Literature Review

A woman in hospice granted a wish of one last swim WEAU-13 News, Bloomer, WI; by Danile Gomez; 7/16/25 Often times the small things are taken for granted. Like a dip in the pool. For Barbara Melby, it was on the final list of things to do as she lives out her time in hospice care. “Barbara has been doing pretty well. She has had some fatigue and some tiredness,” said Leah Grace, the registered nurse with St. Croix Hospice assigned to Melby’s case. ... Grace worked hard to make sure Melby’s last dip in the pool would come to fruition. She cleared it with Melby, her family and the managers at the hospice center. The aquatic center helped in granting the wish too. ... “The way the chair put me in down the water was very nice,” said Melby. Of those in Melby’s family that jumped in the pool with her included Stoll and her kids Colby, Sydney and Brody. “I grew up swimming in my grandmother’s pool. ...” said Stoll. She is happy to be there for her grandmother’s last swim. “Just a pretty special memory we will all hold on to for a pretty long time.” Melby was a swim instructor, ... It was something she always loved and it made her happy to have had her wish granted.

Changing funeral preferences: NFDA’s first-of-its-kind generational report now available National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), Brookfield, WI; Press Release; 4/2/25 The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, has released an unprecedented study examining consumer attitudes toward funeral service across generations. Available to funeral service professionals for download at no charge, Changing Consumer Preferences: A Generational Perspective on Attitudes Toward Funeral Service provides critical insights to help funeral service professionals adapt to evolving expectations and continue delivering meaningful memorial experiences. ... Key findings include:

Most older adults with advanced cancer prioritize quality of life over survivalHealio; by Daniel R. Richardson; 7/14/25Nearly three-quarters of older adults with advanced cancer value quality of life over extending survival, according to study results presented at ASCO Annual Meeting. However, data showed that regardless of patient preference for quality of life or survival, clinical outcomes appeared to be similar.

Family first: Embracing milestone achievements in pediatric care Carolina Caring, Newton, NC; Press Release; 7/15/25 ... Cardinal Kids [recently] became the first hospice organization in North Carolina to receive CHAP’s Pediatric Care at Home Certification. This milestone affirms what our patients and families already know: our program delivers care that is not only clinically focused, but also family-oriented, deeply personal, and rooted in hope. For the Cardinal Kids team, seeking the CHAP Pediatric Care at Home Certification wasn’t about achieving something new—it was about sharing the best practices we deliver to every patient, every day. As Cardinal Kids Director Emily Scholler explained, “The benchmarks CHAP presented were already in place at our program. Why not show CHAP how great this pediatric program is?” As part of the CHAP preparation process, our team assessed, developed, and showcased a model of care that’s always been central to who we are. We presented this model to CHAP surveyors as “A Focus on L.I.F.E.”

Video palliative care improves symptoms but not outcomes in rural hospitals, study reveals McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 7/15/25 Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham recently studied whether video consultations could improve palliative care for patients age 55 and older in small hospitals lacking specialized end-of-life services. Participants had an average age of 73. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that culturally tailored video consultations — designed with community input to reflect patients’ cultural values and communication preferences — led to a clinically meaningful but not statistically significant reduction in symptom distress. ... [The] video consultations had little effect on hospital readmissions or emergency department visits. The research addressed a critical healthcare gap, as the study notes that only 70% of the Deep South has access to palliative care services, compared to 85-94% in other US regions. This disparity particularly affects rural communities where specialized end-of-life care is often unavailable. 

Time and location of specialty palliative care for women dying with metastatic breast cancer Breast Cancer Research and Treatment; by Andrea King, Cynthia Ortiz, Rachna Goswami, Tara L Kaufmann, MinJae Lee, Lynn Ibekwe-Agunanna, Navid Sadeghi, Donghan M Yang, Lindsay G Cowell, Timothy P Hogan, Lauren P Wallner, Megan A Mullins; 7/15/25 online ahead of print Background: Despite guideline recommendations, evidence suggests many women with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) do not receive specialty palliative care services despite high morbidity burden. ... Results: ... Most palliative care encounters were inpatient and occurred within ~ 1 month of death. ...Conclusion: Palliative care for women with mBC is infrequent and often late, with referrals seemingly driven by the imminence of death rather than metastatic diagnosis. Strategies to better identify and triage specialty palliative care needs and make timely referrals are needed.

Hard decisions: Using legal authority over an aging parent Forbes; by Carolyn Rosenblatt; 7/9/25 The phone call came to Dad’s daughter (FD) at 6 AM. Again. This time, it was the night [home] caregiver reporting that her father had fallen while trying to get out of bed. She had jumped up and tried to stop him but she could only get to him in time to break his fall. ... For months, FD had watched her father's condition deteriorate from 300 miles away, visiting as often as she could. Advanced dementia had robbed Dad of his independence, and multiple physical ailments had left him requiring round-the-clock care. He was on hospice care, ... FD [daughter and legal authority] felt compelled to make a decision about moving Dad [from home to a facility]. ...

Grieving the living: How Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley helps caregivers cope North Country Now, St. Lawrence County, NY; by Kate Favaro, Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley; 7/10/25 With caregiving comes grief, there’s no way around it. You will grieve two important things that you’ve lost: who the person you’re caring for used to be, and the things that will never be. Take the time to explore the grief you’re experiencing so you can provide the best care possible. If you’re not taking care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of anyone else. Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley offers the following on the grief of caregiving:

When a fall becomes a death sentence for nursing home residents Justice News Flash; by Harve J.; 7/8/25 For nursing home residents, a trip to the hospital can be far more than a temporary setback it often marks the beginning of the end. According to data reviewed in a national nursing home longevity study by Gruber Law Offices, nearly 30% of older adults die within a month of hospital discharge. These figures suggest that transitions in care, rather than stabilizing vulnerable patients, may be accelerating their decline. ... Each year, nursing homes report between 100 and 200 falls, with the average resident experiencing 2.6 falls. These aren’t isolated accidents they’re indicators of systemic risk. Many residents already face mobility challenges, and understaffing makes close monitoring difficult. The result is a cycle: a fall leads to hospitalization, hospitalization increases frailty, and frailty increases the chance of further injury or death.

How to give physicians autonomy—and protect them from burnout American Medical Association (AMA); by Georgia Garvey; 7/1/25 Almost everyone appreciates having autonomy at work. But when physicians spend more than a decade in high-stakes and grueling medical training, only to enter practice with virtually no control over their work environment, schedule or day, it can lead to the kind of spiraling frustration that often turns into burnout or leaving the profession entirely. “It’s one of those things where the more you try to micromanage a physician’s schedule, the more a feeling of distrust you give to the physicians ...” said Jill Jin, MD, MPH, an internist and senior physician adviser for the AMA, one of the authors of the AMA STEPS Forward® “Value of Feeling Valued Playbook.” ... Though the percentages of those experiencing burnout have declined from the peak during the COVID-19 public health emergency, 43.2% of physicians still say they have at least one symptom of burnout.  ... When physicians feel valued—... as competent professionals who have devoted immense time and energy to becoming experts at their jobs—it is proven to be positively associated with lower levels of burnout.

When less is more: Addressing polypharmacy in high-risk populations Pharmacy Times; by Andrew E. Esch, MD, MBA and Alain Hipensteele; 7/7/25 As digital health tools and artificial intelligence (AI)–powered clinical decision support systems become increasingly embedded in pharmacy workflows, pharmacists are gaining new opportunities to identify and address the risks of polypharmacy—particularly in high-risk populations such as older adults and those receiving palliative care. At the same time, evolving deprescribing guidelines and ongoing drug shortages have underscored the need for coordinated, patient-centered medication management strategies. In this interview with Pharmacy Times®, Andrew E. Esch, MD, MBA, director of the Palliative Care Program Development at the Center to Advance Palliative Care, discusses how pharmacists are using emerging technologies to streamline medication reviews, reduce therapeutic duplication, and engage caregivers in deprescribing conversations. 

Introducing Little Lights Pediatric Hospice Bristol Hospice; Blog; 7/1/25 When a child faces a life-limiting diagnosis, every moment becomes precious—and that’s why Bristol Hospice is shining a new light on pediatric care. On July 1, 2025, we’re proud to launch Little Lights Pediatric Hospice—our first dedicated program designed specifically for young patients and their families, initially available in Hawaii. ... Little Lights Pediatric Hospice is a specialized program under Bristol Hospice dedicated to providing holistic, family-centered care for children with life-limiting conditions. 

Gentiva unveils 3 disease-specific hospice programs Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/3/25 Gentiva has set in motion three new disease-specific hospice programs branded as Cancer Comfort Care, Dementia Comfort Care and Cardiac Comfort Care. The three new suites of services have launched in select markets with plans for national expansion. They are designed to provide tailored services to serve the unique needs of terminally ill patients suffering from cancer, dementia or cardiac conditions, such as heart failure and other diseases. Those three types of diseases are among the most common diagnoses for hospice patients.