Literature Review

The final year of the late Ben Hurd’s Christmas Tree Farm raised more than $25k for Hospice of Humboldt

Remembering the Holocaust with little-known story about a Jewish refugee and Cicely Saunders: Honoring the International Holocaust Remembrance Day - 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day theme suggestions 2026 World Hospice and Palliative Care Association (WHPCA); 1/26/26 World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) is celebrated and marked each year on the second Saturday of October. [This] year, it will be on 10 October 2026. Each year, the WHPCA team gives a lot of thought to the theme, which is used the world over to advocate for better palliative care services for people living with palliative care needs. The WHPCA invites you to share suggestions for the theme for the coming year, 2026. ... If your suggestion is selected, we can share your name and picture on our digital platforms, giving you a shout-out for your brilliant contribution.

Veterans get free photography session, storytelling opportunities at Carolina Caring event Carolina Caring, Huntersville, NC; by Carolina Caring; 1/21/26 “People can never have too many family photos,” says Aaron Libby, the Charlotte-based photographer known for his stunning portraits captured across four continents and in his studio, Aaron Libby Photography. Libby’s passion for photography and his personal experiences as a U.S. Army veteran led to a recent collaboration with Carolina Caring, the nonprofit serious illness care provider serving 12 counties across Western North Carolina and the Mecklenburg region. ... Last Fall, he was approached by Cindy Stamey, Carolina Caring’s Director of Veteran Relations, who sought to create a meaningful experience—one that provided lasting keepsakes for veterans and their families. They decided to offer a free photography session during the organization’s Veterans Coffee Connection gathering in Huntersville. ... For these photographs, veterans were encouraged to hold an item or wear a badge that carries meaning from their time in service. 

HopeHealth, the 2nd hospice in the nation, celebrates 50th anniversary MassNonprofit News; Press Release; 1/20/26 HopeHealth, an early pioneer in hospice care and a leading nonprofit provider of hospice and palliative care in New England, marks its 50th anniversary this year. Founded in 1976 as Hospice Care of Rhode Island, HopeHealth was created by a group of physicians, chaplains, educators, and community advocates who believed patients and families deserved compassionate, dignified support at the end of life. ... HopeHealth became the second hospice provider in the nation. In the five decades since, HopeHealth has grown from a single community-based program into a regional nonprofit organization serving Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In addition to hospice care, it provides palliative care for patients and families living with serious illness; specialized care for dementia; support and education for family caregivers; and numerous grief support programs.Editor's Note: Congratulations and thank you--Hospice Care of Rhode Island | HopeHealth--for your groundbreaking leadership and ongoing growth in your services throughout the continuum for serious illness, palliative, hospice, and grief care!

Baptist Health and Hosparus Health expand hospice and palliative care partnership to Southern Indiana Hosparus Health, Louisville, KY; Press Release; 1/14/26 Hosparus Health and its palliative care affiliate, Pallitus Health Partners, in collaboration with Baptist Health, announce the expansion of their innovative partnership to Southern Indiana. As of January 2, 2026, Pallitus Health Partners is offering palliative care consultations for patients at Baptist Health Floyd in New Albany. The program focuses on supporting patients and families facing serious illness by providing expert symptom management, helping them plan for the future, and connecting them with broader care options, including hospice when appropriate. 

Hospice patient fulfills final wish of meal with his wife at Hard Rock Casino Fox 23 News, Catoosa, OK; by Paris Rain; 1/8/26 For one hospice patient, a simple trip to the Hard Rock Casino buffet became a final wish and thanks to a dedicated care team and community partners, that wish came true. For months, 84-year-old Tommy Evans talked about wanting to return to the Hard Rock Casino to enjoy the buffet, a place he and his wife once visited regularly. ... Transportation for the couple was donated, and the Hard Rock staff welcomed Evans on Thursday evening. “It’s an honor for me, as a chef, to be able to be a participant in this,” said Alfredo Vargas, executive sous chef at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. “We don’t have requests like this too often, so when this happened, we wanted to embrace it and make sure we did the best we could.” For Regina Marshall, the Compassus volunteer coordinator, the moment reflects the heart of hospice care.

‘A hug from the community’: Pikes Peak Hospice seeks red, white and blue blankets for veteran patients The Colorado Springs Gazette, Colorado Springs, CO; by O'Dell Isaac; 1/7/25 Last year, as part of an ongoing effort to honor local military veterans, Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care performed more than 100 “bedside salutes” and pinning ceremonies for veteran patients. The ceremonies include the gift of a handmade red, white and blue blanket, sewn or crocheted by a volunteer. ... Each year, Pikes Peak Hospice provides care to more than 2,200 patients and their families in the region, nearly 25% of whom are former service members, according to veteran liaison Sonya Bergeron.Editor's Note: This is a beautiful example of community gratitude in action. These handmade red, white, and blue blankets offer comfort, honor service, and often remain with families long after a veteran has died. What percentage of your hospice’s patients are veterans, and how do you honor them?

Sue Ryder urges people to donate unwanted Christmas gifts to support hospice care RDG.Today, United Kingdom; by Staff Writer; 1/5/26 The charity Sue Ryder is encouraging people to donate unwanted Christmas presents to its local shops to help raise funds for palliative care and bereavement support. The national charity, which supports people facing terminal illness and grief, said items such as clothing, unused gadgets and home accessories could be given a second life by being donated rather than left unused at home. ... Sue Ryder has almost 400 shops across the UK, with money raised helping to fund palliative and end-of-life care in hospices and in people’s homes, as well as free bereavement support services. 

Ready or not: Rapp at Home program is changing aging’s last chapter Rappahannock News, Washington, VA; by Daphne Hutchinson; 1/4/26 Huntly resident Gwen Bates is good at getting people together. So when Rapp at Home (RaH), the county’s “senior village,” learned of a new program designed to help older adults navigate and plan for later life, Bates volunteered to organize the multi-faceted effort in Rappahannock.  “She took the ball and ran with it,” RaH president Joyce Wenger says. Called Ready or Not (RON), the program was developed by Queen Anne’s at Home (QAH), a senior village located in Queen Anne’s County, Md. on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

Tiny tree reappears along Lititz Pike to brighten the holiday season Lancaster Online, Lancaster, PA; by Claudia Esbenshade; 12/23/25 ... Anderson, a social Worker with Hospice & Community Care, took the initiative that year to give "Charlie," which is what Anderson called her tree, some love and adorned it with a little blue blanket and one red ornament. She named the tree in honor of the beloved tree from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." ... "Charlie had become more than a weed in a crack. He was a symbol. A pause. A quiet reminder that resilience exists even when conditions are ugly, and hope can show up where you least expect it," she wrote in her post. "My work centers around people who are often really fragile and facing limited life expectancy," Anderson said in an email. "So sometimes the smallest, most overlooked things end up meaning the most, especially to people who are tired, grieving, or just trying to get through the day. That little tree’s resilience has always been really special to me."