Literature Review

The spectrum of end-of-life experiences: A tool for advancing death educationOmega; by Shared Crossing Research Initiative; 3/24 Abstract: Studies on end-of-life experiences (ELEs) suggest that caregivers and loved ones of dying patients also have ELEs, though these are rarely explored. This article introduces the Spectrum of End-of-Life Experiences (SELE) as a descriptive list of types of ELEs reported by all members of the care unit, including dying patients, their caregivers, and their loved ones. We applied SELE towards identifying ELEs reported by 143 caregivers and loved ones and successfully identified every experience. Interviews revealed that participants viewed their ELEs as profound communicative events, yet a substantial minority also reported struggling to name and process these experiences. We propose that SELE be included in death education to raise awareness about ELEs that can occur within the care unit, and we suggest that SELE has additional applications, including use as a prognostic aid in end-of-life care and as a therapeutic aid for bereavement support.

Remembrance Ceremony raises more than $76,000 for nonprofit hospice services Press Release; Avow Hospice, Naples, FL; 4/24/24 Avow gathered hundreds of individuals in Cambier Park for its 18th annual Butterfly Release on April 6, 2024. The remembrance ceremony was marked by an outpouring of generosity, with attendees and supporters contributing more than $76,000 to support Avow's mission. Funds raised will directly benefit Avow community bereavement programs, ensuring that it can continue to offer free grief and loss services to the community. The ceremony gave flight to more than 1,000 butterflies, symbolizing hope, transformation, and remembrance. The moving celebration of life honored 650 loved ones as their names were read aloud during the ceremony.

[Unique Grief Program] Stillwater Hospice offers grief hikesTimes Union Online, Fort Wayne, IN; by Stillwater Hospice; 4/18/24 Time spent in nature has been associated with improved mental health and overall well-being. Walking and movement can be helpful in processing emotions that are a part of the grieving process. Grief hikes are designed to combine these benefits through mindful movement and immersion in nature. The Peggy F. Murphy Community Grief Center in collaboration with ACRES Land Trust will be hosting Grief Hikes on the third Friday every month from May through September. ... Each hike will be held at a different ACRES location, accessible within the Stillwater Hospice service area.

'The Grief Lady:' NC woman uses mother's funeral flowers to create art, help others heal WRAL News, Raleigh, NC; by Heather Leah; 4/18/24 Grief is a journey--and you never know for sure where it'll take you. When Janet Willis' mom passed away from small cell lung cancer in her 70s, Willis said she felt like she lost more than a mother; she lost a piece of herself. The loss launched her on a 100 day journey, creating art with the dried flower petals saved from her mother's funeral and sharing her grief experience with her followers. Each day she created a new piece of art – and each day it's as much a surprise for her as it is for her viewers. Editor's Note: Click on the title's link to view photos and read more of this inspiring story.

Iowa River Hospice arranges unique celebration of life for Marshalltown woman with cancer Times Republican, by Robert Maharry; 4/13/24 Sandy Messer ... has been battling cancer for the last two years and is currently receiving in-home hospice care. On March 23, a Celebration of Life was arranged by Iowa River Hospice at Mama DiGrado’s so that her family members could share their love with Messer while she is still alive.

No nightmares and no light at the end of the tunnel. This dream most often repeats itself before death 247 News Agency; 4/12/24 Does our subconscious know that death is inevitably approaching? Taking into account the latest research, this is quite possible. It turns out that at the end of life many people have the same dream. It’s not a nightmare at all. The topic fascinates many people. For scientists, it is still a mystery that they try to solve by talking to people who survived clinical death or were on the verge of life and death. The best example is Dr. Christopher Kerr, a cardiologist and director of Hospice and Palliative Care Center in Buffalo, ... [who researched] the dreams of patients at the end of life.

Readers share stories of their loved ones’ deathbed visions DNYUZ; 4/10/24 When I started reporting “What Deathbed Visions Teach Us About Living,” about the visions, often of loved ones, that some people have in the final stretches of their lives, I had no idea just how universal the experience was. But within minutes of the story’s publication, readers took to the comments section to post their own memories of having witnessed the phenomenon. The stories were rich, deeply personal, and seemed to confirm something that the researcher featured in my story, Dr. Chris Kerr, knew in his years of studying such visions: they bring peace to the dying and solace to the living. Family members wrote in with stories of watching loved ones have visions, as did health care workers, who had years of experience witnessing them. [Click on the article's title to read more stories.]

The transformative power of art in palliative care patients Hardwood Paroxysm, by Shannon Bailey; 4/10/24 Art can often express what is difficult in words. ... Carles joined the program weeks before his death and after undergoing other treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or immunotherapy. ... [His partner and mother of his twin daughters described,]  “The art therapy sessions were the most anticipated moment of the day during his stay in palliative care. For him, this was a way to express his feelings. A space for self-care, intimacy, meditation as well as connection with his closest beings.” [Read more for ...]

A wish to remember: Penn Medicine program fulfills patients’ last requests Penn Medicine News, by Meredith Mann; 4/9/24 The patient was dying of cancer. All options for saving or prolonging their life had been exhausted. Now, the patient most wanted to spend one more carefree, joyous day with their grandchild. ... This is just one example of the last requests granted through Princeton Health’s Three Wishes Project. On paper, it’s about performing small gestures that bring comfort and meaning to patients at the end of their lives. In practice, it’s about so much more—providing a sense of hope and closure, not only to these patients and their families, but also to staff.

The Sunday Read: 'What deathbed visions teach us about living' New York Times Podcasts, 4/7/24 Chris Kerr was 12 when he first observed a deathbed vision. His memory of that summer in 1974 is blurred, but not the sense of mystery he felt at the bedside of his dying father. ... Kerr now calls what he witnessed an end-of-life vision. His father wasn’t delusional, he believes. ... Kerr followed his father into medicine, and in the last 10 years he has hired a permanent research team that expanded studies on deathbed visions to include interviews with patients receiving hospice care at home and with their families, deepening researchers’ understanding of the variety and profundity of these visions.

How to talk about death Maine Public Radio, by Jennifer Rooks and Cindy Han; 4/5/24 Talking about death is not easy. We'll discuss why stigma and discomfort can impede end-of-life conversations, for the person who may be nearing death as well as for friends and family members. We'll find out how to address the emotional and spiritual aspects of dying. And we'll discuss the more practical legal, financial and medical matters to handle before and after someone has died.Panelists: Julie Weiss, social worker, Hospice of Southern Maine; Dr. Paul Segal, nephrologist, assistant professor of medicine; helped create curriculum for end-of-life doula students, University of New England; Dr. Fernando Moreno, palliative care specialist; medical director, Hospice of Southern Maine

Incorporating bereavement into the continuum of careMedpage Today, by Charles Bankhead; 4/4/24... Despite being integral to high-quality, family-centered healthcare, bereavement support often is poorly resourced, even described as the "poor cousin of palliative care." ... To develop a framework for compassionate communities requires shifting bereavement care from "an afterthought to a public health priority," wrote Wendy G. Lichtenthal, PhD, of the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and co-authors in Lancet Public Health. ... In an ideal setting, bereavement care begins with pre-death grief education, continues through the dying process and end of life, and transitions into community-based support and psychosocial services, as needed. .. The [continuum of care] model comprises five essential "pillars":

Art exhibit in Sandy centers experiences of grief OPB, by Sheraz Sadiq; 4/3/24 Art and writing prompts were used during grief support groups offered by Mt. Hood Hospice to help participants process their experience with grief. Dozens of pieces of artwork, poems and other forms of writing created during those sessions are featured in "Grief Made Visible," an exhibit now in its second year that will open on April 5 at AntFarm Café and Bakery in Sandy, OR.