Literature Review

Rehab patients practice skills by building hospice care packages as Oak Park police and Lincoln Rx donate supplies. Feiga Bowick connects it all.  The Detroit Jewish News; by Rochel Burstyn; 10/9/25 ... Small steps can quickly snowball and make a big difference. Feiga Bowick, LMSW, CDP, the manager of Social Services and Community Engagement at PARC Home Care and Hospice of Southeast Michigan, ... [described] her recent hospice collaboration with Life Skills Village ... a rehabilitation center mainly for patients who have developmental delays and traumatic brain injuries. “I met with their occupational therapist ...: "How could these patients help others in a way that would be helpful to their own recovery?” Bowick said. “Many patients at Life Skills Village are working on fine motor skills and organizational skills, and we decided to try and get items together so they could create care packages for PARC hospice patients — while practicing their skills.” [Continue reading this inspirational story.]

'I spent 36 years holding dying patients' hands' BBC News, Ireland; by Grace Shaw; 10/5/25 For hospice nurse Trish Carling, holding a dying patient's hand through the dark hours of the night was a privilege to share. The 66-year-old has just retired after 36 years working in palliative care at St Michael's Hospice in Harrogate. Her first shift was in November 1989, and she has worked almost every Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve since. Despite the demands of the job, she originally chose the pathway because it worked around family life when her children were young. "At first I found the night shifts practical - they then became my preferred hours," she said. ... [Continue reading]Editor's Note: In what ways do you honor your longtime employees? How do you tell their stories of passionate compassion? Of loyalty to your core mission through changing times and operational practices? So many of these valued employees began in a pre-digital era. Imagine: before cell phones, the internet, websites, electronic employee files, EMR systems, and so much more. Crucial employee data can get lost especially during organizational name changes, Mergers & Acquistions, or a short-term leave of absence. Let this article be a catalyst for you to research and honor your employees with long tenures. Without their faithful foundations, your work today would not be the same.

Rise in late-stage lung cancer in nonsmokers highlights need for awareness and screening Medscape Medical News; by Evra Taylor; 9/5/25 ... The common thinking is that lung cancer is a smoker’s disease, but that isn’t the full picture, Jessica Moffatt, PhD, vice president of programs and health system partnerships at Lung Health Foundation in Toronto, told Medscape Medical News. ... Moffatt and her colleagues are working to dispel the stigma that smokers “get what they deserve.” Rosalyn Juergens, MD, professor of oncology at McMaster University in Guelph, Ontario, and president of Lung Cancer Canada, said, “If you find out someone has lung cancer, your first question shouldn’t be ‘Did you smoke?’ It should be ‘What can I do to help you along this journey?’ ” 

Instilling hope: A comprehensive model of cancer care for younger adults Targeted Oncology; by Andrea Eleazar, MHS and Shane Dormady, MD, PhD; 9/29/25 In the past decade, the incidence of numerous cancer types has increased, particularly among younger adults under age 50. For younger adults, many of whom are primary breadwinners of their households or in the height of their educational or professional careers, a cancer diagnosis at this life stage can be unexpected and jarring. ... In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Shane Dormady, MD, PhD, medical director of El Camino Health Cancer Center, describes the unique needs and challenges of younger adults, outlines El Camino Health’s comprehensive care strategy, and offers insights and considerations for treating and interacting with this patient population.

Elizabeth Earley explores the fear of death in new essay collection SGN - Seattle & The Pacific Northwest's LGBTQIA+ News & Network; by Lindsey Anderson; 9/26/25 ... Humans often push the idea of death to the fringes of our minds, especially in Western cultures. However, for writer and clinical research scientist Elizabeth Earley, this topic contains multitudes as vast as the human experience. The more she studied the history and science of mortality, the more she found an underlying beauty, which inspired her latest work, Little Deaths All in a Row, a collection of prose diving deep into death. ... Realizing death is the inevitable end for us all, Earley decided to face her fear. "I believe the best way to get over fearing something is just to get closer to it and more intimate with it, so that's what I did," she said. She began volunteering in a hospice program as a form of exposure therapy. 

Neil Heinen: We give precious little thought to the meaning of life Madison Magazine, Madison, WI; by Neil Heinen; 9/17/25 An Op-Ed on the importance and profundity of being with a person at the end of their life, and how hospice plays a special role. We don’t think about death enough. How’s that for an opening sentence? ... We’d be considerably better off if we did think about life’s end a little more. The main topic of this column is hospice, which adds a bit of a buffer to the existential angst of contemplating death. ... Being with a person at the end of their life is one of the most profound and loving of life’s many possible experiences. And what brings meaning to a dying person is as varied as life itself. A song, a poem, a pet, a knitting needle and yarn, a recognition of service, stories, pictures, memories, another person who will listen, who cares; the list is long and filled with small acts of kindness so many of us could easily provide.

Grateful leukemia patient thanks care team, paints butterfly mural Sentara, Norfolk, VA; by Kelly Anne Morgan; 8/27/25 ... Six years ago, Kressel was diagnosed with myelofibrosis, ... It was an emergency admission, and she remained in the hospital [for 70 days], receiving over 150 blood transfusions, several bone marrow biopsies, and a splenic embolization. ... When she was discharged from the hospital, Kressel began working on a butterfly mural composed of three large canvases. The butterflies symbolize hope for patients and families experiencing hospice and end-of-life comfort care, said Kressel. ... Recently, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital rededicated nine rooms on the oncology floor to house hospice patients. ... In August, Kressel was joined by family, friends, and her care team as she presented the mural to the unit. ...

Pet volunteers helping those at Hinds Hospice through challenging times ABC Action News KFSN-30 - Fresno, CA; by Ana Torrea; 8/15/25 Going through a terminal illness can be hard on a person and their family. Being placed in hospice or palliative care can be just as isolating. Pet volunteers can help ease their feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Sven Hamilton is the Director of Volunteer Services with Hinds Hospice. "Most importantly, it's just being able to be there for our patients and to bring that little bit of joy as they are facing a disconnection with all the things they once loved," he said. Health experts say animal-assisted therapy can help enhance physical, emotional and social well-being.

Flu, COVID-19 vaccination rates falling among health care workers WWLP, Springfield, IL, originally Boston, MA; by Alison Kuznitz; 8/14/25 The rate of Massachusetts health care workers vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19 is declining, despite state officials pushing for the vast majority of providers to get their shots in order to stunt the spread of illnesses. The Department of Public Health’s goal is to achieve an annual flu and COVID immunization rate of 90% or higher among eligible health care personnel at all licensed facilities and emergency medical services. ... During the 2024-25 respiratory virus season, an average of 83.5% of providers in acute care hospitals were vaccinated against the flu, ... That compares to ... 52.3% in nursing homes, 68.7% in rest homes, 52.2% in adult day health programs, 21.2% in EMS and 65.4% in hospice. Editor's Note: Is 65.4% high enough for health care workers who consistently tending many of the most vulnerable persons receiving health care? What are the vaccination rates for your organization? 

Hospice volunteers recognize local floral donors Uvalde Leader News, Uvalde, TX; 7/27/25 Uvalde Memorial Hospital hospice volunteers recently recognized the Flower Patch and Uvalde H-E-B for their weekly donations of fresh flowers for hospice patients. Hospice volunteers deliver the gifts, valued at approximately $1,950 annually from each business, to patients, brightening their homes and hospital rooms while providing emotional comfort during difficult times.

Tennessee plans to execute inmate amid concerns his heart implant will shock him repeatedly CNN; by Dakin Andone; 8/4/25 Tennessee plans to execute Byron Black on Tuesday for the 1988 murders of a woman and her two young daughters, despite concerns from his attorneys that a device implanted to restore his heartbeat could repeatedly shock him as he’s put to death. The device – an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD – is at the center of a court battle that has been unfolding for several weeks. Black’s attorneys want the device deactivated at or immediately before his lethal injection Tuesday morning. If it isn’t, they say the effects of the lethal injection drugs will cause the ICD to shock Black’s heart, perhaps repeatedly, in an attempt to restore it to a normal rhythm. This will cause Black a prolonged and torturous execution, the attorneys argue, violating Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment.Editor's Note: Though this is not a hospice case, this traumatic scenario for persons with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator being repeatedly shocked--even after death--is crucial for the hospice interdisciplinary to know. Clinical, ethical, and legal issues abound. Click here for Shocked at End-of-Life: An Educational Video for Hospice Workers about Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators, research published by the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, May 2024.

[Norway] iLIVE volunteer study: Volunteer and healthcare professional perceptions of newly developed hospital end-of-life-care volunteer services, in five countriesPalliative Medicine; Tamsin McGlinchey, Stephen Mason, Grethe Skorpen Iversen, Dagny Faksvåg Haugen, Inmaculada Ruiz Torreras, Pilar Barnestein Fonseca, Miša Bakan, Berivan Yildiz, Ruthmarijke Smeding, Anne Goossensen, Agnes van der Heide, John Ellershaw; 5/25Volunteer services that provide direct support to patients receiving palliative and end-of-life care in hospitals are new and developing, but little is known about the use and experience of such services from key stakeholders. 20 Volunteers and 20 healthcare professionals were recruited. Three overall themes were generated: (1) Volunteers provided 'unique, distinct, 'community' support' bringing familiarity to an unfamiliar, medically focussed environment. (2) Volunteers were able to 'establish a connection centred on 'being there' within the acute hospital environment' despite the fast paced and highly changeable environment. (3) Through 'relational interactions adapted to the individual person' volunteers attended to patients' existential and emotional needs. These services confer benefits that are transferrable across cultures and countries, 'fusing' formal care with the informal visiting of family or friends, attending to patients' existential needs.

Local hospice volunteer shares story of helping families through grief edglentoday.com, Edwardsville / Glen Carbon, IL; by Sydney Sinks; 6/18/25A local BJC volunteer works with people in hospice care so they have a friend in their final days. Kathy Barrow [describes her time with a hospice patient], “To help someone else, that’s what it’s all about, really.” ... “I try to spend an hour [with the patient]. That’s not much out of a week for someone who’s on their way out of this world.” ... Over the past few months, she has helped him write cards for his family members, read to him, watched TV and played games. Her most recent visit was quieter; he didn’t feel up to talking ... . ... When she isn’t volunteering, Barrow spends a lot of time sewing teddy bears and quilts for grieving families. She will use a loved one’s t-shirt as fabric to create the teddy bears for their families. She shared that her mother always spoke about wanting a hug from a lost loved one, and she thinks about her mom as she creates these bears.