Literature Review

My wife of 52 years just died. My grief is so overwhelming, I can barely cope. HuffPost; by Ronald Paxton; 8/11/25 ... March 1, 2022, was the day our lives changed forever. ...  My spouse, my wife of 52 years, my high school sweetheart was going to die, and there was nothing I or anyone else could do about it. ... The house is quiet now. I’m trying to move forward, but it’s hard. I thought we would grow old together. We did, but not nearly old enough. Diane’s death has taught me that no matter how much we love someone, we all have our own lives to live. The best way for me to honor the life Diane and I had together is to live the rest of my life the best way I know how. It’s late. I should try to sleep, but I think I’ll turn on the television. I need something to cover the sound of crying.

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.

Field notes from the end of life: My thoughts on living while dying Texarkana Gazette, Texarkana, TX; 7/26/25 As friends are quick to tell me, we are all living with dying. True enough. Especially because I'm 76, or, as my late husband, Alec, would say, "too old to die young." But it's still disturbing to get official notice of your imminent demise. ... In a series of stories, I'll be sharing my field notes as I make my way from here to there, in the hope that others might find it useful. ... When I start feeling grim about my situation, I'm finding it useful to take a "Would it help?" moment to consider whether my response can improve the situation or help me cope. 

Sovereign Hospice highlights nutrition's role in hospice home care services News Channel Nebraska (NCN), reprinted from Aubrey, TX; Press Release; 8/8/25 Eating becomes more than a necessity during serious illness—it becomes a part of daily care that supports comfort, strength, and emotional connection. At Sovereign Hospice in Aubrey, Texas, nutrition is integrated into the services hospice offers, especially for patients receiving hospice at home services. The goal is to use food as a gentle tool to improve quality of life. Serious illnesses can change how patients eat. Appetite loss, difficulty swallowing, and taste changes are common, but they can be managed through small adjustments. 

How one man’s dying wish was denied by the health care system Synopsi, from MedPage Today; by Caitlin E. Morh, MD; 8/5/25 “This is Dr. Mohr.” I answered a number I didn’t recognize. “It’s Irving,” said the frantic voice. “He collapsed. The paramedics are working on him now.” “They’re doing compressions? Stop! Put the paramedic on the phone!” My father-in-law, Irving, the stoic Danish-American Navy veteran, had been on hospice for 3 months. His POST (physician order for life sustaining treatment) form was on file with the hospice agency and his custodial care facility: DNR/DNI, comfort measures only. ... “I’m Irv’s daughter-in-law. I’m a physician. He’s a DNR, he’s on hospice. Stop doing compressions.” 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ... I listened to the ACLS algorithm unfold in the background. ...

After losing his wife, 92-year-old man turns grief into comfort for other Spectrum News 1 - Greece, NY; by Seth Voorhees; 8/4/25 The loss of a spouse can be devastating. A Rochester area man is turning his personal grief into comfort for others. The gesture has special meaning for families of people in hospice care. Howard Jones has always dabbled in art. At 92, the Kodak retiree has made painting his full-time job. ... [His wife through 68 years,] Estella spent her final weeks at Hildebrandt Hospice Care Center, where staff noticed Howard Jones would pass the time by painting rocks. Someone told him the story of the cardinal, and how some believe their appearance is a sign that a departed loved one is near.  ... [Now, he paints] “every day, eight hours a day,” said Jones. ... “It’s all a matter of getting the bird to look right,” he said. ... “My hope is always that when someone takes one of the stones out of the basket, they can feel the emotion that went into painting it,” said Jones. Since he began keeping track in February, Howard Jones says he’s painted over 500 cardinals. “And that's kept me going,” he said.Editor's Note: This demonstrates beautifully the "instrumental style of grieving" (identified by Ken Doka and Terry Martin in Grieving Beyond Gender) where men (and women) tend to grieve through actively doing something, in contrast to verbal and emotional expression. We described this more in our post, To Be or To Do? Women and Men's different styles of grieving.

Grief and the road to resilience Jewish Journal; by Chaim Steinmetz; 8/2/25 Mourning is unfashionable. A popular platitude is that funerals are meant to be a “celebration of life.” This seemingly innocuous phrase is actually a subtle form of peer pressure, demanding the heartbroken mourners remain upbeat so they don’t drag the mood down for the rest. The bereaved are counseled to look for “closure” and find a way to continue with their lives. ... This is a picture of mourning done wrong, an unwillingness to encumber one’s heart with the ugly and unruly emotions of loss and bereavement. Judaism emphasizes the importance of mourning; it affirms an ethics of memory, which obligates us to continue to honor our deceased family and friends. It is unthinkable for someone to pass away and for everyone else to just “move on” afterwards. Love demands that we mourn. Beyond the moral imperative, Judaism recognizes that mourning is transformative. Grieving is the first step towards resilience.

Study reveals how medication side effects can lead to dangerous medication cycles in adults 65+ McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 7/31/25 When doctors treat drug side effects as new illnesses, older adults may be prescribed even more medications — a cycle known as a “prescribing cascade.” A new study says this prescribing cycle can increase the risk of harm. A prescribing cascade example cited in the research involves older patients taking calcium channel blockers for blood pressure control, which can cause ankle swelling side effects. Instead of first adjusting the blood pressure drug, some doctors immediately prescribe a diuretic to reduce the swelling — which for some, can create an unnecessary drug pair.

The ‘accidental’ hospice chaplain The Dallas Weekly (DW), Dallas, TX; by Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware; 7/30/25 “I’m an accidental chaplain,” says Rev. Dr. Missiouri McPhee, an ordained African Methodist Episcopal minister who works with Orlando Health, a nonprofit healthcare company based in Florida. A Florida A&M University graduate, McPhee was working on her theology doctorate in Atlanta when a classmate, a chaplain at a hospital in Orlando, ... [kept saying to me,] "Missiouri, you need to come interview with my hospital." ... Fast forward a few years, and McPhee found herself taking on work as a hospice chaplain, arguably the most challenging and rewarding specialty in ministry. She currently works in the Central Florida area for VITAS Healthcare, a major provider of hospice and palliative care. ...

Doctors’ own end-of-life choices defy common medical practice Medscape; by Cristina Ferrario; 7/29/25 A new survey revealed that most doctors would decline aggressive treatments, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), ventilation, or tube feeding for themselves if faced with advanced cancer or Alzheimer’s disease, choosing instead symptom relief and, in many cases, assisted dying. ... The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1157 physicians, including general practitioners, palliative care specialists, and other clinicians from Belgium, Italy, Canada, the US, and Australia. ... Over 90% preferred symptom-relief medication, and more than 95% declined CPR, mechanical ventilation, or tube feeding. Only 0.5% would choose CPR for cancer and 0.2% for Alzheimer’s disease. Around 50%-54% supported euthanasia in both cases.

Hearing loss, loneliness may contribute to cognitive decline in older adults McKnights Senior Living; by John Roszkowski; 7/28/25 Hearing loss and loneliness can contribute to dementia in older adults, and simple interventions to address hearing loss, such as hearing aids, may reduce cognitive decline in some cases, new research finds. ... Results of the study showed that higher levels and worsening self-reported hearing impairment were associated with steeper decline in episodic memory issues and executive functioning (verbal fluency). Further, the researchers found that individuals who were not socially isolated but still felt lonely saw their cognitive decline accelerate if they were deaf.

Nidal Rahal, MD: A quiet force in geriatric and hospice care CEOWorld Magazine; by Anna Papdopoulos; 7/27/25 In a time when healthcare is growing more complex, Dr. Nidal Rahal is staying focused on what matters: his patients. From private hospital rooms to long-term care units, he’s been quietly building a career defined by service, leadership, and long hours. Based in Germantown, Tennessee, Dr. Rahal now runs his own practice—Geriatrics and Palliative Care PLLC ... “I’ve always believed in showing up where I’m most needed,” he says. “For me, that’s meant working with the elderly, with families, and with people facing end-of-life decisions.” ... His practice is now a central hub for hospitalized patient follow-up, inpatient rehab, and palliative consults. He remains active at St. Francis Bartlett, where he’s part of the Medical Executive Committee and serves as an admitting rehab physician. Despite the move, Dr. Rahal still works closely with Hope Hospice and Unity Hospice, continuing a leadership role that spans over a decade.

Prairie Doc Perspective: Navigating spiritual pain and grief Rawlins Times - Prairie Doc Perspective, Rawlins, WY; by Rev. Kari Sansgaard, Avera Hospice; 7/23/25 After nearly 20 years of parish ministry, I entered the world of health care, which, I learned, abounds in acronyms. My first clue was in chaplaincy training, known as CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education), the required education for most hospital and hospice chaplains. CNA, SoB (Shortness of Breath), PRN, HoH (Hard of Hearing), and a myriad of other acronyms are now part of my own vernacular. QoL (Quality of Life) is the big one in hospice, sometimes called “comfort care.” When quantity of life becomes diminished, it’s all about quality. ... In hospice, when death is impending, spiritual pain can lead us to ponder existential questions, such as the following: