Literature Review

Tiny tree reappears along Lititz Pike to brighten the holiday season Lancaster Online, Lancaster, PA; by Claudia Esbenshade; 12/23/25 ... Anderson, a social Worker with Hospice & Community Care, took the initiative that year to give "Charlie," which is what Anderson called her tree, some love and adorned it with a little blue blanket and one red ornament. She named the tree in honor of the beloved tree from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." ... "Charlie had become more than a weed in a crack. He was a symbol. A pause. A quiet reminder that resilience exists even when conditions are ugly, and hope can show up where you least expect it," she wrote in her post. "My work centers around people who are often really fragile and facing limited life expectancy," Anderson said in an email. "So sometimes the smallest, most overlooked things end up meaning the most, especially to people who are tired, grieving, or just trying to get through the day. That little tree’s resilience has always been really special to me."

The quiet note: Music, the language of compassion at life's end Psychology Today; by Sara Leila Sherman and Morton Sherman; 7/14/25 Music plays a vital role in the quieter, more tender, more difficult moments of life, especially near the end. We’ve seen how a single note, played or remembered, can become a bridge between worlds, between a person and their memories, a caregiver and a patient, a life lived and a life letting go. In those final moments of life, where silence often speaks louder than words, music and mindful action offer something medicine cannot: presence. 

A woman in hospice granted a wish of one last swim WEAU-13 News, Bloomer, WI; by Danile Gomez; 7/16/25 Often times the small things are taken for granted. Like a dip in the pool. For Barbara Melby, it was on the final list of things to do as she lives out her time in hospice care. “Barbara has been doing pretty well. She has had some fatigue and some tiredness,” said Leah Grace, the registered nurse with St. Croix Hospice assigned to Melby’s case. ... Grace worked hard to make sure Melby’s last dip in the pool would come to fruition. She cleared it with Melby, her family and the managers at the hospice center. The aquatic center helped in granting the wish too. ... “The way the chair put me in down the water was very nice,” said Melby. Of those in Melby’s family that jumped in the pool with her included Stoll and her kids Colby, Sydney and Brody. “I grew up swimming in my grandmother’s pool. ...” said Stoll. She is happy to be there for her grandmother’s last swim. “Just a pretty special memory we will all hold on to for a pretty long time.” Melby was a swim instructor, ... It was something she always loved and it made her happy to have had her wish granted.

Remembering the Holocaust with little-known story about a Jewish refugee and Cicely Saunders: Honoring the International Holocaust Remembrance Day - 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

City forced him to cut the oak tree tied to his late wife, so he found a way to save it forever Scoop Upworthy; by Prachi Mallick; 11/4/25 It was where he had proposed to her, where they carved their initials 30 years earlier, where their love had taken root. In a recent post, one husband shared how a city order forced him to say goodbye to the oak tree that had been central to his marriage, and how, instead of letting that final link vanish, he found a way to rebuild it into something he could carry with him forever. ... "For two years, I couldn’t touch it. Then, one day, I saw someone who had turned wood from his grandfather’s barn into furniture. Something clicked inside me. I taught myself woodworking through YouTube videos and practicing at night. Every cut, every curve of that tree became part of a door. The branches that once bore our initials are now the frame for all who enter our home."Editor's Note: Click here and scroll down for a photo of this husband's beautiful artistry.

Father of 3 stages 'Grief Photo Shoot' to remember wife who died of cancer (exclusive): CJ Infantino and his late wife Ariana were high school sweethearts People; by Jordan Greene; 2/13/25 There are many moments forever etched in CJ Infantino’s memory, but one stands out above the rest. It was Sept. 5, 2020, when CJ and his wife, Ariana, sat their three kids down at the kitchen table in their California home and told them that Ariana, 35, was going to die. ... Ariana was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2015 — coincidentally, on CJ’s 30th birthday. "We spent the next five-and-a-half years trying to live as much life as we could. We wanted to pack 30 years into 10," CJ says. ... After her last breath, he recalls that everyone "just went silent." ... Right away, the father of three felt isolated, as if no one could relate to his experience. He found that the things people said were often unhelpful and, at times, unintentionally harmful.  ... "I really just wanted to show my kids that, even though she’s not physically here, it’s okay to talk about her. We’re still allowed to laugh, even when we’re in so much pain," he says. "I remember the first moment I laughed or felt a hint of joy, and I thought, 'Are we allowed to do this?' " ... [Click on the title's link for the inspirational story and family photos before and after Ariana's death.] 

My Dad was a professional Santa for 49 years — until tragedy struck. Then a group of strangers gave us a miracle. HuffPost | Personal; by Melissa Melnick; 12/7/25 "When they told us their idea, I felt something crack open in me." I grew up knowing that Christmas magic wasn’t something you waited for — it was something you made. And I learned that from my dad. Most people think they know about Santa, but my sister and I were lucky enough to grow up with him. My father, Ray, started playing Santa when he was just 21 years old. ... Knowing my dad, I suspected he’d never actually stop. Then, just a few months later, our world got turned upside down. ... Within 24 hours of the story airing on TV, more than 120,000 people had viewed the clip online. Photos poured in. Old letters. Messages from parents whose children had visited my dad over the years. Stories about how Santa Ray had given their kids confidence, comfort, or joy. ... Editor's Note: Continue reading this beautiful, inspiring story.

Award-winning documentary chronicles hospice nurse’s final 39 days Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) and TGBeyond, Washington, DC; Press Release; 12/1/25Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) and TGBeyond today announced the release of A Butterfly Has Been Released, an award-winning short documentary, alongside a new professional continuing education program, From Caregiver to Patient: Hospice Nurse Allyson’s Final 39 Days. Pre-purchase is available now, with formal release in January 2026. The 36-minute film follows Allyson, a hospice nurse with more than 20 years of experience guiding patients and families through death and grief, as she navigates her own final 39 days after a life-limiting diagnosis. Through candid kitchen-table conversations, a 150-person living funeral, and a natural green burial, Allyson demonstrates what she spent decades teaching others: live with purpose, presence, and connection until the very last day.Editor's Note: Is the concept of a "living funeral" new to you? I've seen this moving film several times, with a group discussion among healthcare professionals led by its producers Jason Zamer and Barry Koch. Click here for its 2-minute trailer.

City forced him to cut the oak tree tied to his late wife, so he found a way to save it forever Scoop Upworthy; by Prachi Mallick; 11/4/25 It was where he had proposed to her, where they carved their initials 30 years earlier, where their love had taken root. In a recent post, one husband shared how a city order forced him to say goodbye to the oak tree that had been central to his marriage, and how, instead of letting that final link vanish, he found a way to rebuild it into something he could carry with him forever. ... "For two years, I couldn’t touch it. Then, one day, I saw someone who had turned wood from his grandfather’s barn into furniture. Something clicked inside me. I taught myself woodworking through YouTube videos and practicing at night. Every cut, every curve of that tree became part of a door. The branches that once bore our initials are now the frame for all who enter our home."Editor's Note: Click here and scroll down for a photo of this husband's beautiful artistry.

Consciousness and meaning at life’s end: How the study of dying deepens our understanding of everyday presencePsychology Today; by Alexander Batthyany, PhD; 11/15/25Sergei Rachmaninoff lies dying in his Beverly Hills home. Family and friends surround him, the room suffused with that particular stillness that often accompanies life's final hours. Then something unexpected occurs. The composer opens his eyes and asks those present: "Can you hear this beautiful melody? The enormously beautiful music?" The response from those at his bedside is immediate: "No, there's no music here." ... I share this story with all those who wish to participate in our work as mandatory reading, simply because I want to prevent us from making the same error—saying "No, there's no music" instead of asking "What do you hear?" ...

The human cost of health care automation MedPageToday's KevinMD.com; by Christie Mulholland; 11/8/25 AI is rolling out in medicine faster than most of us can process. Ambient scribes documenting visits. Clinical decision support algorithms. Automated prior authorizations. The promises are compelling: reduced clerical burden, more face-time with patients, less burnout. I wanted this. As a palliative care doctor and director of physician well-being at my institution, ... [when] AI tools promised relief, I advocated for them. ... 

Why caring for a parent is hard for doctors MedPage Today's KevinMD.com; by Barbara Sparacino, MD; 10/19/25 I can sit with patients and families and talk about hospice, dementia, or end-of-life care without hesitation. Years of training as a physician and geriatric psychiatrist have prepared me for those conversations. But when my own parent needed care, all that training suddenly felt useless. Medical knowledge didn’t shield me from fear or guilt. It didn’t stop the second-guessing that came with every decision. It didn’t help me navigate the family disagreements about “what Mom would have wanted.” In that moment, I wasn’t the physician. I was the daughter, and that was far more complicated. Why caring for our parents feels different ...

Why 95% of AI rollouts fail and what L&D leaders can do about it Big Think+; 10/7/25 Companies are pouring resources into AI, yet capability gaps hold employees back from using it effectively. ... MIT recently reported that 95 percent of AI projects fail to deliver measurable outcomes. Despite the unprecedented investment, productivity gains are elusive, employee adoption is shaky, and the business case often collapses under scrutiny. How can we surround ourselves with the most powerful technology in human history, spend billions deploying it, and still struggle to prove it makes us better? The answer isn’t hiding in the models or the code. The real story and the real risk are sitting right in front of us. ... If you only push the tech, you’ll be part of the 95 percent of failures. If you only focus on people, you’ll underestimate what’s at stake. Success requires advancing both at the same time, with equal intentionality.