Literature Review

Our Hospice Concert raises $71,000 The Republic, Columbus, IN; by Hallie Gallinat; 9/3/25 Organizers say more than 1,200 people attended the 39th annual Our Hospice Summer Concert Saturday at the Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark to listen to the music of Elton John, Billy Joel and The Eagles. This year’s concert raised $71,000 to benefit Our Hospice programs and services. Funds raised from the concert directly support Our Hospice’s mission to provide hospice care, bereavement services and palliative care for patients and families across South Central Indiana.

Christmas for Lorie: Carmel neighborhood lights up August NBC WTHR-13, Carmel, IN; by Scott Swan; 8/21/25 On a warm August night, Christmas lights are twinkling on a street in Carmel. "One of our favorite traditions on Windbush is to decorate every house as much as possible," said neighbor Emily Clem. We may be 125 days away from Christmas, but for the family in this house, the beauty of the holiday needs to happen now. "When I saw the lights go up last Thursday or Friday, my heart sunk because I knew what it was," said Brady Young, who lives nearby. Lorie Graves, a 50-year-old wife and mom, is on home hospice as she battles ovarian cancer. "We did the Christmas decorations in the front yard because we have a very special neighbor right down the road who is battling cancer," said Shane Best. ... And so did the neighbors.

Add your message inside the walls of $3.5M Tri-Cities Hospice remodel Tri-City Herald, Keenwick, WA; by Wendy Culverwell; 8/28/25 Tri-Cities Chaplaincy Hospice House invites supporters to tuck messages inside its walls as it briefly pauses renovation and expansion work this week. The public can visit from 3-5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 29. Hospice House is at 2018 W. Entiat Ave., Kennewick. Laurie Jackson, CEO, traces the idea of leaving messages inside walls before they’re sealed up to the original construction some 30 years ago. ... Jackson said long-time supporters regularly share memories of pounding nails and leaving messages in the unfinished walls nearly 30 years ago. Current leaders decided to recreate the moment when Bouten Construction, the contractor, advised it was almost ready to finish the walls.Editor's Note: This creative, meaningful community engagement can be adapted easily to other hospice construction and renovations. How beautiful, Tri-Cities Chaplaincy Hospice House!

New hospice house playground dedicated to A.B.A.T.E 18 motorcycle group The Hawk Eye - Iowa's Oldest Newspaper; by Tracey Lamm; 8/26/25 ABATE District 18 Motorcycle Club presented checks Friday to the Lee County and Home and Health Hospice House programs. An ongoing relationship between the motorcycle group and the hospice programs has resulted in an honor that will be a permanent part of the Home and Health Hospice House in West Burlington. ... [A] planned playground at the Hospice House will be dedicated to ABATE District 18 motorcycle organization. Jordan Price, Fort Madison, handles public relations for ABATE 18 and he said the motorcycle group has worked with the hospice programs for many years. ... "The proceeds are raised through motorcycle poker runs, donations, and lunches at Heartland Harley Davidson." The two hospice programs each received a check Friday night of $29,250, half for each of the total $58,500 that was raised during the annual Hospice Ride on July 20. Price said the amount far exceeded a goal to raise $40,000.

NorthStar Care Community announces partnership with Beads of Courage Fox 17 - West Michigan;by Nicole Stoner; 8/19/25 Beads Of Courage is an organization that helps pediatric patients document their health journey through beads of different sizes, shapes, and colors. ... NorthStar Care Community, already established for their compassion in pallative and hospice care, has announced a partnership with Beads Of Courage. This time, the partnership honors patients entering hospice care through their own treatment stages, milestones, and moments of courage. ... In addition, the Carry A Bead Initiative invites the public to support these patients on their journey during end-of-life care by carrying a NorthStar Bead with them, then returning it with a message of encouragement. The bead is then gifted to someone in hospice care, ensuring that these patients are not alone in their health journey.

Addressing hospice care Medicare fraud: Awareness and actionInvestors Hangout; by Lucas Young; 8/18/25 The New York StateWide Senior Action Council (StateWide) is an impactful 53-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to assisting approximately 2.5 million senior citizens. Recently, they have spotlighted a concerning trend in their monthly Medicare Fraud identification: Hospice Care Medicare Fraud. This initiative is part of the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), which equips older adults and their caregivers with the knowledge to detect, prevent, and report healthcare fraud, errors, and abuse. StateWide administers this program for New York State, acting as a crucial resource for senior citizens across the region. [This article provides simple, clear facts for the public.]

Healthy Together Cleveland receives foundation grant [from Hospice of Cleveland County] The Home Page for Cleveland County, North Carolina; Press Release; 8/14/25 The Board of Directors for Hospice Cleveland County Foundation recently awarded a $50,000 grant to support the Everyone Eats Emergency Food Fund Drive, spearheaded by Healthy Together Cleveland (HTC) to combat food insecurity in Cleveland County. "As we continue to face unprecedented challenges, community support is vital. Everyone Eats is a testament to what we can achieve when we come together with a shared purpose. We are delighted to provide this grant to launch the campaign and hope it will inspire others to participate," said Katie Borders, President, Hospice Cleveland County Foundation. Last month, HTC announced that 1 in 6 people in the county are experiencing food insecurity. ... The mission of the Foundation is to strive to maintain the success of the hospice tradition in Cleveland County by supporting efforts to help people lead healthy, productive lives and experience peaceful, dignified deaths. We seek to ensure that all people - especially those with the fewest resources - have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and in life.Editor's Note: May we all learn and live from Hospice Cleveland County Foundation's mission and action. Thank you.

Have a question about death? A new project may have answers. The New York Times; by John Otis; 8/5/25 A new Times series examines the topic of death and dying in 2025. Ms. Pisapia, an editor on The Times’s Projects and Initiatives team, pitched a series to her team titled “Death in the Modern Age.” It would focus on end-of-life issues and serve as a resource for readers who might be grappling with their own mortality or coping with the loss of someone close to them. ... The cornerstone of the project is an F.A.Q. titled “Let’s Talk About Death,” compiled from several hundred submissions from Times readers who either asked questions related to death and dying or shared personal experiences.

Benefis’ Life After Support Group helps families heal after traumatic loss Times-Leader, Great Fall, MT; by Joee Taylor; 8/8/25 The grief that follows the sudden, unexpected loss of a loved one is overwhelming and isolating. For those navigating that painful reality, Benefis Peace Hospice of Montana offers a place to turn with the "Life After" support group. "We offer a private, confidential, safe place to gather people who have experienced this particular type of loss because these losses tend to be much more difficult because the losses were sudden and they were unexpected." said Jeanne Dussault, a volunteer who facilitates the group. The Life After Support Group is designed specifically for individuals who have experienced a death by suicide or another traumatic loss.Editor's Note: Bravo to Benefis Peace Hospice for providing this crucial service. Though bereavement support for traumatic, non-hospice deaths had been a standard service for many hospice bereavement services, this has be being cut. For extensive traumatic grief counseling education and resources, go to www.ADEC.org and enter "trauma" in its search engine.

Flight of the Dove celebrates 20 years of riding with purpose Laurens County Buzz, Laurens County, SC; 8/6/25 Not even the rain could dampen the spirit of this year’s Flight of the Dove, as 255 cyclists from South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia took to the roads on Saturday, August 2, raising an impressive $52,415 for VIA Health Partners – Laurens County [South Carolina]. ...  Tom Atwood, Vice President of Philanthropy said, “The cause is worth every mile, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who braved the rain to make the 20th anniversary ride a success.” ... Riders were offered multiple route options—14, 30, 50, and 62 miles—as well as a 50-mile “challenge” course with added elevation. 

Closing the gap: Addressing social determinants of health and racial disparities in hospice care Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); by Alyson Cutshall; 8/4/25... While Americans’ health trajectories are inevitable at the time they become eligible for hospice services, SDOH (Social Determinants of Health) still play a major role for the patients and families our field is privileged to serve. ... [To] fully impact health equity, we must be cognizant of other examples of SDOH, such as racism and implicit bias.  Unfortunately, our collective field has not been as successful in addressing access to hospice care across differing racial and ethnic groups. ... Certainly, there are some pockets of improved access.  One Teleios member organization, Ancora Compassionate Care, recognized the alarming disparities within its community and set about to create change. Ancora leaders recognized that the Black community in their service area typically placed high trust in their religious leaders. To better understand their needs and preferences regarding end-of-life care and services, Ancora embarked on a "listening tour" to gather feedback and insights from these religious leaders. Using the wisdom imparted, Ancora adapted their care delivery to be more inclusive to the Black community.  As such, the organization is making incremental improvements in lessening the racial divide in access to hospice care.

Hospice of Marion County holds monthly Memory Cafes Marion Citizen; by Diane Renyhart; 7/30/25 ...  It is estimated that 15,000 Marion County residents are struggling with some form of dementia. There are over 600 Memory Cafes around the country, and we are fortunate to have one here in Ocala as part of the Dementia Education Program at Hospice of Marion County. The Memory Cafes are held the second Friday of each month at the Empath Health Hospice Elliot Center and feature special themes. The meeting room is decorated and the tables have centerpieces that often include balloons. ... Every meeting features special activities each month. The local Memory Café has partnered with Arts and Health Ocala Metro.

Hospice of Humboldt expands services Redwood News, Eureka, CA; 7/31/25 ... Through a fundraising effort called the Compassionate Growth Campaign, Hospice of Humboldt was able to raise $750,000, enough to recruit another team of caregivers and double the capacity of the hospice house. “It was a heavy lift for our organization. We recruited and trained an additional 19 staff members,” Keating said. Doctor Charles Knoll, the medical director on campus, walks families through the process.