Hospice care provider and compassion fatigue research project
Personal communication; by Michelle Jackson; 6/10/26
Researchers at Missouri State University are conducting a research survey regarding compassion fatigue, resilience, and participation in meaningful activities for hospice care providers. This online survey is expected to take 15-20 minutes and has a participation deadline of 7/12/26. For additional information and to participate, click here.

The clinical relevance of sleep disturbance ("insomnia") in patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care: A scoping review
Supportive Care in Cancer; by Shauna Munir, Eva Jones, Faith Precious Omeokwe, Andrew Neil Davies; 5/26
Sleep disturbance ("insomnia") is common in patients with advanced cancer receiving specialist palliative care. The studies highlight that sleep disturbance is associated with a range of physical symptoms (e.g. fatigue, drowsiness), a variety of psychological problems (e.g. anxiety, depression), impaired quality of life, and reduced overall survival. Sleep disturbance is an "orphan" symptom, and the results of this scoping review suggest that it deserves much greater attention. Indeed, healthcare professionals should screen all palliative care patients for the problem and, when identified, perform a thorough assessment and initiate an appropriate treatment.

Stakeholder perspectives on integrating ADEPT into end-of-life care for nursing home residents with dementia: A qualitative descriptive study
International Journal of Older People Nursing; by Susanny J Beltran, Latarsha Chisholm, Emily Jaijairam; 5/26
Nursing homes care for a significant proportion of individuals with advanced dementia, yet timely hospice referrals remain a challenge. The Advanced Dementia Prognostic Tool (ADEPT) is a mortality risk score instrument that holds promise for improving care planning by providing a standardised, accessible method for identifying residents at risk of death within 6 months. Current processes for identifying hospice-eligible residents rely on regular assessments and interdisciplinary collaboration but reveal significant gaps, including delays in referrals and inconsistent practices. Participants viewed ADEPT as a promising tool to complement goals-of-care conversations and enhance care planning, rather than exclusively triggering hospice initiation. Implementation barriers included the need for electronic system integration, regulatory compliance and staff education, while facilitators encompassed strong leadership support, interdisciplinary coordination and alignment with existing workflows.

P4s are either unhelpful or unnecessary. Proposing a better AI-powered solution to predict patients' preferences
Bioethics; by Beatrice Marchegiani; 5/26
The Personalized Patient Preference Predictor (P4) has been proposed as an AI tool to aid surrogate decision-making when incapacitated patients lack advance directives. This paper argues that P4s face a fundamental dilemma: they are either unnecessary or unhelpful. To address  ... [its] limitations, I propose a better AI-powered alternative: the Patient Preference Retriever (PPR). Rather than generating new text, the PPR uses vector search techniques to retrieve relevant statements from a patient's digital footprint, presenting them verbatim alongside metadata such as date, context, and source. This approach offers greater transparency, respects autonomy more reliably, and supports surrogate decision-makers in weighing authentic evidence. I conclude that while advance directives remain the gold standard, retrieval-based approaches like the PPR provide a more reliable and ethically defensible use of AI in surrogate decision-making than generative approaches like P4s.

1807-1816: 250 Years - A History of Care
Hospice & Palliative Care Today; by Joy Berger; for 6/13/26
Read details and explore source links

• Francis Scott Key, 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' September 14, 1814
  "O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
  Historical context: In O Say Can You Hear: A Cultural Biography of “The Star Spangled Banner,” Mark Clague traces how the anthem’s meaning has evolved across two centuries, describing that the anthem reflects the nation’s ongoing effort to become “a more perfect union.”
  Today's hospice and palliative care: Read reflections on "free" and "brave" for today's hospice and palliative care.

• Dr. Daniel Drake, Natural and Statistical View, or Picture of Cincinnati, 1815
  "... [The] poor settler's family, exposed to all the vicissitudes of the climate, without comfortable lodging, and with a scanty, often unwholesome diet, is peculiarly liable to every species of disease."
  Historical context: Drake--physician and medical educator--insisted on bedside and hospital-based training grounded in lived conditions, helping shift medical understanding toward what we now call the social determinants of health.
  Today's hospice and palliative care: Local and national data help map serious "hot spots" and guide equity efforts.
  
  

• Almshouses as Places to Die — Poor Relief and Separation
  Almshouses offered food, shelter, clothing, and medical care to the poorest and most vulnerable, yet often in exchange for hard labor and forfeiture of freedom. 
  Historical context: Almshouses had become the default destination for people who were poor, chronically ill, mentally ill, or without family support. Many died there, far from home. 
  Today's hospice and palliative care:  Then—almshouses blurred care and containment. Now—care focuses on person-centered comfort, dignity, and goals of care across homes, senior living, assisted living, and skilled nursing facilities. 

There is no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth. ~Fred Rogers