Literature Review

When the nurse becomes the daughter: Lessons from my father's final daysAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Keshia R Brown; 11/25Military service demands sacrifice, but no professional challenge prepared me for the deeply personal experience of caring for my father at the end of his life. This experience transformed my understanding of nursing by revealing the profound impact of presence, love, and dignity-centered care. Caring for my father illuminated the intersection of professional skill and personal devotion, demonstrating that the heart of nursing extends beyond clinical interventions. It resides in honoring the whole person and offering unwavering compassion in their most vulnerable moments. This narrative reflects on the emotional, ethical, and spiritual lessons learned as I walked my father through his final chapter-an unexpected gift and the greatest honor of my nursing career.

Is moral adequacy possible in the face of structural disadvantage? The experiences of health and social care staff in supporting homeless people using substances at the end of life Palliative Care and Social Practice; by Gary Witham https, Gemma Anne Yarwood, Sarah Galvani, Lucy Webb, and Sam Wright; 11/26/25 Background: Homeless people using substances at the end-of-life face many challenges in accessing and receiving good care. These can relate to poor interdisciplinary working by health and social care practitioners, stigma and structural disadvantage. Results: The data analysis resulted in three key discourse positions relating to how practitioners position themselves in relation to the practice challenges of supporting homeless people using AODs and approaching end of life. These were as follows: (i) what constitutes a good death and where, (ii) the limitations of professional boundaries and (iii) maintaining moral adequacy in the face of traumatic death.

[Europe] Muslims often don’t trust palliative care. A new charity aims to change that  Hyphen; by Weronika Stryzyzynska; 12/15/25 Al-Amal, founded by a doctor and a chaplain, is informed by the Muslim view of a good death — something they say is lacking in mainstream care. A new charity to support Muslims navigating palliative care is preparing to launch after Ramadan. As well as providing an emotional support telephone line, Al-Amal will also offer practical advice on accessing culturally and religiously appropriate care.  The Muslim view of what a good death looks like is informed by values beyond the medical. … This can affect the way Muslim patients include their families in the decision-making process or their approach to pain management.

Bereavement service deserts: A 2024 statewide assessment of  bereavement services Death Studies, open access; by Christopher W. Giang, Luisa Kcomt, Joshua Truchan, Kara Dickinson, Rebecca J. Evans-Polce & Sean Esteban McCabe; 12/5/25 ... This paper introduces the term “bereavement service desert” to describe geographic areas with high mortality and little to no access to bereavement services. Bereavement services deserts are especially concerning where elevated death rates are met with an absence of formal grief supports, trained providers, or community-based resources. As these trends in death have continued to rise over the last decade, the social and economic costs of unresolved grief are becoming more apparent in families, schools, com munities, workplaces, and healthcare systems. ...Editor's Note: Though this research focuses on bereavement agencies across Michigan's 83 counties, its methodologies and outcomes provide data, references, and insights relevant to examining bereavement care in all U.S. states. What are the "bereavement service deserts" in the your state(s)? In the areas you serve?

Perceptions of family caregiving change across demographic lines Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 12/12/25 Family caregiver burden may be falling heavier on the shoulders of certain demographic groups compared to others, a new survey has found. Perceptions of family caregiver roles and responsibilities vary vastly across different age groups, geographic regions and genders, a new survey from BURD Home Health has found. Survey responses were analyzed by demographics such as gender, income, age and geographic location. Among the main goals was to identify patterns and disparities in how caregiving duties are perceived and distributed, according to Justin Colline, director of marketing at BURD Home Health.Editor's Note: Key findings from the source survey include ..

Palliative and hospice care in prostate cancer: A scoping review Urologic Oncology; by Andrew Glaza, Aidan Kennedy, Minhaj Jabeer, Siddharth Ramanathan, Agyeiwaa Obeng, Bernadette Zwaans, Jason Hafron; Jan 2026 Advanced prostate cancer presents therapeutic and prognostic challenges at the end of life. Palliative and hospice care improve quality of life, reduce hospitalizations, and enhance patient-centered decision-making. ...  On average, 40.4% of patients received palliative care, 14.74% hospice, and 1.3% received both. Early integration was associated with better quality of life, fewer hospital admissions, reduced aggressive interventions, and increased cost savings. Most referrals occurred late in the disease trajectory. ... Future research should focus on barriers to timely referral and evaluate their effects on clinical and economic outcomes in prostate cancer.

Connecting communities across the globe: Atlas protocol Palliative Care and Social Practice; by Rebecca Newell, Juan Esteban Correa-Morales, Vilma A Tripodoro, Steven Vanderstichelen, Ghauri Aggarwal, Samar Aoun, Erin Das, Farah Demachkieh, James Downar, Silvia Librada, Julieanne Hilbers, Julie Lapenskie, Emmanuel Luyirika, Saif Mohammed, Masanori Mori, Ekkapop Sittiwantana, Libby Sallnow; 12/4/25 ... Eighteen global experts contributed to developing and validating the survey, with 14 of 15 items meeting the Content Validity Index threshold.  ... This protocol addresses a critical gap in Public Health Palliative Care literature by providing an inclusive and participatory method to map the compassionate community's landscape. The resulting data will promote visibility, partnerships and future research, supporting greater recognition of global compassionate communities and their contributions to primary palliative care.

2026 Forbes top hospitals Forbes; edited by Rachel Rabkin Peachman; 12/4/25 Forbes has developed its inaugural list: Forbes Top Hospitals 2026. This unique rating system evaluates general acute care hospitals throughout the United States to offer consumers unbiased information on which hospitals can offer top-notch, high-value medical services, no matter where they are in the country—as well as a benchmark against which hospitals can compare their performance to that of their peers. ... Central to the methodology is its emphasis on clinical patient outcomes (such as rates of mortality, survival, infection and readmissions). These measures were given the most weight and, therefore, had the most influence on each hospital’s overall rating. Editor's Note: Go to this article and scroll down to "The Full List." You can search by name, filter by state, see methodology (link next to "Star Ratings"), and see star ratings for "Overall," "Outcomes," "Best Practices," "Value," and "Patient Experience." A related article about this list is by Becker's Hospital Review, "253 5-star hospitals: Forbes." Are any hospitals you partner with listed? Share this article and congratulate them.

Switzerland opens first children’s hospice in Zurich, offering respite and care for families Times.News; by Mark Thompson; 12/4/25 A new beacon of hope has opened in Fällanden, Switzerland, with the launch of the Flamingo Children’s Hospice on January 6th. The facility provides a vital refuge for seriously ill children and their families, addressing a critical gap in care within the canton of Zurich and beyond.

As Oregon mulls private equity hospice merger, lawmakers hear of grim financial logic Willamette Week, Portland, OR; by Andrew Schwartz; 12/3/25 Last month’s presentation to a Oregon Senate health care committee came as a for-profit company seeks to assume management of the state’s largest home hospice network. ... The presentation, by Braun and other hospice industry experts, comes as the Oregon Health Authority weighs approval of a major transaction: As part of a multistate deal, Compassus, a for-profit company run in part by private equity interests, is seeking to take over management of home health and hospice assets of the nonprofit Providence Oregon, the state’s largest provider of such services.

From WhatsApp chat to worldwide connectionehospice; 11/25/25 When palliative care physician Ros Taylor reflected on the Global Palliative Doctors Network (GPDN) WhatsApp group, her words captured its essence — five guiding principles for a happier life: being connected, staying curious, continuing to learn, giving knowledge and support, and keeping the mind active. These principles lie at the heart of GPDN — a community built on connection, curiosity, and collective growth. What began as a simple WhatsApp chat among doctors has evolved into a global movement that transcends borders and brings together physicians dedicated to improving palliative care worldwide. [Click here for photo]

Hospice SLO County announces move to new location Paso Robles Daily News, Paso Robles, CA; by News Staff; 12/3/25 Hospice of San Luis Obispo County says its new location improves visibility and long-term stability. The new, smaller facility will continue to be known as the Dorothy D. Rupe Center. The name honors the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation and the legacy that helped establish the organization’s first permanent home in 2001. Hospice of San Luis Obispo County said the move reflects a step toward sustainability by providing a more visible and efficient space while maintaining its existing environment.

'Rehabbed to death’: Bringing more palliative, hospice care to SNFs Hospice News; by Kristin Easterling; 11/26/25 Patients in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) can become trapped in a “rehabbed to death” cycle that could be prevented with better access to palliative care and hospice. The Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) used by SNFs could be harnessed to enable more palliative care and earlier admission to hospice, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.Editor's Note: Click below for the study and related articles we've posted.