Literature Review

The Center to Advance Palliative Care and the National Kidney Foundation make the case for the integration of palliative care into kidney disease management PR Newswire, New York; by The Center to Advance Palliative Care; 10/8/25 Despite facing high rates of distressing symptoms—including fatigue, pruritus, and pain—people living with advanced kidney disease are far less likely than those with cancer to receive appropriate pain and symptom management. And fewer than 10% of older adults receiving dialysis report having had conversations about their goals of care. These are two of the many important statistics highlighted in The Case for Palliative Care in Kidney Care, a new publication from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), which emphasizes the critical need to integrate palliative care services into the treatment of patients with advanced kidney disease. 

LGBTQ+ history project: The need to preserve LGBTQ+ histories of rural America Watermark Out News; by Lauren Rowello; 10/14/25 ... Resources importantly emerged as people formally organized — bringing critical health care and hospice networks during the HIV/AIDS crisis, for instance, and launching LGBTQ+ voices into expansive advocacy careers. Across the US, some of the most impactful voices for change have come from rural regions. ... Editor's Note: For more on this interface with the birth of hospice care in the US, examine "The AIDS Epidemic’s Lasting Impact on Hospice Care for LGBTQ+ Populations," by Holly Vossel, Hospice News, 6/28/24. Pair these with today's post, "Inside the hospice that feels like home: How Omega House catches those who fall through the cracks." 

Inside the hospice that feels like home: How Omega House catches those who fall through the cracks ABC KTRK-13, Houston, TX; by Brittaney Wilmore; 10/13/25 Retired teacher Eleanor Munger opened Omega House in 1986 in Montrose, pioneering care for dying HIV/AIDs patients. ... Sonny and Neil, and perhaps the laughter they bring, are all part of the key ingredients that make up Omega House, a mainstay in Montrose complete with a living room and garden that you might not immediately realize is a hospice. ... But making it feel like home means it's functioning just as founder Eleanor Munger intended it. "She was a retired Montessori school teacher, so she had no medical background whatsoever. She was 74 years old, and she just felt like this was something that people need - a really loving, caring environment," said Omega House director Sandy Stacy.

‘Lack of urgency’ a top cause of hospice admissions delays, industry consultants say McKnight Home Care; by Adam Healy; 10/9/25 Hospices’ delays in admitting patients can bog down operations and stifle growth. To avoid holdups, providers should act with urgency and prioritize outside-the-box thinking, industry consultants at Transcend Strategy Group recommended. ... Transcend Strategy Group recently released a new insights guide titled “Driving Sales and Admissions Success in Hospice Care.” The guide reveals hospice providers’ top reasons for admissions delays, the problems caused by these delays, and the strategies providers can use to clear bottlenecks. The insights guide noted that admissions delays are problematic for both providers and their clients. ... Hospices should get creative to solve admissions problems, Transcend’s experts agreed. Rather than look for a tool or technology to help speed up operations, look internally to identify practices that prevent care from being delivered, they said.

Elite Hospice observes official grand opening The Light and Champion, Center, TX; by News Staff; 10/9/25 On Tuesday, Sep. 30, Elite Hospice and Palliative Care were officially welcomed to the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon-cutting event hosted at A Pineywoods Home Health Care located in Center at 919 Nacogdoches Highway. Elite Hospice and Palliative Care is a sister company of the A Pineywoods group and provides end-of-life care for patients in East Texas.

Seasons Hospice hosts commemoration as it closes hospice house, forges ahead with in-home care KTTC, Rochester, MN; by Caitlin Alexander; 10/10/25 Local nonprofit organization Seasons Hospice hosted a somber but significant moment on Friday as it commemorated its hospice house. After more than 25 years, Seasons Hospice is closing the doors of the hospice house, as it now shifts its focus to serving patients and families with in-home hospice care. “I had a hard time at first accepting that and getting beyond it, but I did,” one of the founders, Sarah Oehlke, said. “I’m very grateful that you have sustained our quality-of-care standards for all of the years.” “We have together provided comfort, dignity and compassion to countless families during life’s most poignant moments,” Board President Dawn Beck said. ... Seasons Hospice previously spoke about a declining census at the hospice house, especially in recent years, noting the shift toward people wishing to spend their final days in their homes with loved ones.Editor's Note: This Seasons Hospice is in Rochester, Minnesota; not to be confused with other hospice organizations throughout the nation with "seasons" in its name. They gave their hospice house both a "good life" and "a good death." We draw attention to the shift they described "toward people wishing to spend their final days in their homes with loved ones," and will continue to be on the lookout for similar trends. To quote from an ancient poet, "To everything there is a season ..." We wish Seasons Hospice well through its continued transitions.

[Brazil] Integrating holistic communication into psychedelic-assisted therapies in hospice and palliative care: An approach based on Peplau's theoryJournal of Holistic Nursing; by Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia, Felipe Teixeira, Lucas Oliveira Maia; 9/25 Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has shown promising results in alleviating psychological and existential suffering among individuals with serious illnesses. This article explores the application of Peplau's Theory of Interpersonal Relations (PTIR) as a foundation for holistic communication in PAT, particularly in hospice and palliative care. We examine how PTIR's core concepts (person, health, environment, and nursing) along with its articulation of therapeutic roles, phases of the nurse–patient relationship, and the concept of anxiety as a signal of unmet needs, can be integrated into PAT's preparation, dosing, and integration phases. Drawing on a fictional case study involving a patient with advanced cancer, we illustrate how nurses can use PTIR to support emotional processing, foster insight, and promote personal growth during psilocybin-assisted therapy.

Conspiracy of verticals:  Rethinking healthcare models with Peter Benjamin Teleios collaborative Network (TCN); video/podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Peter Benjamin; 10/8/25 In this conversation, Peter Benjamin and Chris Comeaux discuss the impact of COVID-19 on mortality rates, particularly the concept of 'death pull forward' and its implications for Hospice Care. Peter highlights the significant role of assisted living facilities in Hospice days and explores macro trends in healthcare, emphasizing the shift from vertical to horizontal care models. The discussion also covers the evolution of Palliative Care, frail elderly practices, and institutional special needs plans (iSNPs), while stressing the importance of measuring quality of care, particularly in pain management. 

For this doctor, LGBTQ+ care is about the mission and the moment American Medical Association (AMA); by Timothy M. Smith; 10/8/25 ... [Shail Maing, MD] is a hematology-oncology and palliative care physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), in Boston, where she is also the inaugural DFCI Network health equity and inclusion liaison. In addition to her work caring for patients, Dr. Maingi’s passion is advocacy, particularly on health inequities for LGBTQ+ patients. She was the founding chair of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s LGBTQ Special Interest Group. “We’re living in a very diverse world, with much more acceptance and acknowledgement that health care is for everybody—that there are differences that are unexplored, and we can't pretend everybody has the same set of needs,” said Dr. Maingi ...

Dallas nonprofit plans first hospice house for people experiencing homelessness NBC DFW-5, Dallas, TX; by David Goins; 10/7/25 ... Tucked along a quiet, tree-lined street just east of downtown Dallas sits a historic property that will soon house a new concept for North Texas — a hospice house designed to provide end-of-life care in a safe, supportive environment for those living unsheltered. Chris Culack, CEO of the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas, said the organization’s mission has long centered on supporting vulnerable populations. The group currently provides meals for homebound neighbors in Dallas, Denton and Rockwall counties, as well as in-home hospice care in 16 counties statewide. 

Timing matters: Impact of early advance care planning conversations on hospice utilization in outpatient oncologyJCO Oncology Practice, An American Society of Clinical Oncology Journal; by Lydia Mills, Malia Albin, Ami Gorsky-Zabukovic, Liz Hutchison, Molly Mendenhall, and Robyn Tibert; 10/7/25  Results: 53% of physicians interviewed defined [Advance Care Planning] ACP as hospice, end-of-life, or code status conversations. This group of providers preferred waiting to conduct ACP discussions until later in a patient’s disease trajectory. However, 33% of physicians interviewed viewed ACP as broader discussions, to include patients’ values, goals and preferences for EOL care. These physicians stated they engage in ACP conversations as early as the first or second visit, especially with patients who have Stage IV disease or have a poor prognosis, introducing hospice as a potential option and revisiting these discussions throughout the course of treatment. PI data showed that providers who engage in early and consistent ACP discussions have a 17% higher hospice enrollment rate compared to their peers. 

Uplift Hospice acquires Grace Hospice, Medical Group Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/2/25 Uplift Hospice has acquired Tucson, Arizona-based Grace Hospice & Palliative Care and Grace Medical Group for an undisclosed amount. The transaction not only boosts the company’s average daily census and builds density in their Arizona service region, it will also help them scale their small but growing home-based primary care and palliative care businesses. Uplift currently has one medical group active in Nevada and is seeking to expand those services across their footprint, which also extends into Texas. 

Stillwater Hospice begins providing services in Steuben County inkFreeNews, Steuben County, IN; News Release; 10/6/25 Fort Wayne-based Stillwater Hospice began providing services in Steuben County, on Wednesday, Oct. 1, extending its coverage area to 13 counties. Stillwater is now the only nonprofit hospice provider based in the region, offering in-home and facility-based care for patients in residential homes, assisted living facilities and nursing communities. ... Stillwater Hospice, founded in 1888, operates a 14-bed hospice home and maintains partnerships with regional hospitals, including Cameron Hospital in Angola. The move north aims to increase access to end-of-life and palliative care for rural Hoosiers.