Literature Review

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.

A natural segue: Retired hospice physician Ralph Caldroney ’72 turns a planned gift into immediate impact with new lecture sponsorship W&L - The Columns, Washington & Lee University, Lexington, VA; by Barbara Elliott; 9/15/25 [Dr. Ralph Caldrony, retired medical director for Hospice of Rockbridge County,] attended several Mudd Center lectures during this past year’s series: “How We Live and Die: Stories, Values and Communities.” ... Impressed by the range and quality of the Mudd Center presentations [at Washington & Lee University], Caldroney previously committed a $250,000 planned gift to the center for his 50th reunion gift in 2022. However, after such a positive experience attending this year’s lecture series, he decided to fast-track his support. For each of the next five years, his $5,000 per-year gift will sponsor an annual lecture. “It was a natural segue,” Caldroney says. “This way, I can enjoy some of the fruits of my labor while I am still alive.”

How does CEO tenure in healthcare compare to other industries? Becker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 9/9/25 The average tenure of healthcare CEOs is slightly shorter than the average across industries, according to a recent report from executive search firm Crist Kolder Associates. Healthcare CEOs serve an average tenure of 7.3 years, compared to 7.5 years across industries. In 2024, the average tenure for healthcare CEOs was 7.6 years, compared to an average of 7.4 years across industries. Crist Kolder’s annual report tracks C-suite turnover among 667 companies in the Fortune 500 and S&P 500, 9.7% of which operate in the healthcare sector. Here are the average CEO tenures across industries included in the report: ...

Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Open House connected to past, present and future Maryland Bay Net, Pasadena, MD; by Hospice of the Chesapeake; 9/13/25 A celebration of past, present and future brought together volunteers, donors, elected officials and community members for Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Community Open House on Sept. 9. The event was held on the nonprofit’s John & Cathy Belcher Campus in Pasadena. It included tours of the four buildings and the many gardens on the 7-acre campus and an opportunity to both reminisce and share new ideas.

New Salem-based hospice opens with focus on nursing staff wellness Salem Reporter, Salem, OR; by Hailey Cook; 9/11/25 After 12 years working as a hospice nurse, Christie Rivelli reached her breaking point. The pressure had built since the pandemic, when her workload went from 15 patients at a time to 28. ... By opening a new, locally-owned hospice company, they’re bucking a trend. ... Solterra currently has a staff of 19, with a range of one to three decades of experience in hospice care. As a nurse herself, Rivelli said she’s prioritized her staff’s workload and benefits. Everyone starts by getting training about post-traumatic stress disorder, and she said new hires have had trouble adjusting to a slower pace of work. ... Rivelli said. “Downtime in your workday should be built in … but boy, that’s not how it’s been in hospice.” She said some companies will assign 40 patients to one nurse, which forces the nurses to do pop-in check-ups rather than getting to know their patients. It can also mean the patient will see a rotation of unfamiliar faces rather than one nurse.

Fulfilling end-of-life dreams: A scoping review of bucket lists in palliative and hospice care Palliative Supportive Care - Cambridge University Press; by Swasati Handique, Michael Bennett and Scott D Ryan; 9/12/25 Results: Four major themes were established using thematic content analysis: (1) impact on holistic well-being, (2) role of family in wish fulfillment, (3) cultivation of gratitude, and (4) collaborative leadership in wish fulfillment. In wish fulfillment, the results significantly pointed to the need for more intricate evaluation among patients and interventions that cover beyond the physical aspect. Significance of results: Palliative and hospice care settings should work toward securing sustainable funding for structured wish-fulfillment programs to address existing accessibility gaps and further enhance the holistic nature of care in these settings. Editor's Note: For hospice organizations that can receive donations, setting up a Wish/Bucket LIst fund makes for a meaningful, easy-to-demonstrate ROI on donated gifts. You need to have some type of discretionary review/approval process in place, with assurances of confidentiality when important to the person and/or family.

Teleios announces addition of Lake Prince at Home Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN), Hendersonville, NC; by Tina Gentry; 9/2/25 Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN) announced the addition of Lake Prince at Home as an associate member. The agency is affiliated with Lake Prince Woods, a trusted provider of senior living since 2002. This CHAP-accredited, Medicare-certified program serves Suffolk and the South Hampton Roads area of VA with three specialized services: non-medical home care, clinical home health, and compassionate hospice care delivered at home or in local assisted living and skilled nursing facilities.

Winning at work and home with Randy Gravitt Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); host Chris Comeaux with Randy Gravitt; 9/10/25 Join us in this insightful episode of "The Anatomy of Leadership" as we explore the challenge of winning at work and family life with Randy Gravitt, CEO of Lead Every Day. When was the last time you examined the connection between your leadership at work and your life at home?  In this eye-opening conversation, Randy Gravitt, CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Lead Every Day, reveals that our greatest superpower isn't talent or expertise—it's our ability to choose.

NGHS breaks ground on philanthropy-funded hospice house Access WDUN, Gainesville, GA; by Caleb Hutchins; 9/9/25 Northeast Georgia Health System held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning for a philanthropy-funded hospice house near Gainesville. ... The project, which is expected to open in fall of 2026, is the first philanthropy-funded facility in NGHS’ history. Christopher Bray, chief philanthropy officer of the Northeast Georgia Health System Foundation, called the Stephens’ more-than $5 million donation, which kick-started the project, game-changing for the foundation and the health system at large.

Keepers of the quiet goodbye: Meet the people who pulled off a hospice miracle by overcoming society’s fear of homelessness and death itself The Oberserver, Sacramento, CA; by Scott Thomas Anderson; 9/3/25 Inside the decade-long struggle to make Joshua’s House a reality in Sacramento: Craig Dresang has lived in the shadow of death since he was 8 years old. Dresang was in third grade when his mother, Joyce, was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. At almost the same moment, his mom’s best friend was also given a devastating cancer diagnosis. She was gone six months later — an outcome that kept flashing in Dresang’s young mind. ...  ... [Scroll ahead in time.] The child who could never run from death became the professional willing to confront it. ...  [Working with YoloCares in Davis, CA, Dresang met] Marlene von Friedrichs-Fitzwater, a woman on a mission to create the first hospice shelter for unhoused people on the West Coast.

The hidden crisis in serious illness care and how we fix itMedCityNews; by Dr. Mihir Kamdar; 9/7/25 Every year, millions of Americans with serious illnesses find themselves caught in a dangerous limbo: not sick enough to qualify for hospice, but far too ill to be served by our traditional healthcare system. The result is care that’s expensive, fragmented, and often traumatic. These patients are shuffled between a revolving door of emergency rooms and ICUs, enduring a cascade of aggressive interventions that don’t match their goals or improve their quality of life. This approach not only undermines quality, it drives healthcare spending through the roof, particularly in the last year of life. This is the hidden crisis in serious illness care. And it’s getting worse. At the root of the problem is what many in the field call the “hospice cliff.” ...

Fond du Lac 9-year-olds used country club lemonade stand to raise over $1K for hospice care FDL Report, Fond du Lac, WI; by Shelly Haberman; 8/30/25 On a sunny weekend in Fond du Lac, during the bustling member-guest golf tournament at South Hills Golf & Country Club, two young girls turned a simple backyard lemonade stand into a powerful tribute of love and generosity. Olivia Schaeve and Lola Polacek, both Fond du Lac residents, hosted the stand in honor of Olivia’s grandmother, Susanne Stilwell, who passed away in December 2024. ... “My mom was incredibly close to Olivia,” Rachel Schaeve, Olivia’s mother, shares. “As part of our grief journey, we’ve tried to keep her memory alive. The lemonade stand felt like a fun and meaningful way to do that.” The girls, both age 9, embraced the challenge with enthusiasm. “They considered themselves quite the mixologists,” Rachel laughs. “They loved adding extra flavors and chatting with the golfers. As the donations started piling up, they set a goal to raise $1,000 — and they did it!”

SECU Foundation awards $170,000 grant to Carolinas Foundation for Hospice and Home Care SECU Foundation, Raliegh, NC; Press Release; 9/4/25 SECU Foundation recently awarded a $170,000 grant to Carolinas Foundation for Hospice and Home Care (CFHHC) to assist with the development and implementation of a standardized training curriculum and onboarding model for personal care aides. The project will help address the critical need for qualified care aides and improve the retention of employees in the field. CFHHC was established in 1998 by the Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina (AHHC) to support innovation that improves access to quality hospice and home care services in the state.