Literature Review

Grief literacy’s growing impact on hospice bereavement care models Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/27/25 Evolving trends related to grief literacy have trickled into the innovative bereavement approaches that hospice providers employ amid rising demand for family support. Hospices have fine-tuned how they measure quality and shape services within their bereavement programs as more is learned about the diverse ways people both understand and experience grief. Even the term “grief literacy” has been gaining ground in recent years, according to Sarah Saltee, executive director of Colorado-based 3Hopeful Hearts (3HH). The term generally refers to the ability to understand and recognize that grief experiences span beyond a person’s death and can apply to any significant loss of health, relationships, goals, self-identity or safety, Saltee stated.

How Empath Health integrates end-of-life care into PACEHospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/26/25Under the Programs for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE) model, patients generally do not transition to the Medicare Hospice Benefit as they near death. Consequently, Empath Health has taken pains to ensure quality end-of-life care is integrated into its program. Empath considers these services to be a key component of its “Full Life Care” model, that seeks to longitudinally support patients over the course of their serious or terminal illness, according to Dr. Nick Joseph, senior vice president of Empath’s Complete Care Division. The organization provides end-of-life care in the home, with services that mirror its hospice program.

‘It takes a village’: The need to expand community-based pediatric palliative careHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/25/25Similar to adults, many seriously ill children prefer to die in the home versus in facility-based care settings. But several barriers are preventing greater access to goal-concordant, community-based pediatric palliative care delivery. The challenges in some ways mirror issues among adult populations such as insufficient clinical resources, caregiver burden or lagging family support in the home, as well as financial and logistical constraints. However, in the pediatric space, these obstacles are much more complex and nuanced to navigate, according to Allison Grady, pediatric oncology nurse practitioner and chair of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners’ (NAPNAP) Pediatric Palliative Care Special Interest Group.

Measuring what matters: The untapped power of resident experienceMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Charles de Vilmorin; 6/25/25In today’s senior living and long-term care environment, doing well financially depends on doing good — truly good. Communities that thrive are the ones that deliver on the promise of person-directed living, where residents are not passive care recipients but active participants in a life of dignity, purpose and connection. This isn’t just a moral imperative — it’s a strategic one. The industry has long recognized the importance of resident quality of life, but often fails to define or measure it with the same rigor applied to occupancy or staffing ratios. This is a missed opportunity. Resident experience remains one of the most powerful, untapped levers for operational improvement, competitive differentiation and financial growth. It’s time we treat it like the performance driver it is.Publisher's note: The balance of "mission and money" is equally true in hospice.

SCI Waymart inmates care for fellow inmates who are in hospice[PA] WVIA PBS; by Roger DuPuis, Lydia McFarlane; 6/20/25Today, WVIA News' Roger DuPuis and Lydia McFarlane talk about SCI Waymart's program that trains inmates to care for fellow inmates in hospice care. This is a transcript of their conversation as it aired on WVIA Radio.

Reflections after attending on an oncology hospitalist service for three yearsThe Hospitalist; by Nathaniel Parker; 6/24/25Unlike many inpatient services, the oncology hospitalist role often means managing pivotal moments in a patient’s cancer journey... Whether initiating dexamethasone for cord compression within minutes of arrival, or facilitating timely discharge to inpatient hospice, the immediacy of our role never feels routine. Each encounter reminds me that cancer doesn’t wait—and neither should we... What we’ve observed—both anecdotally and in our published work—is that transitions to inpatient hospice occur more often and earlier for patients on our service... When patients and families choose hospice, it happens in the context of trust, clarity, and alignment. And in a field where “doing more” often means intervention, this is one instance where doing more means connecting better.

Leading PBMs face increasing scrutiny from statesHealthcare Brew; by Nicole Ortiz; 6/18/25Iowa is the latest to impose limits on how PBMs can operate in the state... It all started when Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law on April 16 saying any company that owns a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) would be prohibited from also owning or operating pharmacies in the state. That’s seemingly bad news for the Big 3 PBMs—Cigna Group’s Express Scripts, CVS’s Caremark, and UnitedHealth’s Optum Rx, which collectively control nearly 80% of the market—seeing as they all also operate pharmacy chains. Now the state of Iowa wants to get in on the action, with Governor Kim Reynolds signing a law on June 11 to change how PBMs operate in the state.

How you sit and rise predicts longevityMedscape, by Jake Remaly; 6/18/25You might want to sit down for this — then stand up as smoothly as you can. The ease with which a person can sit on the floor and rise to their feet, using as little support as possible, may help predict how long they will live. Adults who aced the so-called sitting-rising test were far less likely to die of natural or cardiovascular causes over about 12 years of follow-up than those who scored the lowest, according to a study published online on June 18 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

When the caregiver is gone: The hidden crisis in aging servicesMcKnight's Senior Living; by Derek Dunham; 6/23/25Families need to think beyond a single caregiver. A network of support — whether made up of family, friends, professional caregivers or senior living communities — is essential. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Texas governor signs bill to significantly expand state’s medical marijuana programMarijuana Moment; by Kyle Jaeger; 6/21/25The governor of Texas has approved a bill to significantly expand the state’s medical marijuana program... The new law will expand the state’s list of medical cannabis qualifying conditions to include chronic pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases, while also allowing end-of-life patients in palliative or hospice care to use marijuana.

Local hospice volunteer shares story of helping families through grief edglentoday.com, Edwardsville / Glen Carbon, IL; by Sydney Sinks; 6/18/25A local BJC volunteer works with people in hospice care so they have a friend in their final days. Kathy Barrow [describes her time with a hospice patient], “To help someone else, that’s what it’s all about, really.” ... “I try to spend an hour [with the patient]. That’s not much out of a week for someone who’s on their way out of this world.” ... Over the past few months, she has helped him write cards for his family members, read to him, watched TV and played games. Her most recent visit was quieter; he didn’t feel up to talking ... . ... When she isn’t volunteering, Barrow spends a lot of time sewing teddy bears and quilts for grieving families. She will use a loved one’s t-shirt as fabric to create the teddy bears for their families. She shared that her mother always spoke about wanting a hug from a lost loved one, and she thinks about her mom as she creates these bears.

How to prevent delirium by improving sleep for patients with serious illnessCAPC blog; by Jeremy M. Hirst; 6/11/25A palliative care psychiatrist shares eight behavioral interventions to improve sleep—and offers guidance on prescribing pharmacological treatments. Sleep is essential for rest and repair, but for many patients with serious illness, getting quality sleep is a struggle. Poor sleep can compromise functional status and contribute to or exacerbate the risk of delirium—a concern that's both commonly reported by patients and supported by research. As clinicians, we must address sleep to help prevent delirium, as it directly impacts mental clarity, healing, and quality of life. In this blog, I share behavioral interventions I've used to help patients improve sleep and discuss when pharmacological treatments may be appropriate.

A sacred commitment: Eden Memorial Jewish Funeral Home and Chapel in New Jersey upholds Jewish burial traditions The MarCom Journal, Fort Lee, NJ; by Frank Patti; 6/17/25 As contemporary life continues to evolve, Eden Memorial Chapel in Fort Lee remains dedicated to honoring Jewish burial traditions that have guided generations. Located at 327 Main Street, this New Jersey Jewish funeral home and chapel serves communities across New Jersey and New York, including Englewood, Manhattan, Harlem, Yonkers, and Newark, offering a full range of funeral services grounded in halachic practice and compassionate care. The funeral home’s approach reflects a balance between tradition and modern needs. Its services are structured around sacred Jewish customs, including Tahara (ritual purification), Shmira (guarding the deceased), and the use of a traditional Aron (plain wooden casket without metal parts). These practices are carried out in accordance with rabbinical standards and in coordination with Chevra Kadisha organizations, ensuring religious integrity throughout.