Literature Review

Death Matters: The bedside vigil (Part 2) — after death arrivesSequim Gazette, Sequim, WA; by Jeanette Stehr-Green and Astrid Raffinpeyloz; 9/16/26The bedside vigil is the act of sitting by a dying person during their final hours or days, holding space for them with a loving presence, and tending to their needs. The vigil can provide comfort and companionship to the dying person. It can offer meaning and peace to all involved. The undertaking, however, does not end with the loved one’s last breath. Immediately following the death, the vigil enters a new stage, one that allows time to honor the moment but also attend to the practical steps that must follow. ...

The critical competencies hospice leaders must build for value-based care cuccess | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Jessica Hubbs; 9/16/26 Value-based care isn’t just changing how hospice gets paid—it’s redefining what hospice leaders must be capable of delivering. In Part One of The Critical Competencies Hospice Leaders Must Build for Value-Based Care Success, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Jessica Hubbs, Chief Clinical Officer at Advanced Care Innovations, to explore the accelerating shift from fee-for-service healthcare toward models built around outcomes, total cost of care, and coordinated care delivery.  Dr. Hubbs explains why emerging models such as LEAD (Long-term Enhanced ACO Design) matter to hospice and palliative care leaders—and why the movement upstream into serious illness and home-based care could represent both a competitive headwind and an extraordinary opportunity.

Perceived importance of good death components among patients with advanced cancer and family caregivers JAMA Network; by Hammoda Abu-Odah, PhD, Gulbeyaz Can, PhD, Sotirios Plakas, PhD, Juanjuan Zhao, PhD, Xixi Wang, MSN, Alexandros Stergiou, MSc(c), Ourania Govina, PhD, Kimya Kilicaslan, PhD, Bahar Ozdemir, MD, Matthew J. Allsop, PhD, Mitsunori Miyashita, PhD, Alex Molassiotis, PhD, Janelle Yorke, PhD, and Frances Kam Yuet Wong, PhD; 9/14/26Importance: Although the concept of a good death is central to palliative care policy and practice, empirical evidence is largely derived from high-income Western or single-country contexts, limiting cross-setting relevance.Objective: To determine the importance of good death components, compare priorities across settings, and examine patient–caregiver differences and setting-by-role interactions. ... Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study, patients with advanced cancer and family caregivers across 5 settings shared a broad aspiration for a good death, but priorities varied across settings. Emotional peace, dignity, and family connection were consistently highly valued. These findings suggest that culturally sensitive palliative care models should recognize both shared end-of-life priorities and setting-specific meanings of a good death.

Enhancing quality of life for terminally ill veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond Medscape | Federal Practitioner; by Denise Kresevic, PhD, RN, APN-BC, Marilyn Swanson, DNP, RN, FNP-C, Muralidhar Pallaki, MD, Bridgette Wasil, MSN, RN CHPN, Rosalie Diaz, PsyD, and Christopher J. Burant, PhD; 9/14/26 Background: Honoring individualized preferences for end-of-life interventions for veterans is a priority for families and caregivers. Medications used to treat symptoms such as pain, anxiety, and delirium may also result in sedation, making it difficult to balance comfort while minimizing sedation. ... Conclusions: The See Me, Hear Me, Comfort Me model may help hospice teams better align end-of-life care with individual preferences. ...

[Hospice bereavement director] A non-anxious presence: Red Cross volunteer supports Flight 93 families and responders American Red Cross; video interview with Patti Anewalt, PhD; 9/1/26 [Dr. Patti Anewalt is the retired director of Hospice and Community Care's Pathways Center for Grief and Loss, Mount Joy / Lancaster, Pensylvania. Of note, her hospice organization supported her volunteer time in this crucial Red Cross disaster mental health role.] When Patti Anewalt first learned about the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, she immediately sensed her phone might ring. At the time, Patti was an American Red Cross volunteer in Central Pennsylvania and an experienced grief counselor [whose PhD was in trauma]. As coworkers gathered around televisions to watch events unfold, she told her boss she thought she would be called to respond. She was right. The next day, Patti was deployed to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where United Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville ... For two weeks, she worked alongside fellow Red Cross volunteers, supporting victims' families, disaster workers and responders as they navigated one of the most tragic moments in American history. ... As family members arrived in Pennsylvania, many visited the crash site for the first time. Some were unsure whether they even wanted to go. ... "Whenever we're teaching in hospice, we say we're a non-anxious presence at a very difficult time in people's lives," she said. "The role I had there was no different than my day role at hospice because it's just being a non-anxious presence to people who are in the worst time in their lives and being present for them." ...Editor's Note: Many readers know Patti--both as faithful friend and for her prolific leadership teaching about trauma, grief, and hospice organization's appropriate (and not appropriate) responses to community tragedies, especially in the years following 9/11. Patti led NHPCO's professional Bereavement Group to be the most active, growing group during her 6-year volunteer tenure. Patti was a regular reader of our newsletter until her well-deserved, recent retirement.

Time is of the essence: evaluating short-term prognosis tools in cancer and non-cancer patients Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Kayla Sheehan, Navasuja Kumar, Julia Pudar, Susan Duong, Megan Bricely, Mohamman Alhameed, Mohammed Kabeto, Donglin Zeng, Adam Marks; 8/27/26 Accurate end-of-life prognostication supports patient, family, clinician, and health system decision-making. The Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI), Palliative Performance Scale (PPS), and Short-Term Prognosis Signs (SPS) have been used in palliative care populations, particularly advanced cancer (1-3), but their utility for short-term prognostication in non-cancer patients is less established.

When lung cancer spreads to the liver: what to expect Everyday Health; by Ashley Welch, medically reviewed by Tingting Tan, MD, PhD; 9/8/26 Liver metastasis from lung cancer occurs when cancer cells from the tumor in the lung travel to the liver. Also known as stage 4, it’s the most advanced stage of lung cancer. ...

Central Illinois nursing home fined $25K by state after resident's death Pekin Daily Times, Perioa, IL; by Zach Roth; 9/6/26 A Canton nursing home was fined $25,000 after a resident died last year after being taken off medication that was prescribed to prevent blood clots. ... On March 31, 2025, a verbal order was given to stop providing Xarelto because the woman began hospice care one month prior. ... The care plan noted that she had a history of strokes and that medication needed to be provided as ordered by her doctor. ... The hospice's owner said that the power of attorney had contacted them after the woman had died asking about the medication situation, noting that they hadn't seen anything to show that her Xarelto had been discontinued. The hospice owner also said that they hadn't received an order from a hospice physician or nurse to discontinue it. Editor's Note: Details are more complex than space allows in the short summary above. A verbal order to stop a medication, without a documented physician directive or clear communications with the family, is a quiet risk hiding in plain sight at hospice transitions — one that can hasten death rather than ease it. Deprescribing has its place in end-of-life care, but only through structured, physician-ordered, shared decision-making. Does your hospice's process protect against this, or could it happen to one of your patients tomorrow? 

National Alliance VP: palliative care should occur throughout continuum Hospice News; podcast hosted by Jim Parker with Katie Wehri; 9/3/26 Palliative care should be offered via home health, but not only through home health. This is according to Katie Wehri, vice president for regulatory affairs, quality and compliance at the National Alliance for Care at Home. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently clarified in a proposed rule that palliative care is available via the home health benefit. Hospice News recently sat down with Wehri on the Elevate podcast to discuss the implications of this clarification for providers, as well as other avenues CMS could consider to expand palliative care.

Hospice Savannah launches Georgia Care Innovators to unite growing family of services WJCL-22 ABC, Savannah, GA; by Emma Hamilton; 9/3/26 After more than 45 years of providing end-of-life care, Hospice Savannah has launched Georgia Care Innovators, a new organizational identity to reflect its expanding range of healthcare and community services. Hospice Savannah will continue operating under its established name as a central part of the organization. ... “Our story has never been defined by a single service,” said Kathleen Benton, president and CEO of Georgia Care Innovators. “It’s been defined by listening to our community, recognizing unmet needs and asking how we can help.” ... The Georgia Care Innovators family includes:

Beloved celebrities who opened up about their battles with dementia MSN; by Travis Reeed; 8/31/26 Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease have affected people from many walks of life, including some of the most recognizable figures in entertainment, politics, and culture. Their experiences helped bring greater attention to memory loss, cognitive decline, and the challenges faced by families and caregivers. From Hollywood legends to celebrated musicians and political leaders, these individuals continued to leave lasting legacies despite their health struggles. Their stories also helped encourage public conversations about conditions that were once poorly understood or rarely discussed openly. [Click on the slides to see personalized stories of Tony Bennett, Sally Kirkland, Ronald Reagan, Sean Connery, Margaret Thatcher, Rita Hayworth, and Jimmy Stewart.] 

The death I feared, and the peace I found Gillette News Record; by Michelle Mathal; 8/29/26 ... From the dreaded day my brother was diagnosed, to two years later when my parents tragically died in a car accident and I surfaced from the glacial water knowing I had to live to be his caregiver, to grieve alone. ... We enrolled in hospice earlier than most because Tomas was falling and losing movement in his left hand. ... No one told me that caring for a dying person would be so intimate. When I dressed him in the morning, I realized we had the same hands and feet, big enough that we should’ve been a foot taller. No one told me about the deep trust between caregiver and patient. It is a sacred pact not bound by blood, but an understanding that we would be seen at our most vulnerable and sensitive times, but not judge each other for these moments, but respect one another despite them.