Literature Review

Avera Medical Minute: Hospice care provides support and compassion for patients and families Dakota News Now, Sioux Falls, SD; by Dakota News Now staff; 11/10/25 Hospice care can help patients and their families focus on comfort and quality of life when treatment for an illness is no longer effective. Support from staff can come in a variety of ways, including medical, emotional, and spiritual. In this Avera Medical Minute, one family explains how choosing hospice for their loved one turned their final days into cherished moments together. ...

Hospice of Orange & Sullivan’s sixth annual community breakfast features caregivers’ emotional stories of courage, compassion and dignity FocusMedia, Middletown, NY; Press Release; 11/7/25 Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties, Inc.’s Sixth Annual Community Breakfast celebrated the profound difference Hospice makes through caregivers who shared touching stories of supporting patients during their final life journey. The ”Real Stories, Real Impact” panel discussion was moderated by Eric Gatsik, President and CEO of Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties and Heather Bell-Meyer, President and CEO of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce. About 115 attendees at the Barn at Villa Venezia connected, reflected and were inspired by stories of love, dignity and trust offered to patients at the end of their lives. 

Doves & Diamonds event draws record crowd Beloit Daily News, Beloit, WI ; by Clint Wolf; 11/9/25 A record crowd turned out Saturday for the 21st Annual Doves & Diamonds Gala event at the Eclipse Center. Tami Scarpetta, executive director of foundation, marketing and community relations for Beloit Health System, said 354 guests had registered to attend the event, which is the largest fundraising event for Beloit Regional Hospice each year. ... “We usually raise about $100,000 each year. We are hoping to top that this year,” Scarpetta said. She said, before the event even kicked off, the bourbon raffle already had raised $12,000 in pre-sales. 

Difference-making factors linked to higher reach of Specialist Palliative Care among people with heart failure across a national sample of VA Medical Centers American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Yan Zhan, PhD, RN, MBA, Edward J. Miech, EdD, Erica A. Abel, PhD, MD, and Shelli L. Feder, PhD, APRN, FPCN, FAHA; 11/10/25 Conclusion:  High Specialist Palliative Care (SPC) reach among people with advanced heart failure (aHF) was linked to combinations of several modifiable factors related to staffing, cardiology involvement, and outpatient palliative care. These findings provide actionable insights into improving SPC delivery across VAMCs.Editor's Note: What education or other partnerships do you have with VA Medical Centers in your service areas? Or, what gaps for veterans exist because of a lack of VA Medical Centers? Use these "combinations of modifiable factors related to staffing, cardiology involvement, and outpatient palliative care" for your strategic planning to improve care for veterans struggling with advanced heart failure.

Hospice of South Texas appoints Laurie Eder as Chief Executive Officer Press Release Distribution, Victoria, TX; by Hospice of South Texas; 11/5/25Hospice of South Texas® (HOST) has appointed Laurie Eder as Chief Executive Officer after her service as Interim CEO since March 2025. Eder is building on the forty-year legacy of Hospice of South Texas with a focus on compassion and community. ... Her passion for hospice began with her own family's experience with Hospice of South Texas and continues to shape her leadership today.

Hospice executive highlights Medicare benefits during National Hospice and Palliative Care Month ABC-WWSB, Sarasota, FL; by Thad Randazzo and Summer Smith; 11/5/25 November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a time to discuss the benefits of hospice care and its importance to communities. Casey Cuthbert, executive director of Affinity Care Hospice of Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties, said people often don’t understand that hospice care is a journey everyone faces. ... Many people don’t realize they have paid into Medicare hospice benefits throughout their working lives, Cuthbert said. Medicare covers hospice services at 100%, including the caregiving team of nurses, aides, social workers, and chaplains.

Providence home health venture launches in California, includes North Bay The Press Democrat, North Bay, CA; by Cheryl Sarfaty; 11/4/25Providence and home-health care provider Compassus have finalized plans to provide home health, hospice, palliative care and personal home care services to multiple California regions, including Sonoma and Napa counties. California becomes the second of the three-phase joint venture. The first, announced March 3, includes Alaska, Texas and Washington. The third phase, in Oregon, is still pending regulatory review and approval in that state, according to Providence and Compassus. Under the agreement, Compassus will manage operations for all locations of the combined entity, called Providence at Home with Compassus. 

VNA Care's Heroes in Health Care raises $215k for patient care service Patch, Arlington, MA; by Deboarh Corkum; 11/5/25VNA Care, the first organized visiting nurse association in the United States, raised $215,000 for patient care services during the annual Heroes in Health Care Gala at the Mandarin Oriental, Boston. Heroes in Health Care is VNA Care’s signature fundraising event in support of essential funding for home health and hospice care for patients and their families across Massachusetts.

Alive Hospice celebrates 50 years with 400 guests, two Nashville stars and one Krispy Kreme Yahoo! News; 11/6/25In typical Vince Gill fashion, the country star had a nonprofit fundraiser crowd laughing and tearing up in a two-minute span. After his wife, fellow artist and Nashville philanthropist Amy Grant, gave heartfelt opening remarks at the Alive Hospice gala, Gill leaned into the mic with a little smile. "I'm strictly here as eye candy," Gill said, swiveling his hips and sticking out his tongue as the crowd laughed, hooted and clapped.  ... More than 400 people gathered for Alive Hospice's 50th anniversary gala Nov. 4 at the Country Music Hall of Fame in downtown Nashville. It was the largest event in the nonprofit's history, and the $1 million-plus raised is the most money Alive Hospice has collected at a fundraiser, hospice staffers said.

4 ways to honor veterans in hospice on Veterans Day 3HC; Press Release; retrieved 11/4/25 ... As veterans continue to age, there are more and more seeking hospice care. Veterans have unique needs, and at 3HC, we participate in the We Honor Veterans program in order to meet those needs and give them the recognition they deserve. ... Do you have a relative or loved one in hospice care who is a veteran? Read more to discover great ways to celebrate veterans in hospice on Veterans Day. 4 Ways to Honor Veterans in Hospice on Veterans Day:

Hospice House welcomes 500th patient, expands mission Nola.com, New Orleans, LA; by Lisa Von Eberstein; 11/2/25 When the 500th patient entered the Hospice House near Slidell last month, the milestone marked more than a number. ...  “We call them bittersweet benchmarks,” said Miranda Lindsay, executive director of the Hospice Foundation of the South and Hospice House. “It’s amazing for us in 11 years to have helped 500 families in our community, but at the same time, it’s 500 people who have passed.” Hospice House is a 3,600-square-foot home featuring three private suites, with screened-in porches in a homelike setting, for terminally ill patients to spend their final days.

“We See the Whole You”: NPHI celebrates National Hospice and Palliative Care Month National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Washington, DC; Press Release; 11/1/25 The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), the national voice for nonprofit hospice and advanced illness care, proudly celebrates National Hospice and Palliative Care Month this November by recognizing the impact of care delivered by nonprofit hospice and healthcare providers across the nation. This year’s national theme, “We See the Whole You,” honors the professionals and organizations who care for people as individuals — each with their own stories, values, and hopes — while supporting families through life’s most meaningful and challenging moments. The theme underscores NPHI’s commitment to care that puts people over profits, ensuring every person is treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.

The Katherine House: Hospice care for homeless people coming to Dallas Dallas News, Dallas, TX; by Steve Hamm; 10/31/25 The $5 million project is scheduled to kick off renovations at the home in January 2026. A 1896 Victorian-style house in the Wilson Historic District will be converted into a hospice house, providing end-of-life care for homeless individuals in Dallas at no cost. The Visiting Nurse Association of Texas is a 91-year-old nonprofit organization that provides home-delivered meals free of charge to individuals unable to obtain or prepare their own meals and offers home health, hospice, and community health services. The association has partnered with The Meadows Foundation to bring the project to life.