Literature Review

National Father's Day Grief Helpline available through VITAS® Healthcare PR Newswire, Miramar, FL; by VITAS Healthcare; 6/9/26 Father's Day can intensify grief for millions of Americans, turning a day of celebration into one of quiet loss. Last year, more than 20,000 VITAS Healthcare hospice patients were fathers, representing tens of thousands of families who may feel that absence more deeply this month. To support those navigating loss, VITAS will host a free, confidential Father's Day Grief Helpline on Sunday, June 21, offering nationwide support from trained hospice bereavement specialists.

Your senior parents are easier to impersonate than you are FOX News; by Kurt Knutsson; 5/30/26 Americans 60 and older filed 201,266 complaints with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2025 and reported $7.7 billion in losses, the highest total of any age group. The average loss for older victims was nearly $38,500, almost double the figure for younger filers. The Federal Trade Commission's December 2025 report to Congress estimated that the overall cost of fraud to older adults in 2024 ranged from $10.1 billion to $81.5 billion, depending on how underreporting is measured. Two decades of breach dumps now sit between your parents and the systems still verifying them by date of birth, mailing address and the last four of a Social Security number.

Families struggle to secure home hospice U.S. News; by Cameron Blake; 6/3/26 A woman’s effort to honor her husband Craig’s last wish to die at home became a second fight alongside his bladder cancer, highlighting growing strains in access to hospice care outside the hospital. The caregiver, who asked to speak about her experience, said the couple faced delays and mixed guidance when trying to arrange home-based support in the final weeks of his illness. Their story mirrors a national problem as more families seek comfort-centered care while agencies report tight staffing and stricter eligibility reviews.

Sovereign Hospice releases guidance on home setup for end-of-life care NEWSnet, Aubrey, TX; by Sovreign Hospice; 5/31/26 Sovereign Hospice, a Dallas-Fort Worth-based hospice and palliative care provider, has released practical guidance for families preparing to receive end-of-life care at home. ... The guidance covers room selection, durable medical equipment placement, medication organization, caregiver strategies, and a clear explanation of the services hospice offers in a home setting. It is directed at families across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex who are beginning to consider hospice at home service for a loved one with a life-limiting illness.

‘Behind the blue’: social work's Abbie Latimer on how to support those who are suffering UKNow | University of Kentucky HealthCare, Lexington, KY; by Kody Kiser; 6/1/26 When someone we care about is going through something painful, many of us struggle with the same question: what do I say? On this episode of “Behind the Blue,” Abbie Latimer, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Social Work, discusses hospice and palliative care, serious illness communication and how people can better support one another during difficult moments. Latimer also holds an affiliate appointment in the UK College of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Palliative and Supportive Care. 

The estate planning mistake that could leave your family with nothing Due; by Petere Daisyme; 5/28/26 A friend’s father passed away last spring with $1.2 million in assets and no will. No trust, no beneficiary designations updated since the 1990s, no power of attorney documents. His ex-wife — not his current partner of 15 years — was still listed as the beneficiary on his life insurance and retirement accounts. Change your designations as soon as a life situation changes. ...

A husband’s story of end-of-life care at home MedPage Today's KevinMD.com; by Ron Louie, MD; 11/27/25... When my wife died at home, it wasn’t really a surprise. ... Over the previous few weeks, we had notified her primary care physician’s office of the need for a home hospice referral, but because of some snafu, the correct wording wasn’t used, and the paperwork stalled. ... Years before, we had already obtained a POLST (Portable Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment, our state’s “green form”), signed by a doctor, that made clear my physician wife’s choices in advanced directives: no CPR, tube feedings, or IV treatments. ... Since we didn’t have an active home hospice referral, I knew that firefighters could pronounce her death; my own license had lapsed in retirement. ... The firefighters left, but the police stayed quite awhile until they were cleared by the Medical Examiner’s office. ...Editor's Note: This caregiver story powerfully tells challenges experienced by a retired oncologist/spouse. Calling all leaders who are part of referral and admissions processes, pay attention to the problems caused by delays: firemen, police, and (not named) lack of bereavement care.

Butterfly Garden of Remembrance 2026 YubaNet.com, Nevada County, CA; by Foothills Compassionate Care; 5/15/26 Driving along the freeway between Grass Valley and Nevada City, passengers might notice three large butterfly statues in the nearby distance. The statues mark the annual Butterfly Garden of Remembrance, hosted by Foothills Compassionate Care [formerly known as Hospice of the Foothills]. ... In a community where neighbors care deeply for one another, few traditions capture that spirit more beautifully.  For more than 25 years, the Butterfly Garden has offered a sacred space for grief, healing and remembrance.

Big Bend Hospice launches Nutrition Shake Drive to support Jefferson County Patients WTXL-27 ABC, Tallahassee, FL; by Crystal Whitman; 5/8/26 Big Bend Hospice in Jefferson County is calling on the community to help provide vital nutrition for local hospice patients through a month-long Nutrition Shake Drive. For many in hospice care, eating full meals can be difficult or impossible. Meal replacements like Ensure, Boost, and Glucerna offer comfort and essential nutrients, but they are often not covered by health insurance, leaving families — especially in rural areas — to shoulder the cost themselves.

Revisiting stories about mothersHospice & Palliative Care Today; compilation by Joy Berger, Editor in Chief; 5/6/26As we move into this Mother's Day weekend, we revisit memorable stories from our newsletter about mothers. Relationships can be unconditional love, broken, and every nuance in between. May these be a catalyst inspirations for your own relationships with the women in your lives - mothers, grandmothers, wives, daughters, aunts, grands, sisters, in-laws, "steps," and more. 

My mother left me a garage full of mysterious ingredients—and so much more Vogue; by John Mok; 5/6/26 Late in the summer of 2024, my mother was moved into hospice after a brief hospitalization. ... I promptly returned home to Los Angeles from New York and steeled myself for her passing. The trip lasted five months. ... Over the years, I had tried to meet her in the kitchen, to learn through her homestyle dishes, to unlock some part of her Chinese heritage, even with her American adaptations. But there was never enough time. During those five months we did get a little more time—one more round of holidays and one more memorable moment, when she passed peacefully passed. ... What my mother left behind was an invitation. Our garage remains an apothecary of TCM, dried herbs, and dried seafood—all stored in repurposed mayonnaise jars and Costco biscotti containers, their labels scribbled over with her Chinese script. ...

Mother's Day support for hospice families

Local students stitch comfort, compassion, and dignity for hospice patients Bennington Banner, Bennington, VT; Press Release; 5/4/26 A small group of students in a dedicated class at Mount Anthony Union High School have spent recent weeks carefully crafting handmade catheter bag covers and adult bibs for patients served by VNA and Hospice of the Southwest Region (VNAHSR). Each stitch tells a story — not just of skill learned, but of empathy in action. For hospice patients, small details can make an immeasurable difference. Everyday medical necessities, like catheter bags, can feel clinical and impersonal. These thoughtfully designed covers soften that experience, offering privacy, warmth, and a sense of normalcy.