Literature Review

[Canada] Palliative Care Coalition of Canada (PCCC) Blueprint for Action 2025-2030 Palliative Care Coalition of Canada (PCCC); 4/24/26 The Palliative Care Coalition of Canada (PCCC) released the Blueprint for Action 2025–2030, a national roadmap that identifies key priorities needed to ensure that more people in Canada have access to high-quality, culturally safer, and affordable palliative care. 

Second-generation antipsychotics for depression in serious illness: A first-line augmentation strategyJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Gregg Robbins-Welty, Mia Pattillo, Danielle Chammas, Karolina Sadowska, Cara L McDermott, Nneka Ufere, Jason A Webb, Daniel Shalev; 3/26Depression in serious illness is common, disabling, and often requires rapid improvement. In the psychiatric literature, SGA [second-generation antipsychotics] augmentation improves response and remission rates ... , with onset of improvement within 1-2 weeks. Monotherapy is less well tolerated and not guideline-recommended. No RCTs have evaluated SGAs specifically for depression in serious illness, but numerous cancer trials support their safety for nausea, appetite, and other symptoms. Despite the absence of serious illness-specific psychiatric trials, SGAs have the strongest evidence base among augmentation options and may offer meaningful benefits when prognosis or symptom severity necessitates rapid improvement. Low-dose augmentation should be considered early, rather than only after multiple failed antidepressants, particularly when SGAs can also target co-occurring physical symptoms relevant to palliative care.

Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures - Annual Report Alzheimer's Association; Press Release; 4/22/26 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures (PDF), an annual report released by the Alzheimer's Association, reveals the burden of Alzheimer's and dementia on individuals, caregivers, government and the nation's health care system. Download the following:

Palliative care for immigrants with cancer in the United States: a roadmap to equitable care Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Jessica Zhuo BAc, Cheryl Tolomeo BAc, Anissa Kurani BA, Meaghan Burke BAc, Stephanie Wang BAc, Alice Feng BAc, Yueao Zhang MDc, Edward Christopher Dee MD, Christopher T. Su MD, MPH; 4/8/26 Across the United States, immigrants with cancer, especially those who are undocumented or from low-income backgrounds, encounter significant barriers to accessing quality palliative care. Despite cancer comprising over one-third of global palliative care needs, immigrant patients are often excluded from essential services due to lack of insurance, immigration status, limited English proficiency, and culturally discordant care models. ... This narrative review identifies both patient level and systemic barriers and offers a four-part roadmap to address them. 

Introducing palliative care: Family caregivers’ knowledge, exposure, and preferred messagingAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Elaine Wittenberg, Joy V. Goldsmith, Sierra Forrest, Hanna G. Lee, Eva YN Yuen; 3/26Most family caregivers have never heard of palliative care, making it challenging for clinicians to introduce the subspecialty. Semi-structured phone interviews with family caregivers of patients eligible to receive palliative care were conducted. Knowledge of palliative care was significantly associated with having heard about and being offered palliative care. Caregiver exposure to palliative care was associated with age and race, with older, White caregivers significantly more likely to have heard about palliative care compared to Hispanic caregivers. Caregivers positively endorsed all message strategies designed for introducing palliative care.

Family perceptions of palliative care consultations for nursing home residents BMC Palliative Care; by Alfred Boakye, John Cagle, Gretchen Tucker, Mary Ersek, Alexander C. Floyd, Hanley Elftmann, Peiyuan Zhang & Kathleen T. Unroe; 4/16/26 Results: ... Four interaction themes emerged regarding palliative care consultations interactions: they (1) promoted physical comfort, (2) supported family members, (3) attended to residents’ social needs, and (4) provided next steps/care planning. Four themes on perceived benefits of consultation visits were identified. Visits (1) improved residents’ quality of life, (2) provided recommendations/referrals, (3) kept family members informed, and (4) supported family members.

[United Kingdom] Marathon run 'a gift', says mum with terminal cancer BBC; by Charlotte Coles and Seb Sargent; 4/12/26 A woman with a rare terminal cancer is set to fulfil a "wild goal" when she runs the London Marathon in aid of a national cancer support charity. Sarah Demirtges, from Adderbury, Oxfordshire, was diagnosed with adrenal cancer in 2020 and is currently undergoing palliative treatment. The 47-year-old said she would be running to prove "to anyone affected by cancer that you can't be held back by things." The mum-of-two has raised more than £15,000 to date for Maggie's, to give "a little something back" to the charity she said has helped her.

“Transitions Supportive Care” program undergoes name change to “Big Bend Palliative Care” Big Bend Hospice; Press Release; 4/13/26 Big Bend Hospice announced today that its Transitions Supportive Care program will be renamed Big Bend Palliative Care, effective June 1, 2026. The name change reflects a strategic effort to align the program more closely with the Big Bend Hospice organization and the broader Big Bend Health system while providing greater clarity about the services offered. While the name is changing, the care remains the same, delivered by the same experienced team with a continued focus on comfort, support and quality of life.

Connecting palliative care and age‑friendly care to support what matters most Institute for Healthcare Improvement; by Marian Grant; 4/8/26 ... The 4Ms Framework of an Age-Friendly Health System identifies the core subjects that should drive the care of older adults. The 4Ms (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility) align with the approach of palliative care teams and are part of their comprehensive assessment. Age-friendly leaders and team members can use the expertise of palliative care colleagues to implement the 4Ms. Editor's Note: Click here for a great graphic of this "4Ms Framework." It states, "For related work, this graphic may be used in its entirety without requesting permission. Graphic files and guidance at www.ihi.org/AgeFriendly.

How a $64 million NIH grant will transform palliative care across lifespan | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Jean Kutner; 4/8/26 In this episode of TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Jean Kutner—one of the nation’s leading voices in Hospice and Palliative Care research—to unpack a historic moment for the field: a $64 million NIH investment designed to transform care for people with serious illness across the lifespan.  More than just a funding milestone, this initiative represents a long-awaited convergence of advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and national prioritization of Palliative Care research.

CMS issues guidance to implement new limits on federal Medicaid and CHIP funding for certain noncitizens CMS Newsroom; Press Release; 4/8/26 CMS is preparing states for an upcoming change that will limit the ability to claim federal matching funds for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for individuals who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals, or who fall into specific noncitizen categories identified in statute. New guidance issued today will ensure states understand their responsibility in implementing this statutory change beginning October 1, 2026. ... To view the State Health Official (SHO) letter, visit: https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/sho26001.pdf.

How a $64 million NIH grant will transform palliative care across lifespan | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Jean Kutner; 4/8/26 In this episode of TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Jean Kutner—one of the nation’s leading voices in Hospice and Palliative Care research—to unpack a historic moment for the field: a $64 million NIH investment designed to transform care for people with serious illness across the lifespan.  More than just a funding milestone, this initiative represents a long-awaited convergence of advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and national prioritization of Palliative Care research.

Quality improvement project: Implementing a mortality screening tool post hospital discharge to guide goals of care conversations and improve hospice admissions Geriatric Nursing; by Chelsea Goston, TeriAnn Benson, Heather Coats; 4/2/26 online ahead of print Problem: Bloom Healthcare has insufficient identification and under use of hospice services for eligible patients with chronic conditions. This gap leads to unnecessary hospitalizations, high costs, and suboptimal end-of-life experiences. ...Conclusions: The prognosis screening tool effectively facilitates timely hospice admissions and goals of care conversations in home-based care settings, enhancing end-of-life care and patient centered outcomes.