Literature Review

[Israel] Hadassah Hospice: bringing meaning it life Hadassay.org | Medicine & Research, Jerusalem, Israel; Press Release; 8/26/26 "Outside, there may be conflicts and wars, but inside these walls is a small microcosm, disconnected from the outer world, that concentrates on humanity." This is how Dr. Daniel Azoulay described the Inna and Jack Kay Hospice at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus. ... This October, the hospice is marking 40 years since its founding by Dr. Reuven Fink and nurse Ruth Shahal-Gassner. In the quiet place Dr. Azoulay describes, the staff provides end-of-life palliative care to some 220 patients every year. "There's a closeness here among Jews and Muslims, religious and secular people. At the end of life, everyone is the same — everybody asks that their suffering be alleviated and battles the same anxieties and fears," said Dr. Azoulay, who is head of palliative service and responsible for the Hospice Department.Editor's Note: May we listen and learn. In the midst of our deluge of political wars each way we turn, may we find ways to "concentrate on humanity." Read again: "There's a closeness here among Jews and Muslims, religious and secular people. At the end of life, everyone is the same — everybody asks that their suffering be alleviated and battles the same anxieties and fears."

American Society of Nephrology (ASN) comments on CY2027 ESRD PPS QIP Requests for Information (RFIs)American Society of Nephrology; official comments letter from ASN to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; 8/24/26RE: CMS-1846 Medicare Program; CY2027 Changes to the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System, Acute Kidney Injury Dialysis (AKI) Payment, and ESRD Quality Incentive Program On behalf of the more than 37,000,000 Americans living with kidney diseases and the 22,000 nephrologists, scientists, and other kidney health care professionals who comprise the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) ... In this letter, ASN provides feedback on the following requests of information (RFIs): ...

Ethics of artificial intelligence prognostication in palliative care: perspectives from a national survey of palliative care physicians BMJ Supportive Palliative Care; by Ahmed Y Alasmar, Lauren Gunn-Sandell, Stacy M Fischer, Regina M Fink, Elizabeth Juarez-Colunga, Eric G Campbell, Matthew DeCamp; 8/2-/26, online ahead of print ... Although global consensus is emerging about the importance of ethical principles for artificial intelligence (AI), such as respecting autonomous choice, promoting patient well-being, reducing bias, trust, and more, little is known about how palliative care physicians perceive these issues. This study aims to improve understanding of palliative care physicians' perspectives about the ethics of AI-based prognostication. Conclusion: Palliative care physicians see the potential of AI-based prognostication to improve palliative care and also express ethical concerns. Implementation of AI requires context-specific ethical guidance responsive to palliative care, where relationships and communication are paramount.

[Israel] Existential suffering at the end of life in long-term care: A critical essay on recognition, dignity, and witnessPalliative Care & Social Practice; by Anat Romem, Rachel Bardach; 7/26Existential suffering is widely acknowledged in palliative care, but it remains inconsistently recognized and unevenly addressed in long-term care. This critical essay argues that the gap is not caused by clinician indifference, but by a persistent mismatch between whole-person ideals and care systems organized around measurable symptoms, risk management, task completion, and professional uncertainty. [This] ... essay identifies three interrelated shortcomings: the reduction of suffering to medically actionable symptoms; the depersonalizing effects of institutional routines on frail older adults; and the absence of shared existential literacy across interdisciplinary teams. The essay also cautions against romanticizing suffering or treating meaning-making as a clinical expectation. It proposes a practical framework of recognition, dignity, and witness: recognizing biography and identity as clinically relevant; protecting dignity in the ordinary details of care; and enacting witness ... Long-term care cannot resolve every existential wound, but it can reduce existential neglect by treating personhood as a core quality indicator of palliative care.

If you lost a spouse/domestic partner in recent weeks read this today AfterTalk; by Larry Lynn; 8/17/26 I remember when I lost my first wife 30+ years ago, and recall how unprepared I was to deal with financial issues in the moment. I made mistakes that cost me later, so let me keep this simple. ... 

45 minutes saved per admission: how one hospice is re-shaping their businessHospice News; by Jack Silverstein; 8/17/26When Dar Miller came to Faith Hospice of Arizona two years ago, the organization’s census was just over 100 and their staff worked overtime to enter patient profiles. Now, their average daily census is 135-140, while their nurses have more time available at the bedside and with families. The change? Faith Hospice’s relationship with their pharmacy partner OnePoint Patient Care, whose combination of collaboration, communication, integrated technology and process ensures that hospices are not only getting the best pharmacy service possible, but that their operation is always evolving with the times.

The art and skill of caring for terminally ill patients in clinical research and beyondClinical Leader; by Kamila Novak; 8/14/26

[Canada] Daughter says elderly father chose MAiD due to 'loss of hope' after not qualifying for hospice LiveAction.org; by Bridge Sielicki; 8/11/26 Colleen De Vos told EWTN News Nightly that her 85-year-old father died in 2023 after being diagnosed with terminal chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Though he had initially agreed to hospice or in-home palliative care, he was denied the care he needed. “He was turned down on two occasions, deeming that his diagnosis wasn't enough to warrant hospice care,” De Vos said. “That was a surprise to us because we could see he was deteriorating very quickly.” Nevertheless, he was able to qualify for MAiD. “The irony of the availability of MAiD that could be arranged very quickly... sidelined us very much,” she said. ...

LATE vs Alzheimer’s: Biomarkers, Mixed Dementia, and Clinical Realities with Nate Chin and Sterling Johnson GeriPal; podcast by GeriPal with Sterling Johnson and Nate Chin; 8/6/26 Up until just a couple years ago, an 85-year-old patient presenting with gradual, amnestic memory loss was almost automatically presumed to have Alzheimer’s disease. However, new biomarkers and the recognition of conditions like Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) are reshaping our understanding of cognitive decline in older adults. It’s looking more clear that pure Alzheimer's dementia is rare in older adults, and co-occurring pathologies that may include Alzheimer’s, LATE, Lewy Body, and vascular neuropatholigies, are the rule rather than the exception. ... Sterling Johnson is a clinical neuropsychologist and researcher who leads the CLARiTI study, which is attempting to uncover the intersecting causes of dementia.  Nate Chin is the medical director and Clinical Core Co-Leader for the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), the host of the Dementia Matters podcast, and author of a new book When Memory Fades.