Literature Review

Bellingham nonprofit introduces barnyard animal therapy for hospice patients, families The Bellingham Herald, Whatcom County, WA; by Rachel Showalter; 12/25/24 From bunnies and chickens to full-sized horses, a new Whatcom County program is offering mobile farm animal therapy to hospice patients. Bellingham nonprofit Animals as Natural Therapy (ANT) started the Rainbow Bridge program this fall. Volunteers bring barnyard animals to visit seniors in care facilities across Whatcom County in an effort to bring joy and comfort to local hospice patients, bereaved families and hospice staff. It’s the latest program addition for the nonprofit which has offered animal-guided mental and behavioral health programs for youth, veterans, families and seniors since 1999. “ ... Barnyard animals may have a specific effect, according to the nonprofit. “For many people from older generations who grew up with backyard chickens and goats, the animals also bring a warm sense of nostalgia,” the ANT said in the announcement.

Meet the Santas helping Pa. families with sick children weather holidays in hospitals PennLive.com; by Sarah Boden; 12/24/24 Katelyn Pownall wasn’t sure her 3-year-old son would ever meet Santa Claus. Nash was born with Menkes disease, a rare genetic disorder that disrupts the body’s ability to absorb and distribute copper. This causes severe damage to the nervous system, as well as connective tissue abnormalities in the skin, joints, and bones.  Menkes is terminal, and since May, Nash has lived at the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh, Pownall told Spotlight PA. The hospital provides specialized pediatric care to medically fragile children. “We just count our moments, not our days,” Pownall said. Earlier this month, Pownall and Nash relished a magical moment: They met both Santa and Mrs. Claus at the hospital. ...

'The Grief Lady:' NC woman uses mother's funeral flowers to create art, help others heal WRAL TV News, Raleigh, NC; by Heather Leah; 4/18/24 Grief is a journey--and you never know for sure where it'll take you. When Janet Willis' mom passed away from small cell lung cancer in her 70s, Willis said she felt like she lost more than a mother; she lost a piece of herself. The loss launched her on a 100 day journey, creating art with the dried flower petals saved from her mother's funeral and sharing her grief experience with her followers. Each day she created a new piece of art – and each day it's as much a surprise for her as it is for her viewers. 

Navy veteran in hospice care in Stark County made a final birthday wish. It came true. The Repository, Massillon, OH; by Steven M. Grazier; 6/26/24 Robert "Bob" Patterson's final birthday wish came true on Tuesday. He said he wanted it loud, festive and full of life. It appeared to be all that and more. The U.S. Navy veteran has been a Harley-Davidson buff and avid motorcycle rider for 62 years. He's called Rose Lane Nursing & Rehabilitation Center home the past couple of months and is in hospice care. Friday is Patterson's 85th birthday, but his last biker bash was celebrated Tuesday with hundreds of folks, which included family, friends, Rose Lane workers and fellow residents.  He was amped for the festivity. "I'm excited — really pumped up!" Patterson said moments before about 190 motorcycles rolled into Rose Lane.

Corby boy, 10, set for Arctic trek in tribute to fatherBBC News, by Kate Bradbrook & Brian Farmer; 2/2/24A 10-year-old boy once told he might never walk can look forward to days of "wonder" as he prepares to trek in the Arctic in memory of his late father. Caeden, who has cerebral palsy, was born 12 weeks early. But Caeden, of Corby, Northamptonshire, has climbed Ben Nevis and is now set to meet the Arctic challenge. Mountain guide John Cousins said the "biggest danger in such conditions comes from the cold". Caeden is due to travel to Sweden on Monday with mother Lisa, brother Ashton, 12, and sister Khya, 14.

Musician grants dying wish to hospice patient The Platte County Citizen; by Rimsie McConiga; 5/14/24 Jazz musician Stanton Kessler was surprised when he was contacted recently by his friend, a hospice nurse, who reached out to him with an unusual request. A patient at the Kansas City hospice where she works told her his last wish would be to hear his favorite song, ‘Feels So Good’ before he died. During their conversations Kessler’s impression was that this was his friend’s first experience with a request such as this. “There was an element of urgency,” Kessler said. “She said he was near death.” ... An incredibly emotional and rewarding moment followed when Kessler began to play the patient’s beloved song. The man’s eyes remained closed, but his fingers began to move. ...

I asked my dad to write my wedding speech after he was given 6 months to live. I'm holding on to it for my special day. AOL.com - Insider; by Lara Rodwell; 9/29/24 ... I remember the moment my dad told me he had six months to live like it was yesterday. ... "Lar, we need to have a chat," he said, hovering beside the edge of the bed. "I've received some news. It's not good." ... Wrapped in the comforting arms of my dad, I blurted, "Dad, you're not going to walk me down the aisle one day." ... During one sleepless night, it hit me. I wanted to create a keepsake where my dad and I could write letters, share memories and process our feelings, together. I found a tatty old notebook and wrote my first letter to him. ... The very first thing I asked him at the end of the letter, ink smudged with tears, was if he could write his wedding speech for me. ... It was a hot summer's morning, the day my dad died in the care of our local hospice. He'd been there for three weeks — in a lot of pain, stabilized by a lot of morphine — surrounded by his family. .... Later that day, ... amongst pages of financial practicalities and funeral wishes, there was a folder of white envelopes addressed to each of us - his wife and four children. On the front of mine read "Lar...". On the back: "Your wedding speech." To this day, the envelope remains sealed, tucked away at the bottom of my "dad box" — along with the notebook we shared, photo albums of memories, and a collection of swimming medals he wanted me to show his grandkids one day. ...

10 Years of making the world a more livable place for all bereaved people Evermore; by Joyal Mulheron, Executive Director; 12/21/24   Fourteen years ago today, I was sitting on my couch, trying to make sense out of what just happened to our family. Our terminally ill daughter, Eleanora, had died a few weeks prior. While others sang holiday songs and gleefully exchanged gifts, it was a profoundly painful, dark, and isolating time for me. Within a few short years, I quit my career because I saw tragedies saturating our national headlines, leaving a trail of unseen and unsupported bereaved people in their wake, and I believed our nation should prioritize the needs of all bereaved people. ... This is what I set out to change. ... Evermore’s groundbreaking advocacy efforts resulted in our nation’s first Report to Congress, which provided an overview of grief and bereavement services in the United States. Next year, a report analyzing more than 8,000 scientific studies will be published, reviewing the highest quality interventions for bereaved people — which was championed by Evermore and endorsed by Congress. Editor's note: Click on the title's link to continue reading Evermore's trailblazing, state-of-the-art leadership and advocacy with Congress, the government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Newsweek, PBS, Harvard's Public Health magazine, Penn State, the University of California, and more. Click here to join Evermore's mailing list, and to learn from Joyal Mulhuron, Evermore's inspiring, soulful Founder/Executive Director. 

House of Goshen makes history as Chicago’s first black-owned independent inpatient hospice house G20 News Today, Flossmoor, IL; 12/21/24 House of Goshen, a state-of-the-art inpatient hospice facility and the first Black-owned independent hospice center in the Chicago Southland area, is now officially accepting patients. Located at 19810 Governors Highway in Flossmoor, the center represents a pivotal advancement in equitable, compassionate end-of-life care in Chicagoland, the South Suburbs and beyond. The 14,000-square-foot facility offers 14 private suites designed to provide comfort, dignity, and peace for patients and their families. ... “Our goal is to create a sanctuary where every patient and family member feels supported, seen, and cared for,” said Sade Bello, co-founder of House of Goshen. “Being the first Black-owned hospice center in the region comes with immense pride and responsibility. We are committed to setting a standard of care that reflects the diversity and humanity of the communities we serve.”

An innovative take on transforming hospice spaces with Buildner for better well-being Arch Daily; 12/19/24 Buildner has announced the results of its Hospice - Home for the Terminally Ill competition, the third in a series of architectural idea challenges focused on creating compassionate spaces for individuals facing terminal illnesses. This competition encouraged architects to move beyond traditional medical models, designing environments that prioritize comfort, dignity, and community. Participants were tasked with envisioning a facility for up to 15 visitors and five staff members, incorporating essential spaces such as a library-equipped common area, gathering room, chapel, kitchen, dining area, nurse's station, and therapy room for psychological support. Designs were grounded in theoretical sites within participants' home countries, allowing for the integration of local cultural, social, and environmental contexts. The competition highlighted how innovative, thoughtful design can provide solace and strength during life's most difficult moments. ...

Mom, 26, dies days after choosing to enter hospice following 13 years of living with kidney failure (exclusive) People; by Zoey Lyttle; 12/18/24 Though she left behind a 4-year-old daughter, Sara Long told PEOPLE her feelings about death were "more certain" than they'd ever been when she started end-of-life care. “I think a lot of people spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to have a good life. And don't get me wrong, I did that too,” Sara Long, 26, told PEOPLE over the phone just shy of a week before she died at the hospice facility into which she had just recently moved. ... Long said she’s spent “the last two or three years” deliberating about her idea of a “good death.” She decided that it wasn’t just about how she would experience these last expected few weeks of her life in hospice. What Long really wanted was to be surrounded by her most precious loved ones — including her husband Justin, 32, and their 4-year-old daughter Riley Jean — but she didn't want them to watch her die while intubated and attached to hospital equipment as she was half of her life. “I just feel like if I pushed it any harder, then I was going to get to a place where it was going to be outside of my control,” said the mom of one. “I was going to wind up dying in a hospital alone, afraid, full of tubes, scared. My daughter wouldn't be able to be part of the process, and it would just be really lonely, and that's really not the goal.” Detached from the familiar yet foreign medical equipment, Long told PEOPLE she was freed from fear knowing she would only survive another couple of weeks in hospice. (She died with a week less than anticipated.) Editor's note: This another follow-up post to this profound young woman's story that we post on 

December challenge: Gift ideas part two ActiveRain; by Kat Palmiotti; 12/17/24 ... My mother dealt with cancer the last four years of her life with an upbeat attitude, ...  So what did she do with the time she had left? The same as always. It was late November 2011 at this point. So what she decided to do was to make a point of purchasing us all our last Christmas present. ... So for me, she purchased me a coffee cup with a lid which is pictured in the feature photo. ... But my mom didn't stop there. She also wrote each of her family members a handwritten letter. Her letter to me talked about me being her first born, and about what I was like during my childhood, and how she felt about my life as an adult. It was a beautiful letter that makes me smile and cry every time I read it. I treasure it. ... So why am I sharing this? Because when I think back on all the gifts I've ever received, it's not jewelry or clothing or anything else that pops into my mind first. It's a $5 cup and a piece of paper with writing on it. And both of those were my mom giving me love. So, when giving gifts to those you care about, give them love. Perhaps grab a piece of paper and a pen and let them know how much you care about them. Or buy them a small carefully selected item that they might use on a daily basis, smiling because it's from you. Because really, it truly is the thought that counts. Let that thought be love.