Literature Review

How Lower Cape Fear LifeCare built its Memory Care affiliate Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/22/25 Lower Cape Fear LifeCare built from the ground up a program dedicated to serving dementia patients. A growing number of operators have developed programs tailored to patients with specific diagnoses, providing specialized care tailored to their specific needs. Examples include dementia, heart failure and other cardiac conditions, as well as diseases of the lungs. At Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, the program started small and rapidly expanded. The North Carolina-based hospice provider six years ago launched a support group for dementia caregivers, called Memory Partners. This over time bloomed into a full-fledged dementia services subsidiary called LifeCare Memory Partners, Evan Dressel, director of strategy, development and innovation at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare said at the Hospice News ELEVATE conference in Orlando, Florida.

Appropriate deprescribing and payment in hospice dementia careJAMA Internal Medicine; Nathan M. Stall, MD, PhD; Sharon K. Inouye, MD, MPH; Lona Mody, MD, MSc; 3/25People living with dementia are one of the largest growing users of hospice care in the US, with approximately 20% of enrollees having a terminal diagnosis of dementia. In the setting of advanced dementia specifically, guidelines recommend deprescribing cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine as there is insufficient evidence for benefit, and there are risks of adverse events including bradycardia, falls, and gastrointestinal adverse effects. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services specifies that hospices are responsible for covering all medications under the Medicare Part A hospice benefit, but audits have revealed that millions of dollars of prescription drug costs are being inappropriately shifted to Medicare Part D. The study by Hunt et al occurs within a context of growing concerns about shifts in US hospice care where more than 70% of hospice agencies serving patients with terminal illness across all settings now operate on a for-profit basis, with increasing acquisition of hospices by private equity firms and publicly traded corporations. Compared with nonprofit hospices, for-profit hospices have more acute care utilization, provide less direct care, and have poorer caregiver-reported care experiences. For-profit hospices also enroll a higher proportion of persons living with dementia, which may relate to their lower acuity and longer stays, as well as more profitable margins under the per-beneficiary daily payment.

Carolina Caring Foundation’s “Flights & Bites” fundraiser raises over $45,000 for compassionate care Carolina Caring, Hickory, NC; 4/17/25 The Carolina Caring Foundation is celebrating the remarkable success of its 4th annual Flights & Bites fundraiser, which took place on Thursday, April 3rd, 2025, at Moretz Mills in Hickory, NC. This year’s event exceeded expectations, raising over $45,000 to support Carolina Caring’s mission of providing compassionate care to patients and families. Guests at the fundraiser were treated to an exquisite culinary experience titled “Passport to Flavor,” featuring tastes from around the world. “Carolina Caring Foundation expresses heartfelt gratitude to all sponsors and donors for their generous support in making our fundraiser a tremendous success,” stated Tara Bland, CFRE, Executive Director of the Carolina Caring Foundation. 

ECHO Health gifts $5 million to Quality of Life Campaign; Center for Community Engagement to be name Hospice of the Western Reserve, Cleveland, OH; Press Release; 4/10/25 Hospice of the Western Reserve has received a historic $5 million gift to its Quality of Life capital campaign from ECHO Health, the Westlake-based company founded by the late Bill Davis. This transformative contribution, the largest single gift in the organization’s history, will accelerate the completion of its new Hospice Care & Community Center on Cleveland’s Lake Erie shore. ... In recognition of this gift, the facility’s Center for Community Engagement will be named in honor of Bill Davis. 

Karen Rubel of Nathan Adelson Hospice announces transition to President of Chapters Health West; Lori Townsend named as new Executive Director of the Las Vegas-based nonprofit hospice Nevada Business; by Nathan Adelson Hospice; 4/11/25 Nathan Adelson Hospice, the leader in hospice and palliative care in southern Nevada, and its Board of Trustees announced today that President and CEO Karen Rubel has transitioned to become President of Chapters Health West, a newly launched division of Chapters Health System. As her new role gets underway, Nathan Adelson Hospice’s current Chief Nursing Officer Lori Townsend has been promoted to Executive Director of Nathan Adelson Hospice.

VNA Hospice NWI celebrates some of its most dedicated volunteers at Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast NWI.LIFE, Valparaiso, IN; by Philip Bolton; 4/7/25 On the morning of Saturday, April 5, VNA Hospice of Northwest Indiana hosted its annual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast at Christ Lutheran Church in Valparaiso. Volunteers who assist with VNA’s many services, including hospice and palliative care, the Medical Guardian help button program, the We Honor Veterans program, the Phoenix Center for Grief, and VNA Meals on Wheels of Porter County, were recognized. ... Matthew Naillieux, a VNA Hospice NWI volunteer, has proudly worked with the organization for 20 years. “Everything VNA Hospice NWI does is good for the community,” Naillieux said. ... "Usually, we’re volunteering at different locations at different times, and we aren’t able to get together like this very often." ... During the award presentation segment of the event, volunteers were recognized for milestone achievements. These included awards for achievements like 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service ... [Continue reading ...]Editor's note: Reminder that April is National Volunteer Month; April 20-26, 2025 is National Volunteer Week.

Franciscan Health men’s group meets to grieve together Daily Journal, Indianapolis, IN; by Ryan Trares; 3/31/25 The depths of the loss felt so great. When Phil Darmelio’s wife, Joanne, died in March 2023, he knew he needed help in his grief. The couple had been together for 60 years, and Darmelio was not certain who to talk to about his feelings. The suggestion of attending a bereavement group specifically for men seemed like a good place to start. The support has been overwhelmingly positive. ... The men’s bereavement group, hosted by Franciscan Health, has offered men grieving a death in their lives a place to heal with others in similar situation. Meeting weekly at the Franciscan Hospice House on the southside, the group offers a specially tailored program intended to meet the emotional needs of men. [Continue reading ...]

Voices of Inspiration at the Dignity Health Arena NBC KGET-17, Bakersfield, CA; by Joshua Eyraud; 3/31/25 Hoffmann Hospice is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025, and on Thursday night they brought in some star power. Hoffmann held its annual Voices of Inspiration dinner at the convention center in downtown Bakersfield on March 27. It featured a very special guest speaker – Third generation Nascar driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who retired in 2017, was the special guest speaker for the evening. ... Beth Hoffmann says it’s easy to see why Earnhardt Jr. was the perfect fit for this event. “We are a Nascar community, so that was kind of easy. I read his book and and that was phenomenal,” said Hoffman. “He’s just a man that perseveres, he’s committed to his goals, his mom had hospice and he was voted like 15 times the favorite of drivers, the most friendly.”

Foster Funeral Home helps Friends of Hospice provide children’ grief coping books to Hannibal, Mexico libraries Oswego County Today, Fulton, NY; 3/28/25 Foster Funeral Home has partnered with the Friends of Hospice in Oswego County (FOHOC) , to expand their program of offering books at local libraries to help children coping with grief and loss, said Klara Stellingwerf, manager, Foster Funeral Home. FOHOC launched the program in January by donating these books to the Oswego, Fulton and Pulaski public libraries, said Elena Twiss, FOHOC executive director. “Foster Funeral Home has helped us expand this program by donating these books to Hannibal public library and FOHOC donated them to the Mexico public library. ... There are book options for ages zero to eighteen-plus, and one of the books is even for adults to help assist parents in talking to their children about loss.”

Mitchell Hospice House celebrates upcoming grand opening KTIV-4 News, Sioux City, IA; by Acacia Phillips; 3/25/25 ... On Tuesday, Mitchell Hospice House celebrated its grand opening, which is less than a week away. At the celebration, members of the community had the opportunity to tour the facility. ... Mitchell Hospice House has a total of 9 rooms. ... They also have rooms for family members so they can be close to their loved ones. The goal is to provide a space for those who need that end-of-life care but want a place that feels like home. They officially open next Monday, March 31. [Contintue reading ...]

Daughter embraces mom’s hospice journey City Sun Times, Phoenix, AZ; by Lin Sue Flood; 3/25/25 As a nurse, Robin Benton is used to caring for people who are ill. But it’s different when your mother is the one who is sick. Her mom, Charlotte Brewer, a former nurse herself, has multiple myeloma, a rare type of blood cancer. In March 2024, the 80-year-old Valley resident decided to stop curative treatments in favor of comfort care with Hospice of the Valley, where she worked for over 10 years, before retiring in 2007. ... Charlotte’s Hospice of the Valley nurse, Kelly Langston, admires the way the family is living this stage of life with great intention, creating new ways to deepen their love for each other. “They came up with an idea for a hug shirt,” shared Kelly. “Everyone in the family painted their arms then took turns hugging each other — stamping an imprint of encircled arms on the shirts. It’s a way to feel each other’s hugs even when they aren’t together.” [Continue reading ...]

Healthy Colorado: Expanded hospice care in El Paso County KRDO TV-AM-FM, Colorado Springs, CO; 3/24/25 It's hard to talk about, and even harder for many families to live through. But it's important to know how many options there are for supported care. CommonSpirit Home Hospice recently expanded its program into El Paso County. They've been providing compassionate, end-of-life care for more than 30 years now. [Continue reading ...]

Hospice House plans to add a new home near Covington Nola.com, New Orleans, LA; by Jessica Saggio; 3/24/25 Mardi Gras may be over, but the Hospice Foundation of the South is rolling. The organization, known for its compassionate end-of-life care, has acquired a piece of land near Convington for a second Hospice House. Plans to fund its construction are underway with a new capital campaign. The effort, once stalled because of a difficult housing market, is back in action after a lot on Lee Road north of Covington was purchased with the help of an anonymous donor. ... Currently, there is one Hospice House in the parish, located near Slidell. The home, which is an oasis for those in their final days of life, provides care to patients free of charge. The only issue is the supply is not nearly big enough for the demand.