Literature Review

Rainbow dedicates tree and memorial bench in honor of beloved nurse practitioner Kristina Heimsch Rainbow Community Care; Jefferson, Wisconsin; by Rainbow Community Care Team; 10/13/25Rainbow Community Care hosted a touching dedication ceremony on Monday, October 6, to honor the life and contributions of Kristina Heimsch, a cherished nurse practitioner who passed away in April 2025 at the age of 37. Held in collaboration with Kristina’s family, the event established a peaceful and lasting tribute to her presence within the Rainbow family. A Fire Maple tree, which was generously gifted by McKay Nursery of Waterloo, now stands on the front lawn of the Rainbow Hospice Care Inpatient Center. Kristina’s family also donated a memorial bench in her memory.

Local hospice offers support for grieving families on Thanksgiving ABC News 7, Amarillo, TX; by Aby Molina; 11/27/25 As families gather for Thanksgiving, the holiday can be particularly painful for those who have lost a loved one. BSA Hospice of the Southwest is offering a place for empathy and a Thanksgiving gathering to support those in mourning. ... BSA Hospice has hosted this event for several years, providing extra support during this time of year. Lindsey Wyatt, bereavement coordinator at BSA Hospice, expressed excitement about hosting the event. "We're just really excited to host, to provide an opportunity and a warm, safe place for people to fellowship and come together who have experienced that loss. ... "

Give thanks and pass the stuffing: Maryland is grateful for much this year The Baltimore Sun; by Jean Marbella; 11/25/25 In a turmoil-filled world, gratitude might seem elusive. But then, there’s that newborn infant or a son in med school, the simple gift of the snooze button and the big thrill of a walk-off homer, a homicide rate going down and a school redistricting plan finally ending. ... We could go on, and Maryland’s elected officials, athletes, artists, personalities and at least one rascal did, telling The Baltimore Sun what makes their Thanksgiving tick this year. ... Political scientist Mileah Kromer, director of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Institute of Politics: “I’m thankful for the nurses, doctors, and clergy who work in hospice care. I lost my mom to ALS this past April, and her end-of-life experience left me with a deep sense of gratitude for the people who care for patients and their families during one of the most profoundly difficult times in their lives. 

Letters without limits: Jesse Tetterton The Johns Hopkins News-Letter; by Omkar Katkade; 11/22/25 Letters Without Limits, founded by students at Johns Hopkins and Brown University, connects volunteers with palliative care and hospice patients to co-create “Legacy Letters.” These letters capture memories, values and lessons that patients wish to share, preserving stories that might otherwise be lost. By honoring these voices and preserving legacies, Letters Without Limits hopes to affirm the central role of humanism in medicine, reminding us that every patient is more than their illness and that their voices deserve to be heard.

Shepherd’s Cove Hospice: Children’s Activity Garden Sand Mountain Reporter, Albertville, AL; by Mary Bailey; 11/22/25 Shepherd’s Cove Hospice in Albertville lives by the words of community, compassion and connection. On Tuesday morning they opened the doors of the community room for a free breakfast and then held a ribbon cutting for their new “Children’s Activity Garden” located at their facility. With one in nine children in Alabama experiencing a loss of a parent or sibling by age 18, Shepherd’s Cove Hospice saw a need and wanted to help. The Children’s Activity Garden is space where children and teenagers can come to deal with their emotions but also have the freedom and space to still be a child and play. 

The sliver of light after losing a child: Personal perspective - a child's loss can provide elusive and rare gifts. Psychology Today; by David R Patterson PhD, ABPP; by 11/10/25 I have often said that working with patients who are dying has brought an ironic, but transient, feeling of exhilaration to my life. Most care providers who work in hospice will explain to us that people who are aware of their impending mortality have a sense of being in the present that those of us who are not so close to that inevitability can only admire from a distance. ... I don’t know whether this resonates with other parents that have lost a child, but I can say that a very clear impact of my son’s loss has been to become acutely aware of my own mortality. ... After living with my son’s death for three years, I am only just beginning to grasp the lessons that his death is teaching me.

"The Wounded Generation": Bearing the invisible scars of war CBS News; by Lesley Stahl; 11/9/25 In 1984, President Reagan commemorated the 40th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, and paid tribute to the World War II soldiers known as "The Greatest Generation." ... But in his new book, historian David Nasaw calls them "The Wounded Generation." "They are the Greatest Generation, but they returned from war, bringing wounds home with them that are invisible; they're psychic wounds," he said. "Now we know that a lot of those wounds were PTSD. But PTSD was not diagnosed for 40 years after the return of the World War II veterans. ... Nasaw said [of his own father,] "He came home smoking three or four packs of Luckys a day. He came home with a heart condition from the war. He dies at age 61. And I had never had the chance to find out what happened in Eritrea, what he went through. So, what do I do as a historian? I can't find out his story, so I jumped in to find out the story of his generation."Editor's Note: While most World War II veterans are now gone, many of today’s hospice patients—particularly those who served in combat—carry similar invisible scars. Their psychic wounds, once unnamed, often resurface in life’s final chapter. This story also echoes in their adult children, who now seek to understand the unspoken pain that shaped their families. For more insight and support—especially regarding post-9/11 veterans—see the Wounded Warriors Project. 

Spain proposes major expansion of bereavement and palliative care leave Spanish News Today; 10/21/25 The Spanish Ministry of Labour has presented a draft Royal Decree that would significantly extend the amount of paid leave workers can take following the death of a close relative or when caring for a loved one receiving palliative care. Under the proposal, employees would see their bereavement leave increased from the current two days to ten working days in the event of the death of a spouse, common-law partner, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild. One of the most important changes is flexibility: these ten days would not need to be taken consecutively.Editor's Note: For ongoing bipartisan advocacy for bereavement leave legislation throughout the United States, visit Evermore.org/advocacy.

Love, loss and last wishes fulfilled at Duke HomeCare & Hospice: Staff members regularly make miracles happen Duke Today, Durham, NC; by Working@Duke; 10/29/25 The bell chimed three times at Hock Family Pavilion, and everyone knew what it meant. Duke HomeCare & Hospice nurses and workers stepped into the hallway of Duke’s 12-person inpatient hospice facility, solemnly waiting in silence. Anthony Wilkie, a Duke Clinical Nurse, had been bracing himself for the moment with a mixture of sorrow and humility. When a bell rings three times at Hock Family Pavilion, a patient has just died and a ritual is about to begin. ...

Post-biographical dignity in the age of artificial intelligence: Narrative, ePROMs and ethical challenges in end-of-life care Palliative & Supportive Care; by Abel García Abejas, David Geraldes Santos, Helder Mota-Filipe, Àngels Salvador Vergés; 10/27/25 Significance of results: End-of-life care in the age of AI must move beyond autonomy-focused ethics to encompass the narrative, relational, and posthumous dimensions of dignity. A critical, philosophically informed ethics is essential to prevent depersonalisation in digitally mediated care.

Best of Beth Ashley: After a life well lived, facing the sadness together Marin Independent Journal; by Beth Ashley, this IJ is reprinting some of the late Beth Ashley’s columns. This is from 2014; 10/27/25 A dear friend is now being cared for by hospice. Like so many others, she has trusted hospice to see her through the last days of her life. Knowing that she may soon die is a blow to the heart. But it’s not as though I haven’t known that for all of us, life ends sometimes. That doesn’t make it any easier. By now, a huge assortment of dear ones have left my here and now. My parents are gone. My beloved second husband. My two sisters. My precious son Jeff. And so many friends I’ve lost count, including my best friend and fellow traveler for years and years, my Stanford classmate Skid. I still talk to them all. My mom has not really left my life; I’m just with her in a different way. ... Whenever these endings come near, it’s important to express our love, and face the final sadness together.

Religious traditions and grief in the USA: When it's less about G-d and more about the peopleJournal of Religion & Health; by Emily Scheinfeld, Cassidy Taladay-Carter, Kelly Tenzek; 9/25Many turn to religion or spirituality for personal meaning, purpose, and guidance throughout our lifetime, including in the context of death and dying. Through the qualitative analysis of 159 open-ended survey responses from adults in the USA who had experienced the death of a parent, we examined the types of religious traditions, practices, and/or rituals that participants engaged in during their bereavement. We then explored how those practices were helpful, harmful to, or revealing of emergent interfaith family dynamics throughout their grief journeys. By better articulating the communicative role of religion in death and dying, we broaden the understanding of religion and grief in these important sociocultural contexts. We discuss implications for families and religious communities alike.