Literature Review

Distress screening and pediatric palliative care referral: A retrospective case-control study in supportive cancer care deliveryJournal of Palliative Medicine; by Jonathan Ebelhar, Katherine Yeager, Jordan Gilleland-Marchak, Dio Kavalieratos, Zhulin He, Rebecca Williamson Lewis, Katharine E Brock; 9/26Pediatric palliative care (PPC) reduces distressing symptoms and improves quality of life for children with cancer and their caregivers. This study assesses whether patient and caregiver distress is associated with PPC referral. Conclusion: Patients reporting high distress had higher odds of PPC referral. Caregiver DT [distress thermometer] scores were not associated with PPC referral. High patient distress scores could serve as a screening criterion for PPC referral.

Support group helps navigate loss in a fast-food culture The Denver Gazette, Denver, CO; by Katie Soenke, 10/19/26 ... You experience a loss. You take a few days off work. You are expected to heal and move on. ... Across the region, people navigating loss are encountering a cultural expectation of quick recovery that forces them to hide their pain. The result is deep isolation and exhaustion for those left behind, along with growing concern among grief counselors who say our society’s avoidance of loss is making the healing process much harder. “Grief is so incredibly isolating,” said Sarah Lee, a bereavement counselor with Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care. “And this is rooted in our culture’s avoidance, denial and discomfort.” Editor's Note: This "fast-food culture" metaphor for how we treat grief is profound. Right on target. Read on. 

Do you need to step back from caregiving? How to spot the signs WAND News, Decatur, IL; by LeAnne Gendreau, Katherine Ambrose , Sondra 'Sam' Cradduck , Amy Cameron O’Rourke and Dr. Rhea Rogers; 10/2/26 Caregiving is often called an act of love, but over time it can wear down your mind, your body and your relationships. The Aging Untold experts explain the warning signs of caregiver burnout, why stepping back can actually be the safer choice and how to make the transition without falling into guilt.

The balancing act: how caregivers navigate the stress of work, family, and caring for a loved one Delaware Live; by Staff Writer; 9/16/26 ... This article — the sixth in a continuing series on the caregiver’s experience — explores practical strategies for balancing competing pressures while protecting your own well-being. Insights from national research and guidance from Delaware Hospice, Oasis Senior Care (a leading consultant for families), and Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore underscore a central message: you don’t have to do this alone, and thriving — not just surviving — is possible.

When a friend becomes a caregiver HealthDay; by Paula Span; 9/14/26 ... “The number of older adults who have never married or are divorced has been increasing, so we have more people aging alone,” said Deborah Carr, a sociologist at Boston University who has investigated these trends. “The proportion who are childless, by choice or not, is also growing,” she added, and families with children have fewer of them than in past generations. Geographic distances or family estrangements also fuel the need for other kinds of caregivers — roles that friends or neighbors can fill. How commonly do friends step into caregiving gaps? A recently published study in JAMA Network Open, led by researchers at the University of Michigan, looked into friends and neighbors serving as caregivers, usually in supplementary roles. ...

Medicare moments: The scarcity of Medicare caregiver benefits Allied News; by Joel Mekler; 9/14/26 ... AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving released the 2025 Caregiving in the U.S. report, their newest update since 2020. This comprehensive document offers an in-depth look at the evolving landscape of family caregiving for adults, highlighting key trends, challenges, and potential reforms. A key discovery is the swift growth in family caregiving. Almost 25% of adults — 63 million Americans — spent the last year caring for an adult (59 million) or a child (4 million) with complex medical needs or disabilities, marking a 45% increase since 2015. This trend underscores the essential role of family caregivers and exposes systemic shortcomings that place significant burdens on them, highlighting the pressing need for reforms.

Sandwich generation caregiver shares how she cares for her mom with Alzheimer’s at home KVVU-TV Fox 5, Las Vegas, NV; by LeAnne Gendreau and Sondra 'Sam' Cradduck; 9/10/26 Ty Lewis, a dementia practitioner, takes care of her mother, Gertrude, who is in the end stages of Alzheimer’s while raising her children. She has been sharing her journey online with a community of more than 120,000 people online. Lewis, a member of the “sandwich generation,” sat down with Aging Untold expert and gerontologist Sam Cradduck to talk about what it takes to care for two generations and what the online community means to her family. 

[United Kingdom] Stirling University expert helps design dementia friendly flat for F1 legend Jackie Stewart's wife Lady Helen Edinburgh Evening News, Edinburgh, England; by The Newsroom; 8/28/26 An architect from the University of Stirling has helped design a dementia-friendly apartment for Lady Helen Stewart, wife of former racing champion Sir Jackie Stewart. Lady Helen was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2012 and Sir Jackie has become a passionate campaigner raising millions of pounds for research through his charity Race Against Dementia. The couple celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary today, Friday, August 28. ... Dementia-friendly features in the renovated apartment include: low-level counters to allow Lady Helen to interact and participate in cooking; a see-through and easily accessible fridge; visible open cabinets and front-facing clothing in the bedroom; integrated lighting for personal items; subtle and custom-made medical, cleaning and disinfection areas; and private medical areas for Lady Helen and her care providers.

Opinion: Family caregivers in NH need stronger support Concord Monitor, Concord, NH; by Julia Stone; 8/25/26 Every day across New Hampshire, family caregivers quietly hold our system of care together. Most never call themselves “caregivers,” they simply see themselves as doing what families and friends do. They are your 50-something coworker with a busy career and home life who cares for an aging parent, not only visiting regularly, but also managing their healthcare, daily needs, finances and more. And they are your elderly neighbor who still cares for an adult child with disabilities while navigating their own health challenges, and the older couple trying to go about life as usual while one of them slips deeper into dementia. As New Hampshire’s largest non-profit home health and hospice agency, our team members at Granite VNA witness these real scenarios and many others across the state every day. And they see the toll it takes on caregivers. ... While resources for caregivers exist, many do not seek help until they are overwhelmed. New Hampshire’s ServiceLink Aging and Disability Resource Centers offer information, counseling, respite services and connections to community resources, yet many families are unaware these programs are available.

My grandparents wanted to age at home. Eventually, their care cost $4,000 a week. Business Insider; by Erin Dentmon; 8/25/26 My grandparents lived at home until dying in their 90s in 2024 and 2025. Like many people, they had no desire to leave their shared home at the end of their lives. ... Through great sacrifice, my mom and her siblings worked to make that happen for them. My grandparents, a rural, middle-class couple, benefited from an increasingly unique set of circumstances: Their end-of-life illnesses were relatively short. My grandfather's pension provided financial security. Most importantly, they had six adult children ready to pitch in to make it happen. Even with all of these advantages, caregiving was complicated.

Pittsburgh Caregivers get federal lifeline as dementia cases swell across Allegheny County hoodline; by Ryan Miller; 8/21/26 Caregivers looking after loved ones with dementia in Pittsburgh now have a new federal tool to lean on, and it is already showing up at a day center in Squirrel Hill. The Anathan Club, run by the Jewish Association on Aging, has begun connecting families to the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience Model, a Medicare program that can cover up to $2,500 a year in respite care for qualifying beneficiaries. The Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience Model, known as GUIDE, was developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and launched nationwide on July 1, 2024, as an eight-year voluntary pilot running through June 30, 2032, according to CMS. Nearly 390 provider organizations across the country are participating.