Literature Review

Palliative care staff attitudes toward music therapy for hospitalized adult patientsAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Katherine A. Carney, Rachel M. Wiste, Susanne M. Cutshall, Christina Wood, Rachel C. Gentes, Brianna E. Larsen, Nana A. Tiwaa, Amelia E. Tetlie, Regina M. Mackey; 12/25There is emerging evidence that music therapy (MT) is an effective tool within palliative care to manage patients’ complex needs. This performance improvement project aimed to assess palliative care staff members’ attitudes toward the current utilization of MT within the institution’s hospital-based interdisciplinary practices. Top reasons for MT referral were psychosocial support, pain and symptom management, and coping. The most common symptom-focused indications were anxiety, mood, and existential distress. In this single-institution performance improvement project, staff attitudes were highly favorable toward MT for palliative care patients. MT is utilized for a variety of reasons, can be highly effective for improving patients’ quality of life, and may also be of direct benefit to staff.

An Anderson Township nursing home patient died of natural causes — until the coroner called it homicide ABC WCPO-9, Cincinnati / Anderson Township, OH; by Dan Monk; 1/21/26 An Anderson Township nursing home is under scrutiny after a patient’s death was changed from natural causes to homicide by the Hamilton County Coroner. Robert Meyer was a patient at Forest Hills Healthcare Center, ... He died on Sept. 6, 2025, soon after being transferred to a hospice facility in Blue Ash. No autopsy was conducted because the original death certificate said Meyer died of natural causes. However, as his funeral approached, his daughter raised concerns about his care at Forest Hills. Tammy Maham sent the coroner pictures of neck bruises that Meyer incurred in the days before his death. That led to Meyer’s disinterment, a Sept. 22 autopsy and a revised death certificate that lists “physical elder abuse” as the immediate cause of death by homicide.

Prevalence rate of depression in palliative and hospice care: A narrative reviewJournal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care; by Reid M. JacobsDepression is a common but not universal experience among individuals receiving hospice and palliative care. Though much research exists on depression in this population, there is little consensus on the actual prevalence rate, with estimates varying drastically. This is due, in part, to non-standardized definitions of what constitutes depression, variance based on assessment methods and tools, and the presence of somatic symptoms that may be due to physical illness and not depression, thus distorting the prevalence rate in this population. Depression can cause significant negative consequences for individuals and those who care for them, robbing them of precious time, increasing suffering, and decreasing overall quality of life. This narrative review seeks to understand depression’s prevalence among people living with severe and life limiting illness based on the existing literature.

'Get out of my house': 84-year-old man shoots son in the face for not visiting mother in hospice care, police say Law & Crime, Palm Bay, FL; by Conrad Hoyt; 12/12/25 An elderly man is accused of shooting his son in the face because he and his spouse did not visit the older man's wife over the weekend while she was in at-home hospice care. William Nowak, 84, has been charged with attempted murder, according to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime. Nowak was at his home ... in Palm Bay, Florida, where he lived with his wife and their disabled daughter. His wife had recently been put on in-home hospice care, "and William has been taking care of both of them," ... The defendant's son and his wife came over to the house to visit, something she said they did "on a weekly basis." After they arrived around 6 p.m., "William began to express how he was upset they did not visit over the weekend." According to authorities, an argument between the father and son ensued.

Slow-tempo music and delirium/coma-free days among older adults undergoing mechanical ventilation-A randomized clinical trialJAMA Internal Medicine; by Babar A. Khan, Sikandar H. Khan, Anthony J. Perkins, Annie Heiderscheit, Frederick W. Unverzagt, Sophia Wang, J. Hunter Downs III, Sujuan Gao, Linda L. Chlan; 10/25Objective: To determine if a slow-tempo music (60-80 beats/min) listening intervention decreases delirium duration, delirium severity, pain, or anxiety in older adults undergoing mechanical ventilation. In this randomized clinical trial of 158 mechanically ventilated older adults, a twice-daily music intervention delivered via noise-canceling headphones and tablets for up to 7 days did not demonstrate a statistically significant decrease in delirium duration, delirium severity, pain, or anxiety.

"The Wounded Generation": Bearing the invisible scars of war CBS News; by Lesley Stahl; 11/9/25 In 1984, President Reagan commemorated the 40th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, and paid tribute to the World War II soldiers known as "The Greatest Generation." ... But in his new book, historian David Nasaw calls them "The Wounded Generation." "They are the Greatest Generation, but they returned from war, bringing wounds home with them that are invisible; they're psychic wounds," he said. "Now we know that a lot of those wounds were PTSD. But PTSD was not diagnosed for 40 years after the return of the World War II veterans. ... Nasaw said [of his own father,] "He came home smoking three or four packs of Luckys a day. He came home with a heart condition from the war. He dies at age 61. And I had never had the chance to find out what happened in Eritrea, what he went through. So, what do I do as a historian? I can't find out his story, so I jumped in to find out the story of his generation."Editor's Note: While most World War II veterans are now gone, many of today’s hospice patients—particularly those who served in combat—carry similar invisible scars. Their psychic wounds, once unnamed, often resurface in life’s final chapter. This story also echoes in their adult children, who now seek to understand the unspoken pain that shaped their families. For more insight and support—especially regarding post-9/11 veterans—see the Wounded Warriors Project. 

[Italy] Can cannabinoids alleviate behavioral symptoms in older adults with dementia? A systematic reviewJournal of Psychopharmacology; by Adele Ravelli, Chiara Ceolin, Mario Virgilio, Margherita Vergadoro, Maria Devita, Marina De Rui, Paolo Simioni, Giuseppe Sergi, Alessandra Coin; 10/25Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) affect patients’ and caregivers’ well-being. Cannabinoids may offer a promising therapeutic option for managing BPSD. Ten studies ... showed cannabinoids helped reduce agitation and nocturnal disturbances. In conclusion, cannabinoids show promise in managing BPSD in dementia, with good tolerability and safety. 

Four nurses in two weeks assaulted at Essentia Hospitals: Nurses say violence is a consequence of unsafe staffing and inaction Minnesota Nurses Association, Brainer, MN; Press Release; 10/28/25Nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) are once again outraged and deeply concerned after two more violent assaults on nurses at Essentia Health. A nurse at Essentia Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd was attacked by a patient last Thursday, followed by another assault at the same facility over the weekend. The latest incidents come less than two weeks after two nurses were injured at Essentia Health St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth. Four nurses assaulted in under two weeks reflects a dangerous pattern in Essentia facilities—one that nurses have been warning about for years.Editor's Note: Continue reading for preventable actions and red flags, "True safety comes from care-based prevention." These were hospital settings; the home care settings your staff and volunteers enter provide much higher risks with less control. Ask your direct care staff for examples of professional situations that were unsafe. Office-based leaders, you might be surprised. Examine your workplace violence policies, procedures, trainings, incident reporting, and follow-up.

Mental healthcare delivery in palliative care: Patient and caregiver perspectives Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Mia Pattillo, Jeffers Guthrie, Molly Nowels, Maureen Ekwebelem, Karolina Sadowska, Milagros Silva, M Carrington Reid, Daniel Shalev; 10/8/25 ... Results: Participants described strong therapeutic relationships with palliative care clinicians, who offered informal mental health support through conversations, medication management, and referrals.  ...Conclusions: Patients and caregivers view integrated mental healthcare as a valuable addition to palliative care. Integration models should include specialist mental health providers, address caregiver needs, and offer flexible delivery formats. Palliative care's transdiagnostic scope, interdisciplinary structure, and psychosocial orientation make it a strategic site for integrated care.

[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.

Adult Protective Services work with clients at the end of life: Challenges and support needsJournal of Elder Abuse and Neglect; by Wei-Lin Xue, Joy Swanson Ernst, Pi Ju Liu; 9/25Adult Protective Services (APS) professionals frequently interact with clients who are seriously ill or dying as they investigate cases of elder abuse and self-neglect. This study explored the unique challenges and support needs of APS workers in these end-of-life contexts. Thematic analysis identified two overarching domains: (1) challenges – including family conflict, limited caregiver preparedness, client self-determination, challenges to service access, and emotional strain on professionals; and (2) support needed – such as improved interagency collaboration, peer and organizational support. Participants emphasized the emotional toll of witnessing client decline and death, and highlighted gaps in training, coordination, and workplace support. Findings highlight the need for targeted policy and practice reforms to better equip APS professionals addressing elder abuse and self-neglect at the end of life.

[China] "Love over fear": How nostalgic songs and relationship types buffer death anxietyHealth Communication; by Weixi Zeng, Junyi Chen; 8/25From the perspective of terror management theory (TMT), this study examines the potential of music to alleviate death anxiety. Multiple interaction effects among mortality salience, nostalgia, and relationship type indicated that romantic songs - especially nostalgic romantic songs - were more effective in reducing death anxiety than parent-child relationship songs. The findings highlight the defensive function of romantic relationship songs within the TMT framework, offering new insights for clinical interventions and public mental health practices aimed at managing death anxiety.