Literature Review

With palliative care, earlier referrals mean fewer end-of-life emergency department visits ONS Voice; by Anne Snively, MBA, CAE; 10/15/25 Patients with cancer who are referred to palliative care within one month of death have a mean of 1.17 emergency department (ED) visits, compared to a mean of 0.13 visits for patients referred to palliative care 12 months or more before death—a 160% difference. The data are part of a new study published in JAMA Network Open in July 2025. ... Most of ED visits (47.0%) and EOL ED visits (81.4%) occurred within one month of the palliative care consultation, but the researchers found that both kinds of ED visits “gradually decreased as the time from consultation to death extended.” 

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." 

‘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.

[Global] Top designs revealed in buildner’s Fourth Annual Hospice – Home for the Terminally Ill competition ArchDaily; 10/13/25 Buildner has announced the results of its fourth annual Hospice - Home for the Terminally Ill international architecture ideas competition. This global call for ideas continues to explore how architecture can support end-of-life care with empathy, dignity, and contextual sensitivity. The competition invited architects and designers to move beyond clinical requirements and envision spaces that offer emotional warmth, social connection, and a profound sense of place. ... An international jury reviewed the submissions for their design clarity, emotional resonance, and architectural depth. 

Care that never gives up - in honour of World Hospice & Palliative Care Day 2025 The Morung Express; by Dr. Victoria Seb, MBBS, PDGDM, FIPM; 10/10/25 Quoting the Father of Medicine, Hippocrates, himself : ‘To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always’, these timeless words echo deeply the realm of palliative care, reminding us that the heart of healthcare lies not only in curing disease but in easing suffering and preserving dignity. The World Hospice & Palliative Care Day 2025 theme “Achieving the Promise: Universal Access to Palliative Care” calls to action for communities, healthcare systems and policy makers to ensure that palliative care is not a privilege but a universal right – accessible to every person, everywhere. ... In an era marked by medical advancement and increased life expectancy, the demand for holistic, compassionate care at the end of life has never been greater. Yet, despite its proven benefits, access to palliative care remains limited worldwide. The need for palliative care is urgent and growing, especially as populations age and chronic diseases become more prevalent. 

Beyond bars: Evaluating end-of-life care and surrogate decision-making for hospitalized incarcerated personsJournal of Palliative Medicine; by Zack Watson, Julie Brown, Abhinav Vyas, Stacey Tillman, Sumi Misra, Rajiv Agarwal, Cheryl Gatto, Allison McCarthy, Mohana Karlekar; 9/25Incarcerated persons (IPs) retain the constitutional right to health care, yet they face unique challenges in accessing palliative care (PC) and designating surrogates, especially when incapacitated. We present two cases of hospitalized IPs with life-limiting illnesses who experienced significant barriers in identifying and engaging surrogates. Both cases underscore the effect of delays in communication with surrogates and restricted end-of-life (EOL) visitation due to correctional policies. These delays limited the delivery of optimal interdisciplinary PC and bereavement support. Despite clear legal guidance under the Tennessee Health Care Decisions Act, misinformation and procedural ambiguity among medical and correctional staff impeded timely and appropriate 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.

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. 

The expanding role of family medicine in Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias Patient Care; by Grace Halsey; 10/7/25 [From the 2025 Family Medicine Experience conference] Family medicine's unique position in dementia management spans initial diagnosis through end-of-life care. ... Dementia Staging: Clinical Assessment and Hospice EligibilityFor practical bedside assessment and hospice determination, the Functional Assessment Staging Tool (FAST) proves particularly valuable.1 The FAST scale includes 7 main stages, progressing from no impairment (stage 1) through severe dementia requiring total care (stage 7). Stage 7 breaks down further into substages (7a-7f) that capture specific functional losses including ambulation, independent sitting, smiling, and head control. Eligibility for hospice care generally requires FAST stage 7c or beyond, indicating ... [continue reading this important criteria] Editor's Note: Leaders must understand hospice eligibility criteria when setting census goals, guiding teams, and communicating with families. Getting it wrong risks fraudulent billing, angry caregivers when live discharges occur, or too little care that comes too late. Getting it right ensures dignity, humanity, and meaningful final moments amid dementia's long goodbyes—true measures of compassionate hospice dementia care.

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. 

Living with injustice: Gary Tyler had his life taken away, yet managed to claw it back. The Progressive Magazine; by Bill Lueders; 10/6/25 Just as I sat down to write this review of former death row inmate Gary Tyler’s memoir, I noticed that its publication date is the fifty-first anniversary of the day that upended his life: October 7, 1974. This undoubtedly deliberate timing, like the book itself, serves to help close the circle around Tyler’s remarkable—at times, almost unbelievable—life journey. That was the day Tyler, then a sixteen-year-old Black youth, was arrested for the shooting death of a thirteen-year-old white boy at their high school in Destrehan, Louisiana, about twenty-five miles from New Orleans. He was taken into custody and beaten so severely that he was left with permanent physical scars, as well as psychological ones. Police and prosecutors ignored and withheld evidence of his innocence, and suborned perjury by threatening witnesses. One witness, Natalie Blanks, was told she would be charged as an accessory to murder and miss out on her baby’s life if she didn’t falsely testify that she saw Tyler fire a gun from inside a bus. Stitching Freedom: A True Story of Injustice, Defiance, and Hope in Angola Prison is, for much of its first half especially, an intensely bleak book.Editor's Note: See previous significant posts in our newsletter about Gary Tyler and this transformative hospice program at Angola Prison.

Milton Village Open House builds community to support caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's, dementia, or other cognitive conditions GreatNews.Life; by Lauren Grasham; 10/6/25 To help healthcare providers better understand the numerous resources available, Milton Village hosted an open house on Tuesday, September 30. Milton Village is a collaborative effort between Milton Adult Day Services (a program of the Center for Hospice Care) and Alzheimer’s & Dementia Services of Northern Indiana (a REAL Services program) to provide comprehensive care and support to individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other cognitive conditions and their caregivers. “Inviting healthcare providers to see our facility and learn more about our programs is a great way to help them understand our unique model,” said Sarah Youngs, director of Milton Adult Day Services. “As providers tour the facility and hear how our guests engage in the programming, it’s so satisfying to see them recognize what this can mean for their patients and the patients’ caregivers.”