Literature Review

Olio and WeCare Centers raise the bar for transitions of care across Western Pennsylvania and New York BusinessWire, Indianapolis, IN; Press Release; 6/16/26 Olio announces a new partnership with WeCare Centers, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation operator with nine facilities primarily across Western Pennsylvania. Known for its commitment to compassionate, high-quality care, WeCare is adding Olio to bring the same rigor to what happens after a patient leaves the building. The partnership gives WeCare the infrastructure to formalize its outbound referral workflows, gain post-discharge visibility into home health and hospice partner performance, and demonstrate to payer and hospital partners a consistent, outcomes-driven approach across the full continuum.

National HealthCare Corp. closes 5-SNF, $50.5M acquisition McKnights Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 6/7/26 National HealthCare Corp. and its affiliates have closed on the previously announced $50.5 million purchase of five skilled nursing facilities from National Health Corp., the Murfreesboro, TN-based company announced Thursday [6/5/26]. ... Four of the SNFs are in Tennessee, and the other is in South Carolina.

First do no harm: communication surrounding non-beneficial treatments American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Cassie Stanzler, MD, Adam Marks, MD, MPH, and Laura Taylor, MD, MSc; 5/21/26 Despite a consensus in the medical community that clinicians should not offer non-beneficial treatments (NBTs) to their patients, little guidance exists on the particular communication needs around this fraught topic. While intended in the spirit of non-maleficence, setting limits around NBTs can be seen by patients and families as abandonment, resulting in conflict. In this paper, we propose a framework to guide Palliative Care clinicians in communicating about these complex issues with patients and families. ... Our framework emphasizes proactive relationship building with patients and families, close attention to their values, and compassionate limit-setting when medically appropriate. 

Klamath Hospice honors older Americans with 4th annual Senior Awareness Fair Herald and News, Klamath Falls, OR; by Courtney Neubauer; 5/22/26 Booths lined the walkways of the Klamath Hospice walking paths while a local musician played tunes, and many grabbed a hot dog and a bag of chips to mark the fourth annual Senior Awareness Fair. This event, organized by Klamath Hospice and Palliative Care, featured roughly 40 community booths offering resources and services to seniors and their families. ...  This year’s theme, Champion Your Health, encourages older adults to take action to support their health and prevent health issues, advocate for their needs, and make informed choices that support their well-being.

Trinity Homes sees home health, hospice transition Minot Daily News, Minot, ND; by MDN Staff; 5/21/26 Trinity Health has announced it has contracted with CHI Health at Home and Hospice and CaringEdge to provide hospice services to residents at Trinity Homes. Both are established Minot-area providers. Ensuring continuity of care has been the top priority throughout this transition, according to Trinity, which has worked closely with CHI Health at Home and Hospice and CaringEdge to facilitate a smooth transition for patients and their families. The transition of patients is complete, Trinity reported.

Hospitality exec brings hotel playbook to senior living, hits 97% occupancy Pacific Business News, Hawaii; by Cathy Cruz-George; 5/14/26 Mark Tsuda had three decades of hospitality experience when he joined the opening team of Ilima at Leihano, a luxury senior living community in Kapolei, in 2016. He previously was a regional executive for Aston Hotels & Resorts, ... Ilima at Leihano - which provides independent living, assisted living and memory care - has held an occupancy rate of between 95% and 97% over the past six years, supported by 92 employees who balance hotel-style services with healthcare needs and recreation. ... If a resident is in hospice, they can stay with us. Hospice is outsourced to local providers like Malama Ola and Island Hospice, ...

Don’t guess with health: Samaritan helps families identify the best care level for their aging loved one citybiz | New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh | Non-Profit; by Samaritan; 5/11/26When a loved one’s health begins to decline, families often face one of the most difficult questions in caregiving: What kind of care do they really need? Is it time for home-based primary care? Would palliative medicine improve quality of life while still seeking treatment? Or is hospice the most appropriate next step? ... With a full continuum of services—from primary care to end-of-life care—Samaritan helps families navigate complex healthcare decisions with compassion, expertise, and clarity. ... Editor's Note: Excellent descriptions for "choosing the right level of care" with simple, clear information and "navigation" services.

Nursing home ratings and characteristics predict hospice use among decedents with serious illnessesJournal of the American Medical Directors Association; by Ellis C Dillon, Chae Man Lee, Wenqi Gan, Doreek Charles, Germine Soliman, Julie Robison; 4/26Approximately one-third of older Americans experience a nursing home (NH) stay within 3 months of death, but it is unclear how NH characteristics influence end-of-life care.  Short-term (vs long-term) NH stays were associated with increased odds of hospice use and short hospice use. Individuals with long-term stays had lower odds of hospice use with stays at NHs with the highest (vs lowest) CMS ratings for quality measures and staffing ... Those with short-term stays had lower odds of hospice use with stays at NHs with the highest CMS Health Inspection ratings. People with long-term stays at NHs that were part of a chain, had Alzheimer's care units, or had more beds had increased odds of hospice care. Conclusions and implications: Among Connecticut Medicaid-insured decedents with NH stays, people with long-term stays and stays in NHs with better CMS ratings had lower odds of hospice use. Assistant Editor's note: This summary article highlights an important issue and an excellent opportunity for future analysis in a broader context. Intuitively, we'd like to see highly rated NHs have higher hospice utilization. 

Pennant acquires senior living communities in Arizona and Wisconsin US National Times, Eagle, ID; Press Release by Globe Newswire; 5/1/26 The Pennant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNTG), the parent company of the Pennant group of affiliated home health, hospice, home care and senior living companies, announced today that effective May 1st 2026, it has assumed operations of three senior living communities across Arizona and Wisconsin, expanding Pennant’s operations by 194 units. The three operations are all subject to triple net leases. ...

Midland Care expands care model with VMA acquisition Midland Care; Press Release; 4/13/26 Midland Care Connection has announced that its subsidiary, Midland Care Physician Services, has acquired Vintage Medical Associates (VMA), a primary care practice focused on serving older adults across northeast Kansas. This acquisition allows Midland Care to more closely coordinate medical and support services, enable streamlined care transitions, and improve communication among providers. Shawn Sullivan, President and CEO of Midland Care, “This acquisition strengthens our strategy to expand access to integrated, person-centered care for older adults.”

Woman indicted for mother's death turns tragedy into advocacy WJBF-6 ABC News, Augusta, GA; by Kim Vickers; 4/16/26 A woman is speaking out after she was indicted last year for the death of her mother. Rachel Waters gave her mother morphine provided by a hospice company, which authorities believed led to the woman’s death. Six months later, the charges were dropped. Now, Waters is turning her experience into something positive. ... Foster was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and bone cancer and eventually her oncologist recommended home hospice care. The hospice company prescribed an end-of-life care kit for Waters to use when Foster needed it. End-of-life care kits contain several drugs specific to the patient’s needs, including liquid morphine. We spoke to several Hospice nurses who told us they are commonly prescribed to families and caregivers to administer to their loved one.