Literature Review

No One Dies Alone: a movement against isolation and loneliness in the final hours The Optimist Daily; by The Optimist Daily Ediorial Team; 7/27/24 The fear of dying alone is one of the most powerful and agonizing feelings that many harbor, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, this fear sadly becomes a reality. To address this issue, the No One Dies Alone (NODA) initiative trains and supports volunteers who provide companionship to people in their final hours. ... The NODA concept began in 1986 in Oregon, United States [by] Sandra Clarke, a nurse. ... [Alison] Bunce founded Compassionate Inverclyde (CI) in 2016 as an Ardgowan Hospice-funded project, where she worked as director of care. Starting with 20 volunteers, CI sought to sit with people who were dying alone, initially in hospices and local hospitals before extending to private homes. Today, CI has grown substantially, with over 100 volunteers available to provide companionship at a moment’s notice.

Sasha McAllum Pilkington on grace and storytelling at the end of life Psychotherapy.net; by Lawrence Rubin; 7/22/24 Narrative Clinician, Sasha McAllum Pilkington [of New Zealand],  shares poignant stories she co-created with hospice clients which honor and celebrate their lives. [This interview includes: ...]

'Bridal bouquet turned retirement home decor': Virginia friends find ways to repurpose special event flowers WFMZ-TV 69 News, Allentown, PA; by Karin Mallet; 7/10/24 Flowers are just as nice the second time around ... where people are making sure your beautiful blooms don't end up in the trash once your event is over. It just takes a little bit of creativity. Laura Ruth and Rebecca Shelly ... were both navigating motherhood, COVID lockdowns and the loss of their fathers. Creating green spaces gave them both some much needed solace. They realized if flowers had that kind of power for them, they would likely have that kind of power for others so they created "Friendly City Florals." With their team of volunteers, they repurpose flowers from weddings, birthday parties, special events. ...  They spruce them up a bit and then bring them to schools, retirement and nursing homes, hospice and social service centers. It's a great second life for these flowers. The green bridal guide estimates the average wedding produces a staggering 400 pounds of trash.Editor's Note: An adaptation of this--used by several hospices--is to partner with a local florist for them to donate leftover/not-used flowers to the hospice for their inpatient units. A volunteer picks them up and arranges them for hospice rooms. Upon the death, family members are encouraged to take the flowers home with them.

Our Hospice collects food in employee-led drive The Republic; by Staff Reports; 6/20/24 Our Hospice (OHSCI) and Palliative Care collected 500 pounds of food for patients and families in need in an employee-led food drive. “The efforts, enthusiasm, and passion displayed by everyone at Our Hospice is truly astonishing!” said Chealsy Parr, a social worker who led the food drive. “Thanks to the participation of teammates from Greensburg, Columbus, the Hospice Center, Palliative Care, and North Vernon, we’ve significantly impacted those facing food insecurity.” “The employee – led food donations will go a long way to support those in our care who are in need,” said Steph Cain, president, Our Hospice and Palliative Care. [Located in Indiana] Editor's Note: Hospice leaders, how might you replicate this with your employees and volunteers, for the patients you serve? Forward this to the right person who can take this great initiative and make it happen.

Patient’s wish to visit Graceland granted with help of Texarkana’s Heritage Hospice NBC KTAL-6, Texarkana, TX: by Hunter Trombetta; 6/7/24A Texarkana hospice recently fulfilled one of its patients’ wishes. Debora Warren is a patient with Heritage Home Health & Hospice. She says she has been an Elvis fan since she was 10 years old. ... Her favorite Elvis song, “If I Can Dream,” surely takes on a new meaning now because, at the age of 71, her dream to visit Graceland came true thanks to a unique program at Heritage Hospice. “Wishes is a program where we grant our hospice patients their final wishes. Miss Debora Warren wanted to go to Graceland, and so we made that happen,” says Kristy Minton, the Volunteer Coordinator at Heritage Home Health and Hospice.

Educating the future of hospice and palliative carePortage.life; by Center for Hospice Care; 5/21/24This spring students at the University of Notre Dame gained insight into the delivery of care to patients and families dealing with serious advanced illnesses. The university, in partnership with Center for Hospice Care (CHC), once again offered the course “Introduction to Hospice and Palliative Care” that was designed by Dr. Dominic Vachon, Director of Ruth M. Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine and Mike Wargo, COO and vice president of the Hospice Foundation. The five-week class covered a variety of topics focused on hospice and palliative care and was taught by CHC staff including physicians, social workers, chaplains, bereavement counselors and other hospice and palliative care support staff.

Obie the therapy dog promoted to chief morale officer at North Devon Hospice DevonLive; by Lewis Clarke; 5/10/24 A therapy dog has received his first official promotion after bringing comfort and smiles to patients, families, and staff at North Devon Hospice. Last month, pet therapy dog Obie was awarded the title of chief morale officer in recognition of his work helping patients and loved ones staying on the hospice’s bedded unit to enjoy cuddles and companionship. As well as being popular with those receiving care, Obie is also a welcome visitor for staff at the hospice. 

Improving inclusive palliative care for transgender patients Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 5/7/24... Nearly a quarter (21.3%) of 865 interdisciplinary palliative professionals indicated that they had observed some form of discriminatory care delivered to a transgender patient in a recent study published in Cambridge University Press’ journal Palliative Support Care. Furthermore, 85.3% of study participants said they witnessed disrespectful care, while inadequate and abusive care was observed by 35.9% and 10.3% of palliative teams, respectively. ... [Read more for descriptions and interventions, as discussed with Zachary Fried, licensed clinical social worker and training supervisor of Optum at Home, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group.] 

Letter: Volunteers make a difference in community The Meadville Tribune - Meadville, PA; by Melissa Swartwood; 4/27/24Our community is at its best when we come together to help others in a time of need. At Hospice of Crawford County, trained volunteers give their time, attention and compassion to help people and families facing the end of life to live as fully as possible. ... Our volunteers specialize in various areas of service, [many examples given]... As we wrap up Volunteer Month ... Hospice of Crawford County would like to show appreciation for our volunteer team. ... Across the United States, more than 430,000 hospice volunteers give over 19 million hours of service every year. Every single volunteer deserves our appreciation and grateful acknowledgement.Editor's Note: We highlight this example of both thanking hospice volunteers and raising community awareness about hospice volunteer opportunities. From Hospice & Palliative Care Today to your organization, we celebrate and thank your volunteers!

Retired hospice worker now a hospice volunteer Sanford Health; by Jason Anschutz; 4/25/24"It's always been in my heart," says Nicolle Aukland of Fargo, ND. ... Aukland began her professional career as a medical social worker at MeritCare before the hospital merged with Sanford Health. She then transitioned into a similar role with Hospice of the Red River Valley. She would eventually leave the health care industry, but her passion for hospice never left her. ... Now in retirement, Aukland dedicates her free time to hospice patients as a companionship volunteer at two different organizations, including Sanford Hospice House in Fargo.Editor's Note: Do you encourage your retired employees to volunteer? Or perhaps retired employees from your community's other healthcare systems? They provide you with rich experience; you can provide them with meaningful volunteering. If so, be sure to orient them to the differences between their prior professional roles and the scope of practice for your organization's volunteer roles.

Volunteers make best days possible for 600 people a day at VNA Hospice NWIGreatNews.Life, Valparaiso, IN; 5/19/24VNA Hospice NWI serves over 600 people a day. From Hospice and Palliative Care, Grief Support services for adults and children to the Medical Guardian help button and a Meals on Wheels program, the impact of VNA services around the region is tremendous. The VNA staff work tirelessly to ensure these essential services are available each day – but they can’t do it alone. Their team relies on an army of volunteers, who do everything from stuffing envelopes and labeling meal bags, to working directly with hospice patients and bereaved children, and delivering the meals. Maria Galka, Director of Development for VNA Hospice, said that the organization’s volunteers outnumber its staff by about five to one. Editor's Note: April's Volunteer Appreciation Month is still underway. Learn from this superb article, posted on an online community site. VNA Hospice NWI's astonishing volunteer program bears repeating: "... the organization’s volunteers outnumber its staff by about five to one."

[Sample] Letter: Hospice workers deserve thanks during Volunteer Appreciation Month Commonwealth Ripon Press (Ripon, WI), Letter to the Editor by Meredith Schluter; 4/18/24April is Volunteer Appreciation Month and I want to attest to the incredible impact that caring volunteers make in the lives of others in our community. Compassus Hospice in Neenah is an organization that cares for individuals experiencing life-limiting illnesses. ... From directly interacting with patients and families to working with care team members behind the scenes to help operations run smoothly, [volunteers] provide a vital service. The nationwide impact of hospice volunteers is just as significant. According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Association, volunteers care for more than 1.5 million hospice patients each year, totaling millions of hours of care annually.Editor's Note: How are you expressing appreciation for your volunteers? This "Letter to the Editor" creates community awareness and provides a call for new volunteers. You have 11 more days to continue April's Volunteer Appreciation Month. What have you done? What more can you do?

How therapy dogs are bringing comfort to hospice patients in Metro Detroit The Detroit News, by Anne Snabes; 4/7/24 For over two months, hospice patient Virginia Favero has been getting occasional visits from Sam the beagle-mix, providing her with a canine companion. Sam isn't her dog, but he's there to bring her comfort. Sam's owner, Rachel Marshall, typically has the dog sit on a black folding chair, so Favero can reach him from her recliner chair in the Pomeroy Living community in Northville. ... "It really warms her heart when he comes," said Lynn Favero, Virginia Favero's daughter.