Literature Review

Over a quarter of adolescents, young adults with cancer who want to die at home do not Healio; by Jennifer Byrne; 2/20/25 More than one-fourth of adolescents and young adults with cancer who wished to die at home did not attain this goal, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study that included adolescents and young adults (AYA; age range, 12 to 19 years) with cancer who died between 2003 and 2019. The cohort included patients treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Kaiser Permanente Northern California or Kaiser Permanente Southern California. ... Healio spoke with Odejide about the rationale for the study, the importance of the findings, and strategies oncologists can employ to ensure more goal-concordant end-of-life care for AYA patients with advanced cancers. [Click here for Helio's discussion with the lead researcher, Oreofe O. Odejide, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.]  Editor's note: Examine this JAMA article, which we posted in our Saturday Research issue, 1/18/25: "Preferred and actual location of death in adolescents and young adults with cancer."

How music is rewriting end-of-life care The Daily Iowan; by Madison Schuler; 2/18/25 The form of therapy relieves not only patients but also family members. Over the years, music has been used to express emotions for some while creating connections and memories for others. Listening to a certain song can take people back to a specific moment. Whether it elicits joy, pain, anger, or sadness, music has a different effect on each individual. Music stays with people throughout their lives, always bringing forth those emotions or memories. For those in end-of-life care, music can do the same. ... Today, hospitals and hospice centers are seeing an increase in the use of music therapy, specifically in end-of-life care. [Click on the title's link to learn more.] Editor's note: Click here for the national directory of CBMT board certified music therapists. Click here for my 2005 book in Routledge's Series in Death, Dying and Bereavement, Music of the Soul - Composing Life Out of Loss.

Influenza vaccination cuts deaths by up to four times Medscape Medical News; by Olga Fernandez Castro; 2/17/25 Influenza vaccination significantly reduces flu-related morbidity and mortality across all age groups, according to a large-scale Spanish study analyzing data from more than 38 countries and 6.5 million patients. ... The analysis confirms that vaccination against the influenza A (H1N1) virus and the influenza B virus (IBV) effectively reduces infection rates and flu-related complications in children aged under 5 years, individuals aged 5-65 years, and older adults aged over 65 years. However, protection against influenza A (H3N2) virus appears lower in older adults, despite being effective in younger children. Editor's note: Click here for the Centers for Disease & Prevention Control (CDC) "Weekly Influenza Surveillance Preport," with a map for flu activity levels for each state and drilled down to counties. Click on the "CBSA" button to change from the state view to the counties' view and downloadable data. 

Cancer, aging, and meaning: Navigating psychosocial challenges The ASCO Post (Association for Clinical Oncology); by Ramy Sedhom, MD; 2/18/25 I’ve learned a lot about medicine over the years, but one thing I wasn’t taught was how to guide someone through the existential weight of dying. My education centered on diagnosing, curing, or at least managing disease—not on the delicate art of helping people and their loved ones cope with what cannot be cured. Now, several years into my career as an oncologist, primarily caring for older adults, I recognize that providing cancer care for the whole patient requires deep attention to their psychosocial health needs. ...

Witnessing a living funeral Parkview Health; by Tim O'Sullivan, MA, Spiritual and Social Services Supervisor, Parkview Hospice; 2/16/25 ... Rather than planning services after they pass and miss out on a gathering of the people who are most precious to them, some are choosing to schedule a "funeral" while they are still living so they can be a part of the ceremony. These events are known as Living Funerals. As a hospice caregiver, I have seen a rise in the number of these pre-death celebrations of life. While this may not be for everyone, it can be a meaningful experience for those who have chosen to remember a life in this way. I was invited to one of these events and witnessed firsthand the power of acknowledging death while fully living in the moment. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Center for Hospice Care's BreatheEazy Program supports patients with respiratory issues LaporteCounty.Life; by Garrett Spoor; 2/13/25 One of the toughest health challenges a person can face is the trouble of breathing. Center for Hospice Care comes across a lot of patients who experience this issue and encourages many of them to become a part of their BreatheEazy program. Dr. Karissa Misner, medical director at Center for Hospice Care, considers the BreatheEazy program to be a monumental boost for patients who might have respiratory issues. “This is a specialized pulmonary program for our patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” Misner said. “It can also be used for many other terminal diagnoses that affect the lungs. Whenever there is any type of illness that causes difficulty in breathing, we can utilize this program.”

The number of family caregivers helping older US adults increased from 18 million to 24 million, 2011–22 Health Affairs; by Jennifer L. Wolff, Jennifer C. Cornman, and Vick A. Freedman; 2/25 The evolving composition and experiences of the family caregiver workforce have profound ramifications for public policy but are not well understood. Drawing on the linked National Health and Aging Trends Study and National Study of Caregiving, we found that the numbers of family caregivers providing help to older adults increased by nearly six million between 2011 and 2022, rising from 18.2 million to 24.1 million. ... For family caregivers as a whole, challenges persist, and for those assisting people with dementia, tailored surveillance and effective support programs are needed.

Death Matters: The gift of presence: Tips for visiting someone who is dying Squim Gazette, Squim, WA; by Jeanette Stehr-Green, Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County; 2/12/25 We sometimes avoid visiting friends or family members who are terminally ill. We make lots of excuses. We don’t know what to say. We don’t know how to act. We don’t want to be a bother. The hard truth is that dying, the final stage of life, can be a lonely experience without the presence of family and friends. A visit during this time can bring comfort to the dying person and their family. It can also provide an opportunity to share feelings, reminisce, and say goodbye. Visiting a dying person seems difficult because most of us lack experience. It only takes a little courage and a few ideas to create a meaningful moment. ... Editor's note: These excellent guidelines empower hospice patients' families and friends--and protect patients' vulnerable energies and emotions--in multiple settings across the trajectory of dying. How might you adapt these for your own patient/caregiver support and community outreach?

Rebuilding trust in medical science: How doctors and scientists can bridge the misinformation divide Association of American Medical Colleges  (AAMC); by Patrick Boyle; 2/11/25 Medical science has not fully recovered from the distrust that erupted among some segments of the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Skepticism and misinformation about vaccines and other health matters are spreading. Can anyone help doctors and scientists build faith in medical expertise? Reed Tuckson, MD, is trying. Tuckson is cofounder and chair of the Coalition for Trust in Health & Science, a nonprofit that focuses on “ensuring that everyone is empowered to make informed and personally appropriate health decisions … based on accurate, understandable, and evidence-based information.” ...Tuckson recently spoke with AAMCNews about applying what has been learned over the past several years to responding to misinformation and distrust in medical science. ...

Bringing children home: Kentucky Children’s Hospital’s approach to pediatric end-of-life care American Hospital Association; 2/8/25 When parents have a child with a serious illness, all they want is for their child to get well. If that no longer becomes a possibility, often all they want is to bring their child home. Most — around 70% — of pediatric deaths related to illness occur in the hospital, but the Kentucky Children’s Health Pediatric Advanced Care Team offers some families the chance to transport their child home using life-sustaining technology. That’s not an easy feat; these patients are medically fragile, and the outcome can be unpredictable. A team made up of hospital administrators, hospice providers, coroner and the transportation team comes up with a plan. The child’s parents complete an informed consent procedure, recognizing that their child may not survive the journey home. The transportation team tries to ensure that the journey is as comfortable as possible, as well as planning what to do if the child’s condition deteriorates on the journey. If that happens, he or she will be supported as they pass without resuscitation efforts.

What we talk about, or not, when talking about death Enumclaw Courier-Herald; by Wire Service; 2/9/25 Death is a guarantee for everyone, so why do people shy away from talking about it and using words like death and dying? ... As a death doula and grief coach, Kathleen Putnam hopes that providing care to those who are grieving can help change the language surrounding death. ... Putnam explains that in present society, people want to avoid grief and pain. With medical advancements and industries and marketing systems focusing on keeping people alive, the rhetoric surrounding dying has become negative. Putnam also pointed out that instead of using phrases like “they died” or “they’re dying,” other phrases like “pass away” and “they went to sleep” have become popular when talking about a loss.

Volunteer and her 3 dogs provide joy through Hospice of the Valley's pet therapy program AZCentral; by Lin Sue Flood, Hospice of the Valley; 2/7/25 Marian Wallace loves dogs and loves volunteering, so she put the two together to provide joy to others. [Her] three adorable Labradors — Mattie, Harper and Richey — are the newest members of Hospice of the Valley’s pet therapy program. They visit youngsters at Ryan House, which provides respite support to families with medically fragile children. ... Marian joined Hospice of the Valley’s pet therapy program was about 10 years ago. A friend who had a therapy pet inspired her to rescue and train dogs. She began visiting hospice patients with her first two labs, Shiloh and Amy. ... “It’s that child-animal interaction that I find so incredible,” she said. ... One of the most endearing qualities she sees in all of her Labs is how intuitive they are, tapping into the moods and emotions of children to comfort them. ... Editor's note: Ensuring pet therapy training and certification is crucial, for both the pet and the owner. Click here for an extensive national list of Pet Therapy Organizations. If you have--or plan to provide--a pet therapy program, be sure that insurance is provided (by the pet therapy organization and/or by you) in case an incident occurs.