Literature Review

‘Simple, natural, gentle alternative’: NC couple turns to human composting for eco-friendly end of life CBS 17 Plus, Charlotte, NC; by David Schuman; 7/27/26 Some North Carolina families are making an unusual choice about what to do with their bodies when they die. Marsha and Michael Costigan are turning to a human composting company based in Washington state called Earth Funeral. The Charlotte couple’s been married more than 50 years, but Michael Costigan is nearing the end of his life. ... Through a support group, she discovered Earth Funeral. The company offers what can be called “natural organic reduction” or “soil transformation” or, most vividly, “human composting.” ... Earth Funeral wraps the body in a biodegradable shroud and places it in a proprietary vessel that contains a mixture of woodchips, organic mulch, and wildflowers.

Swimmers raise $18,000 for hospice North Country Now; by Cheryl Shumway; 8/3/26Dozen of swimmers ranging in age from four to senior citizens swam in the 16th annual Swim a Mile for Hospice at Norwood Beach August 1. Over $18,000 was raised for Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley. ... Ruth Fishbeck, Executive Director at Hospice and Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley said, “It is so nice to have so many families here. It is outside, community-minded and supports a good cause,” she said. ... Teresa Stone, in her 15th year in the Swim a Mile for Hospice,  had a special reason to participate this year. “I am swimming in honor of my mother, Barbara Towne, of Canton, who I lost last December. I can’t imagine not having Hospice. It gave me comfort to have someone guiding me with her care,” said Stone. ... Funds raised support hospice care, grief counseling, bereavement programs and community education services.

Hospice of Western Ky. hosts largest Camp Erin for grieving youthThe Messenger, Owensboro, KY; by The Messenger Staff; 8/4/26Hospice of Western Kentucky recently welcomed 55 children to its largest Camp Erin to date, providing a free overnight camp experience for young people grieving the loss of a loved one, according to a release. The camp was held July 31 through Aug. 2 at Gasper River Catholic Youth Camp and Retreat Center in Bowling Green. This marked the fifth year Hospice of Western Kentucky has hosted Camp Erin for children ages 6 to 17. Camp Erin is offered at no cost to families through support from Eluna, Hospice of Western Kentucky and the New York Life Foundation, the release stated.

Homemakers create quilts for hospice patientsThe Kentucky Standard, Nelson County, KY; by Katelyn Norris;8/1/26 Nelson County Homemakers continue to find new way to serve their community. Earlier this week nearly two dozen quilts made by its members were donated toward local hospice patients. On Monday, the quilts were displayed at the Nelson County Extension Office as the local Homemakers donated them to the Hospice of Nelson County. The quilts were sewn, crocheted and knitted with love and care by the Homemakers. Each quilt has a tag denoting it was created by members of the group. ... Jaime Crockett [Manager of Clinical Services with Hospice of Nelson County] said she wants this moment to encourage other local quilters, crocheters and knitters to donate their own new, handmade blankets for those in hospice care.

There are moments that remind you just how powerful music can be. YouTube; by Navacare; 6/27/26There are moments that remind you just how powerful music can be. Recently, I had the privilege of attending a ceremony honoring a veteran for his service to our country. During the ceremony, Grace from AccentCare Hospice sang "I Will Always Love You." It was beautiful. It was moving. And if I'm being honest, it brought a few tears to my eyes. Not only because we were honoring someone who had given so much, but because it was also my dad's favorite song. Music has a remarkable way of connecting us to people, memories, and emotions that words alone often can't reach. For many older adults, especially those living with dementia or memory loss, music can spark recognition, comfort, and moments of connection that feel truly extraordinary. [Watch the video to the end, to hear the dad's response.]

Grief support matters beyond the hospice journey | opinion The Star | USA Today Network via Reuters Connect; by Miral Ackman; 7/26/26August is National Grief Awareness Month, a time to recognize that while grief is universal, every person's journey through loss is unique. I've learned that one of the greatest acts of integrity is continuing to support families long after a loved one's hospice journey has ended. When families invite us into their homes during one of life's most difficult seasons, they place extraordinary trust in us. ... Grief doesn't follow a timeline. It can resurface during holidays, milestones or ordinary moments, and no one should feel they have to face it alone. This National Grief Awareness Month, I encourage our community to make space for conversations about grief. A simple phone call, a listening ear or a kind gesture can remind someone they're seen, supported and not alone in their healing.   

Caring with confidence: A guided approach to end-of-life careJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; Laura Maldoon, Stacy L. Nilsen; 6/26Nurses may face uncertainty when caring for dying patients due to inadequate education and experience. This uncertainty coupled with varying practices for end-of-life care may affect both care quality and nurses’ attitudes. In nurses caring for hospitalized End-of-Life patients, does having a guided End-of-Life template and care resources, compared to current practices, improve registered nurse attitudes in providing individualized end-of-life care? Two inpatient nursing units received a 30-minute End-of-Life educational intervention utilizing the City of Hope’s Comfort, Airway, Restlessness and Delirium, Emotional and Spiritual Support (CARES) toolset as a standard resource to assess and prioritize end-of-life symptom management and family communication. This project suggests improved comfort and confidence among RNs in providing end-of-life care with the use of the CARES toolset. Nurses also demonstrated increased interest in seeking additional education.

Minnesota’s first dual-certified green burial funeral home opens News.net, PR Quantum, Saint Paul, MN; by Mueller Memorial; 7/22/26Interra Green Burial has become the first funeral home in Minnesota to earn certification from both the Green Burial Council and the National Funeral Directors Association. The milestone reflects the funeral home’s focus on environmental sustainability and its role in expanding eco-friendly funeral choices for families in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. The dual certification signals a meaningful commitment to offering end-of-life services that align with values of environmental stewardship. Green Burial Council certification is granted to funeral homes that satisfy rigorous standards for environmentally responsible operations. Requirements include the use of biodegradable materials, participation in carbon offset programs, and the adoption of sustainable practices at every stage of the funeral process. 

The women running death salons for people of color to process grief: ‘It allows for freedom’ The Guardian; by Melissa Hellman; 7/19/26 In a small cream-colored room at a cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Nefertiti Moor sat at the head of a semicircle. Dressed in black with her long hair in locs, she delivered instructions for the evening discussion. "It's not death counseling or a debate," said Moor. She invited the two women in attendance to talk freely about their cultural associations with dying and grief. Tasha Johnson, who worked in behavioral health, said that she felt desensitized after the recent deaths of several people she knew. She was grappling with "the reality that it can be anyone at any point". The free-flowing conversation about mortality, otherwise known as a death salon or death cafe, was unique in that it was designed for people of color. Death salons for marginalized communities are becoming more common around the country, with practitioners addressing the unique end-of-life concerns of queer, trans, or Black and brown people.

Religious scripts for dying The Christian Century; by Aaron Klink; 7/20/26 Travis Pickell explores the moral burden placed on those who face end-of-life medical decisions but lack communal support. Amid much conversation about end-of-life care—its methods, costs, and ethics—there is little sustained attention to the question of why this subject generates so much political and moral controversy. The blame is sometimes placed on advances in medical technologies (such as ventilators and artificial nutrition and hydration) or in treatments (such as kidney dialysis and aggressive chemotherapy). But the reality is more complicated, argues Travis Pickell in Burdened Agency - Christian Theology and End-of-Life Ethics. ... Pickell devotes much of the book to exploring various theological understandings of death and outlining the “scripts for dying” created by each theology. 

Empath Health Mobile Simulation RV gives summer camp students hands-on look at healthcare careers Pasco Hernando State College (PHSC); Press Release; 7/16/26 Today, Empath Health Clinical Specialist, MJ Schwartz, Workforce Innovation & Academic Partnerships brought their Mobile Simulation Unit to Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch Health Care Discovery Summer Camp on Thursday, July 16, giving middle and high school students a hands-on introduction to health  care careers through interactive clinical simulations and team-based problem solving. The 31-foot Mobile Simulation RV hosted 28 campers, ages 11 to 18, who rotated through the unit in small groups. Students explored health care training equipment, learned basic patient care concepts and participated in a medical “escape room”-style activity designed to build critical thinking and collaboration skills while introducing real-world healthcare scenarios.