Literature Review

Advocates in Rochester seek to promote neuropalliative care Catholic Courier; by Mike Latona; 11/4/26 Elizabeth Johnston’s mother, Lucia Muñoz, copes with dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Her father, Cecilio, has Alzheimer’s disease. The Muñozes still reside in their city home but can no longer be left alone, so Johnston and her sister serve as their caretakers. To help ease their challenges, the family is working with the Neurology Supportive and Palliative Care Service. An initiative of the University of Rochester Medical Center, the clinic aims to achieve a higher quality of life for patients with chronic neurological diseases.

2026 Election Tracker for "Members by Hospice and Palliative Care Activity"Ivy Hill Strategies; retrieved 11/2/26, before the election 4:30pm ET with ratings refreshing every few hours What this is: every Member of Congress (current or former) who has sponsored or cosponsored hospice or palliative care legislation since 2020, or signed a hospice or palliative care letter, matched to the race they're in this November, whether defending their seat or running for another one. How to read it: races are grouped by how competitive they are (Tossups, Competitive, Safe). ... View items lists a Member's bills and letters. Core bills are about hospice or palliative care; Substantive bills contain a provision touching it, such as telehealth or VA benefits. Use the filters to narrow to Members with Core bills, Members who led a bill, or letter signers.

Urban and rural hospital closures in Georgia, 2022-2024JAMA Network Open; by Sara D. Turbow, Kajal Patel, Young-Rock Hong, Jennifer Lom, Mohammed K. Ali; 9/26Hospital closures are a growing concern with a marked increase in both urban and rural hospital closures seen in recent years. These closures, often due to financial strain, decline in patient volumes, and inequities in health care funding, can result in loss of access to critical medical services. The purpose of this study was to examine postclosure changes in discharge volume, charges, and length of stay at hospitals near urban vs rural hospital closures in the state of Georgia. Urban hospital closures are an emerging area that will only become more relevant as policy changes are expected to lead to more urban closures in the coming years.

Austin nonprofits and philanthropists making a difference Modern Luxury, Austin, TX; by The Editors; 10/26/26 In Austin, generosity runs deep. Meet the individuals and organizations who lift lives across the city and invite all of us to share in the rewarding work. ... Project Transitions, a nonprofit founded in 1988 that provides housing, recuperative care, and hospice for people living with HIV, operates a 61-unit supportive housing community called Burnet Place. Austinite Terry Eaton, the president and chief curator of Eaton Fine Art, recently collaborated with Austin artists to curate a pro bono art collection there, extending more than two decades of support ahead of World AIDS Day, Dec. 1. projecttransitions.org 

Dartmouth Health study finds rural older adults have less access to intensive hospice care The Vermont Journal, Labanon, NH; 10/28/26 Older adults living in rural communities are less likely to receive hospice care, and when they do, are less likely to receive the most intensive hospice services for severe symptoms, according to a new study led by a Dartmouth Health researcher and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The study found that 52.4% of older adults who died in urban ZIP codes received hospice care, compared with 44.8% of those in the most rural ZIP codes. ... Dr. Claire Ankuda, lead author of the study, palliative medicine physician at Dartmouth Health, and associate professor of medicine and of health policy and clinical practice at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine [said,] “What we found is that the biggest differences emerge when patients need more intensive, round-the-clock support – and that’s the gap we need to understand better.”

The Washington Home invests $328K to reduce barriers to hospice care access for older adults across Washington, DC NewsNet, Washington, DC; by EIN Presswire; 10/22/26 The Washington Home (TWH) has launched its Hospice Access Collaboration, a new grant initiative designed to address barriers that prevent vulnerable DC residents from accessing hospice and other end-of-life support. Through a $327,814 investment in four partner organizations: Capital Caring Health – A Chapters Health® Affiliate, Forest Hills of DC – By Goodwin Living, Joseph’s House, and Sibley Memorial Hospital – Johns Hopkins Medicine, the collaboration will expand hospice-related care for 25 older DC residents and train 200 healthcare professionals in four key areas:

Daymark Health Oncology, palliative model reduces hospitalizations, costs Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/26/26 An in-home and virtual supportive oncology care program by Daymark Health was associated with fewer hospital admissions and lower overall healthcare spending among patients undergoing active cancer treatment. This is according to a clinical study presented at the 2026 ASCO Quality Care Symposium on October 16. Daymark Health, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) and Brown University Health conducted the research, with co-authors from the University of Pennsylvania and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Palliative care is essential to the model, according to Daymark Health Co-Founder and Medical Director Dr. Angela Taber. 

Making Halloween S.A.F.E.R. for individuals with dementia Alzheimer's Foundation of America; press release; 10/26/26 Frightful sights, scary sounds, and costumed strangers might be Halloween traditions, but they can be unsettling for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related illnesses. With October 31 approaching, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) is offering tips to make Halloween S.A.F.E.R. for loved ones living with dementia. ...

Aspirus Health to close Woodruff hospice care facilityWJFW [NBC12, WI]; 10/15/26Aspirus Health is closing a Woodruff hospice care facility. In an email to WJFW, Aspirus said "based on the changing needs of the Northwoods community,, Aspirus Health will sunset hospice care at Seasons of Life Hospice House in Woodruff and transition hospice care to homes, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and other appropriate community settings." The Seasons of Life Hospice House was an eight-bed hospice house but it will be transitioning to hospice care to homes and nursing homes and shuttering the Woodruff location. A closing date has not been finalized yet. [The Aspirus Health press release is: Seasons of Life hospice care transitioning to home and community settings: Change will preserve compassionate hospice services while extending support across the Northwoods.]

Study finds dementia influences decisions about life-sustaining treatment, even when advance directives request itCU Anschutz newsletter; by Kelsea Pieters; 10/7/26A new CU Anschutz study found that dementia status can influence end-of-life treatment decisions, even when a patient’s advance directive requests life-sustaining care. The findings highlight the importance of ongoing conversations about end-of-life wishes and choosing a surrogate who understands and will honor those preferences. People were about 19 percentage points less likely to recommend life-sustaining treatment for a seriously ill patient with dementia than for a patient without dementia, even when an advance directive requested life-sustaining care, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz. The study, published in JAMA Network Open [Surrogate decision-making for older adults with and without dementia by Lauren Hersch Nicholas, Scott D. Halpern, Kenneth M. Langa, Mario Macis], surveyed nearly 6,000 U.S. adults to examine how a patient’s dementia status, advance directive, physician recommendations and a surrogate decision-maker’s own preferences influenced recommendations about end-of-life care.Publisher's note: Bold and italics mine - this is a striking finding! Per the article's conclusion, "These findings highlight the importance of preparing patients and surrogates for care decisions through explicit discussions of goals of care and decision-making roles."

The workforce crisis healthcare leaders can’t afford to ignore | part two Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Ron Hetrick; 10/16/26 The greatest threat to your organization’s future may be having too few people to deliver the care you promise. In Part Two of The Workforce Crisis Healthcare Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore, Chris Comeaux welcomes back Ron Hetrick to explore how healthcare leaders can prepare for a future shaped by an aging population, growing care needs, and a shrinking pipeline of workers. Hetrick moves from demographic warning signs to practical leadership decisions: redesigning difficult jobs, building training pipelines, creating workplaces people want to stay in, and evaluating expansion through the lens of available talent. He also explores how private home care could intensify competition for caregivers ...   Editor's Note: Explore the related article in today's issue, "NY nursing home hit with $6.8M verdict in understaffing case."

[Canada] Expert Q&A: New palliative care resource for frontline workers supports people experiencing homelessnessUniversity of Victoria press release; by Stephanie Harrington; 10/13/26National curriculum builds on community expertise. A new palliative and end-of-life care resource is providing frontline workers nationally with tools and strategies to better support people who are aging with serious illness alongside poverty and homelessness. The University of Victoria-led collective of researchers, frontline workers and palliative care practitioners launched the new curriculum at the Montreal International Congress on Palliative Care. Kelli Stajduhar is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Palliative Approaches to Care in Aging and Community Health at UVic and professor in the School of Nursing and Institute on Aging & Lifelong Health. She heads the UVic research program that developed the curriculum, called Palliative Care Is… Strengthening Community-Based Approaches to Palliative and End-of-life care in Homeless and Harm Reduction Settings.

Before the holidays, Glenview families are invited to learn how to start the conversations they keep putting off Newsnet, Glenview, IL; by EIN Presswire; 10/20/26 For many families, the holidays are when they finally notice it. A parent who seems more tired, a few new dents on the car, a house that isn’t quite being kept up the way it used to be. And then everyone goes home without saying anything. ...