end-of-life care facility WRDW/WAGT News Stations, Augusta, GA; by Zayna Haliburton; 1/12/26 A hospice nurse is opening Augusta’s first inpatient hospice home, giving families a new option for end-of-life care. Stacia Sirull, a hospice nurse, is opening the Augusta Inpatient Hospice Home. The facility will feature hummingbird decorations throughout. “My sister passed away a couple of years ago. She died in a hospice house in Kentucky and loved humming birds. When I decided to do this I was like we are just going to put humming birds everywhere,” Sirull said. ... The Augusta Inpatient Hospice Home will have six rooms added to the existing building. Sirull said there will always be one bed available for someone who doesn’t have the finances or insurance to cover the stay.

Suncrest Hospice announces Dallas office now serving north Texas families PRUnderground - Norfolk & Wrentham, TX; Press Release; 1/13/26 Suncrest Hospice ... announced today that its Dallas office is now serving families across Arlington, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, and surrounding areas. The new location brings high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care to North Texas communities. ... The Dallas office marks Suncrest’s third location in Texas, joining established teams in Austin and San Antonio. This expansion extends the company’s reach to 53 locations across 25 states, strengthening its commitment to providing accessible hospice services nationwide.

Governor Hochul unveils proposals to increase support and resources for New York’s older adults 2026 State of the State - Health, Albany, NY; Press Release; 1/13/26 Governor Kathy Hochul today proposed a series of initiatives to support older New Yorkers as part of her 2026 State of the State. The Governor’s investments will help older New Yorkers, caretakers, and communities by connecting them to key resources so seniors can age in place, at home, in the communities they know and love.

What to expect in US healthcare in 2026 and beyond McKinsey & Company; by Neha Patel and Shubham Singhal with Ankit Jain; 1/12/26The healthcare industry faces successive waves of challenging trends, with glimmers of opportunity in select segments. US healthcare system continues to face considerable financial strain, although there are pockets of opportunity. ... Payers and providers have borne the brunt of the decline to date and will continue to feel financial pressure in the immediate future. ... Meanwhile, providers could experience an increase in uncompensated care and loss of reimbursement. ... Post-acute care is positioned for stronger performance over the next several years, with continued growth in home health and hospice but stagnation in skilled nursing facilities. ...

[United Kingdom] One in five hospice beds closed, report warns in end of life care crisis Express - Health and Social Affairs; by Lucy Johnston; 1/10/26 Almost one in five hospice beds in England is now closed or standing empty, despite growing demand for end-of-life care, a study by Oxford University researchers has found. The analysis exposes a deepening funding crisis in the hospice sector - which its authors have described as “a national scandal.” ... [Oxford University professors describe that] ... increasing numbers of frail and elderly patients are dying “in pain, alone, often hungry and dehydrated,” while others are being admitted to hospital in emergency situations, adding pressure to already stretched NHS services.

Central Coast VNA & Hospice expands senior care services to meet growing in-home demand EIN Presswire, Montery, CA; by Core6 Marketing; 1/8/26 Central Coast VNA & Hospice is responding to rising community demand for in-home senior care by strengthening its continuum of services across Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and South Santa Clara Counties.  With a 75-year history serving California’s Central Coast, the organization now offers a range of in-home medical and supportive services, including:

“Can We Talk?” A community-based training to improve serious illness communication Home Healthcare Now; by Ashley Kaminski Petkis, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC and Eric Hackenson, DPT; Jan/Feb 2026 Serious illness conversations (SICs) are often delayed or avoided in community-based healthcare due to clinician discomfort and lack of training. Given that many patients wish to die at home, yet often do not, there is a need for structured communication training in home care and hospice settings to ensure the care we provide aligns with patient and family preferences. ...  By embedding SIC training within a community-based organization, this work demonstrated how modest interventions can catalyze a change in practice, reinforcing the idea that SICs are a standard of quality care rather than an optional enhancement.

New hospice room at Crestview Manor helps homeless veterans Crestview Bulletin, Crestview, FL; by Tony Judnich; 12/31/25 [On December 26,] a 60-year-old man who was a homeless military veteran became the first resident of the "Peoples Health Services Heroes Hospice Room" at the Creview Manor assisted-living facility. [The rest of the article is behind a paywall.]

Dying with dignity - personal perspective: The sacred ending we don’t talk about enough. Psychology Today; by Cynthia Chen-Joea DO, MPH, FAAFP, DABOM; 12/24/25 In the U.S., we spend enormous amounts of energy keeping people alive, curing, fixing, and prolonging life at all costs. What we rarely talk about is how people die. And more importantly, how poorly our system supports them when the end is clearly approaching. ... [Background story about her dad's Parkinson's and eventual death] ... Then came our request for hospice. After an evaluation, we were told he didn’t “qualify” because he had gained some weight and his albumin levels were “too high.” An arbitrary checklist, based on labs values, prevented him from getting into hospice. [Keep reading] So we tried for palliative care instead. I made call after call, only to be bounced between departments, many unclear on the difference between hospice and palliative care, ... Even as a physician, I was stunned by how many barriers we encountered simply trying to do the most humane thing: to advocate for dignity, comfort, and respect at the end of my father’s life.

Big Bend Hospice expands its mission and services across the Florida Panhandle Big Bend Hospice, Tallahassee, FL; by Cristal E. Baer; 1/6/26 ... Beginning in January 2026, hospice services will expand into Jackson, Calhoun and Gulf Counties, marking the first phase of a thoughtful, long-term effort to ensure individuals and families throughout the region have access to the care and support they need. ... This growth represents the first step in a broader, long-term commitment to the Florida Panhandle. While the immediate focus is on delivering exceptional hospice care, the expansion also creates opportunities for future service growth that will further strengthen support for individuals and families throughout the region.

Ready or not: Rapp at Home program is changing aging’s last chapter Rappahannock News, Washington, VA; by Daphne Hutchinson; 1/4/26 Huntly resident Gwen Bates is good at getting people together. So when Rapp at Home (RaH), the county’s “senior village,” learned of a new program designed to help older adults navigate and plan for later life, Bates volunteered to organize the multi-faceted effort in Rappahannock.  “She took the ball and ran with it,” RaH president Joyce Wenger says. Called Ready or Not (RON), the program was developed by Queen Anne’s at Home (QAH), a senior village located in Queen Anne’s County, Md. on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

Fourth temporary extension of COVID-19 telemedicine flexibilities for prescription of controlled medications Federal Register - The Daily Journal of the United States Government; A Rule by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Health and Human Services Department on 12/31/2025 AGENCY: Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services. ACTION: Temporary rule. SUMMARY: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) jointly with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is issuing a fourth extension of telemedicine flexibilities for the prescribing of controlled medications through December 31, 2026. DATES: This rule is effective January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026.