Literature Review

Husband with Parkinson's was admitted into at-home hospice program and has dramatically improved. Have others experienced this? Aging Care; by Klwolf; 1/21/26 My DH has Parkinson’s that has been getting progressively worse for months. In early December we had him assessed for hospice and he was admitted. Since then, he’s improved dramatically. Has anyone else experienced dramatic improvement AFTER hospice enrollment? The hospice staff simply shrugs and says this sometimes happens and that we need to be prepared for him to revert back to his previous state. Editor's Note: Many clinicians have seen individuals improve after hospice enrollment, often due to better symptom control, reduced stress, or consistent interdisciplinary care. The concern here is not the improvement itself, but the hospice team’s reported response. A shrug can feel dismissive to families already living with uncertainty. How do we teach teams to communicate about improvement—honoring hope while preparing families with clarity, compassion, and trust?

Palliative care in pediatric phase I oncology trials: A scoping reviewPediatric Blood & Cancer; by Andrea Cuviello, Harisankeerth Mummareddy, Alanis N. Gomez Martinez, Holly Spraker-Perlman, Allison Uber, Jordan Wrigley, Erica C. Kaye; 12/25Clinical trials, particularly Phase I trials that test drug safety and feasibility, are imperative to advance outcomes for children with cancer. These trials, however, pose risks for increased symptom burden and suffering. Early integration of palliative care (PC) during Phase I trial enrollment offers a potential reduction in suffering and improvement in quality of life.  PC integration was associated with earlier hospice enrollment, increased home and hospice deaths, decreased hospitalizations and intensive care unit utilization, improved care coordination, and better symptom management. 

Expanding the boundaries of palliative care: Diseases of the nervous system and survival prognosis in home-based programsAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Mônica Isaura Corrêa, Igor de Oliveira Claber Siqueira, Sonia  Souza, Eduardo Bruera, Ana Paula Drummond-Lage; 12/25Home-based palliative care (HBPC) is increasingly recognized as an essential strategy for managing patients with non-oncologic and life-limiting conditions. However, prognostic factors influencing survival in this population remain underexplored. Diseases of the nervous system (DNS) were the most frequent referral diagnoses [in this study] (32.3%). Patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias demonstrated longer survival than those with other DNS or no DNS diagnoses ... While PPS [Palliative Performance Scale] remains a useful tool, its discriminatory capacity was modest, underscoring the need for refined prognostic models in non-oncologic palliative care.

Agrace announces revolutionary dementia village: America's first Hogeweyk-inspired community redefining memory care PR Newswire, Madison, WI; by Agrace; 1/20/26 Agrace ... today announced plans to build the Ellen & Peter Johnson Dementia Village at Agrace, the first Hogeweyk-inspired dementia care community of its kind in the United States. ... Breaking ground this spring, the $40 million project represents a complete reimagining of dementia care in America, drawing inspiration from the Netherlands' internationally acclaimed Hogeweyk Dementia Village—a model that has set a new global standard for supporting people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. ... Traditional memory care has long focused on safety and clinical oversight—priorities that matter deeply to families and caregivers alike. Yet many of these settings—shaped by institutional design and medical frameworks—can unintentionally narrow autonomy, spontaneity, and connection to ordinary life. 

Neuropalliative care in movement disordersContinuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology; by Benzi M Kluger; 12/25Over the past decade, significant progress has been made to advance palliative care approaches for patients with Parkinson disease and other movement disorders. This population has significant palliative care needs that are poorly met under traditional models of care, including nonmotor symptom management, advance care planning, psychosocial support, spiritual and existential support, care partner support, and timely referrals for specialist and end-of-life palliative care (hospice). Clinical trials demonstrate that specialist palliative care can improve many patient and family outcomes. Neurologists can use the five-pillars framework (nonmotor symptoms, advance care planning, psychosocial and spiritual support, care partner support, and timely involvement of specialist palliative care) to systematically address common sources of suffering that are poorly recognized in traditional models of care. This framework can be integrated into previsit screening forms and note templates to improve the detection of palliative issues.

Malnutrition deaths are soaring in the US – especially among seniors Independent; by Brendan Rascius; 1/5/26 Malnutrition deaths are soaring in the United States — particularly among seniors — and the reasons are unclear, according to a new report. In roughly the last 10 years, deaths linked to malnutrition have skyrocketed by a factor of six, making it the fastest-growing killer in the country, The Washington Post reported, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Is Alzheimer’s disease more common than previously thought? Medscape; by Megan Brooks; 12/24/25 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be more common than previously thought in some demographic groups, according to the first population-based study to use a blood test to gauge AD-related neuropathological changes (ADNCs). ... A “major advance” of this study is the use of blood-based biomarkers as a way to generate more accurate, population-level estimates of AD pathology, Nicholas Ashton, PhD, senior director of the Banner Fluid Biomarker Program, Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City, Arizona, told Medscape Medical News.

323.3: What happens after the gift? Insights from organ procurement organizations on strengthening aftercare in the United StatesTransplantation; by Levan, Macey; Akhtar, Jasmine; Sidoti, Carolyn; Kaplow, Katya; Klitenic, Samantha; Flower, Tessa; Yusef, Bola; Vanterpool, Karen; Parent, Brendan; Koons, Brittany; 12/25Each of the 55 U.S. organ procurement organizations (OPOs) is responsible for obtaining authorization for donation and supporting donor families through the donation process. While federal regulations mandate certain responsibilities related to authorization and coordination, there is no regulatory requirement that OPOs provide services to families after donation. Nonetheless, most OPOs have developed “aftercare” programs, which historically have focused on honoring loved ones, commemorating donation, and offering limited grief-related support. Facilitators of meaningful aftercare included peer connection efforts, standardized data processes, and tailoring services to diverse family needs. However, the structure, scope, and intensity of these programs vary widely, and there has been little national attention to standardizing or modernizing aftercare efforts. Common barriers to effective aftercare included limited access to mental health resources, low survey response rates, insufficient staffing or funding, and fragmentation between initial and long-term support teams. 

Translating the value of palliative transfusions for patients with blood cancers into high-quality end-of-life careJAMA Network Open; by Pamela Egan, Dana Guyer; 11/25Studies have described how patients with blood cancers enroll in hospice care at lower rates than patients with solid tumor cancers, receive more futile chemotherapy, are more likely to seek emergency care at the EOL [end of life] , are more likely to be treated in intensive care units, and are more likely to die in hospital settings than their counterparts with solid tumors. The Medicare hospice benefit is structured in such a way that providing transfusions is cost prohibitive for hospice agencies. It is time to heed the call from the American Society of Hematology and palliative care and hospice agencies nationwide to revise the Medicare hospice benefit such that patients with blood cancers can receive hospice care as soon as their cancer-directed treatments are no longer valuable without sacrificing the quality-of-life–sustaining transfusions. This will be an important step toward ensuring high-quality EOL care for patients with hematologic malignant neoplasms.

Precision Radiation Oncology Rhode Island and HopeHealth Hospice & Palliative Care announce Collaborative partnership Today in Business, Providence, RI; Press Release; 12/30/25 Precision Radiation Oncology Rhode Island (PRORI) ... along with HopeHealth, provider of palliative care and hospice services, are proud to announce a new collaborative partnership, aimed at improving quality of life and Precision outcomes for patients undergoing cancer care, beginning January 2026. This collaboration brings together two organizations with complementary missions: delivering state-of-the-art cancer treatment while ensuring compassionate, patient-centered support throughout every stage of the patient’s cancer journey. By working closely together, in a synergistic manner, PRORI and HopeHealth will provide a seamless continuum of cancer care that addresses not only the clinical aspects of cancer treatment, but also the physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of patients, their families and caregivers.

Patients with hematologic cancers value blood transfusions most in hospice services Healio; by Josh Friedman; 12/29/25 Key takeaways:

[Saudi Arabia] Comparison of end-of-life care between patients with hematological malignancies versus solid tumors: A retrospective analysisJournal of Palliative Care; by Salma Almusaed, Kim Sadler, Walaa Abdulmutaali, Gassan Abudari, Steven Callaghan, Mahmoud Sroor, Muneerah Almutairi, Mohammed AlGhamdi, Muruf Zaid Alshalwah, Sameer Desai, Nessreen Abu Alsalhm, Khloud Alzain; 11/25While specialized palliative care (PC) is well-established for managing STs [solid tumors], its integration into HMs’ [hematological malignancies] care remains less common despite evidence of its benefits. The cohort consisted of 350 adult patients, of whom 86 (24.6%) had HMs and 264 (75.4%) had STs. Overall, HMs patients received more aggressive end-of-life care, including higher rates of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions (81.4% vs 17.8%), intubation (36% vs 8.3%), disease-modifying treatments (23% vs 3.8%), as well as more enteral feeding, dialysis, blood transfusions, and antimicrobial use. Their resuscitation discussions occurred closer to death (3 vs 16 days ... ). Additionally, HMs patients had fewer referrals to PC services (43% vs 79.2% ... ), and most of them died in the ICU (59.3% vs 18.2% ... ).