The Alliance and the Research Institute for Home Care release 2025 Hospice Chartbook 
National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 2/19/26 
The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) and The Research Institute for Home Care (the Institute) are excited to announce the release of the 2025 Hospice Chartbook. Highlighting the vital role that hospice plays in caring for an aging demographic, the Chartbook provides a look at the patients being served in hospice, who they are demographically and clinically, and more.  Now in its second year, the 2025 Hospice Chartbook, co-sponsored by the Alliance, provides an overview of national patient and workforce data with an emphasis on state-specific information and trends, including key data on hospice patients and providers, Medicare spending on hospice, and more. 

Hospital chaplain shares what end-of-life patients regret most 
Religion Unplugged; by Elizabeth Eisenstadt Evans; 2/24/26 
... In her research ..., Brandeis University professor (now President of Bryn Mawr College) Wendy Cadge found that many chaplains — whether they serve in hospitals, prisons or the military — often focus on end-of-life care and “big questions,” ones that might arise more forcefully in a time of crisis. ... When I’m with people near the end of their lives, what I most often witness is not fear of death itself, but grief over unfinished relationships and or unexpressed parts of the self. Many people grieve time they now see as wasted on what felt urgent in the moment but unimportant in hindsight — work that eclipsed connection, worry that crowded out presence, obligations that pulled them away from what actually nourished them. Alongside this is grief for words left unsaid, tenderness withheld, and versions of themselves they didn’t feel permitted to become.
Editor's Note: Yes. This research reflects what I witnessed as a hospice chaplain. Near the end, regrets are often about relationships left untended, words unspoken, and parts of the self not fully lived. Leaders, when your own life draws to a close, what regrets do you hope not to carry? What values do you hope will illuminate the darkness of your passing? May those answers boldly shape how you live, lead, and support teams who walk this sacred ground each day.

‘I just wanted them not to suffer’: Should terminally ill Ohioans be able to decide when it’s time to die? 
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH; by Mary Frances McGowna; 2/22/26 
In a growing number of states, terminally ill patients now have a legal option that would have been unthinkable to many Americans a generation ago: a doctor’s prescription that allows them to end their own life. The question is one of the most personal in modern health policy: Should a mentally competent, terminally ill person be allowed — with state approval and medical oversight — to choose the timing of their death? ... The debate is accelerating — and it’s reaching closer to Ohio. cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer will publish a continuing series involving the multitude of issues involving end-of-life decisions, including hospice care, the costs of care for the terminally ill, ethics, legal issues and more. If you’ve experienced these issues in your family and are willing to discuss your experiences and thoughts, please email Mary Frances McGowan at mmcgowan@cleveland.com.

Research study participation, 2/21/26

1. CAPC's third annual Palliative Pulse: The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) wants to learn about the health and priorities of your palliative care team and how we can support your success. CAPC’s third annual Palliative Pulse survey is designed to hear directly from teams providing specialty palliative care. We will share the survey results later this year and track changes in responses over time. Open to all specialty palliative care professionals working on (or who have recently worked on) a palliative care team. You do not have to be a CAPC member to participate. Completing the survey should take approximately 10 minutes or less.

‘It’s a collaborative effort’: Northern Light Medical Transport paramedics providing hospice support
WABI-5, Bangor, ME; by Alyssa Thurlow; 2/19/26 
... Paramedics can help patients across Maine with a variety of needs, but some are embracing a slower-paced role, focused on assisting those who are at the end of life. “Patients have access to care 24/7, and part of that coverage for after-hours is now coming through the community paramedicine program,” said hospice educator Allie Rohrer, RN. ... “It’s not with lights and sirens. It’s very low key. It’s driving there in a car, and then it’s talking through the issues,” said paramedic Ed Moreshead. ... Northern Light’s community paramedics are contracted with Northern Light Home Care & Hospice. Families in need of assistance call the triage number, and a hospice nurse and on-call physician can respond if needed.

New CAPC Report identifies caregiver support as key to better outcomes and lower health care costs 
Globe Newswire, New York, NY; by Center to Advance Palliative Care Press Release (CAPC); 2/20/26
As caregiving demands continue to grow nationwide, a new report from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) identifies formal caregiver support programs as a key driver of better outcomes and lower health care costs. The report links hospital-based caregiver support programs to improved outcomes for patients and caregivers, while being financially self-sustaining themselves.

New nonprofit helps Summit families facing terminal illnesses 
Summit Daily; by Summit Daily Staff; 2/24/26 
The newly launched nonprofit Lean on Us aims to provide support services for individuals and families in Summit County dealing with terminal illness. A news release from the nonprofit stated it will provide physical, social, emotional and financial support, complementing the work of existing nonprofits, healthcare providers and caregivers in the county. Lean on Us’ nonmedical assistance will include companionship, caregiver respite, transportation, meal support, emergency financial assistance, accommodations, resource coordination and help with day-to-day tasks.

Hospice use rising for seniors following ICU stays 
U.S. News & World Report; by Deanna Neff, HealthDay News; 2/25/26
For many older Americans, the intensive care unit (ICU) is a place of aggressive, life-saving intervention. However, a new national study reveals that more seniors are choosing a different path — transitioning from the high-tech world of the ICU to the comfort-focused environment of hospice. ... Between 2011 and 2023, the number of Medicare beneficiaries discharged to hospice after an ICU stay increased significantly, researchers from Boston University’s School of Medicine found. This shift occurred even as overall death rates remained steady, suggesting that the change in setting wasn’t tied to more people dying, but rather about how and where people spent their final days.
Editor's Note: We posted a similar article on 2/23/26. We post this article for your awareness and use, due to its high profile in U.S. News & World Report.

Be where you are: Leadership, caregiving, and the courage to pause with Carla Davis | part one 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux with Carla Davis; 2/25/26 
In this powerful episode on Hospice leadership and healthcare leadership development, Carla Davis, Executive in Residence at Cressey & Company, shares what she learned after taking an intentional executive sabbatical to care for her mother. This conversation explores the intersection of caregiver resilience, leadership and burnout, and rediscovering identity beyond professional titles. 

Physicians slightly more likely to die at home or hospice 
Chronic Disease, Public Health; by Adrian Wong and Michaela Dowling; 2/23/26 
1. In this cross-sectional study, physicians were slightly more likely to die at home or in hospice than both the general population and individuals in other professions.
2. The largest absolute differences between physicians and other professional groups were observed when Alzheimer disease or stroke was the underlying cause of death.

An exploratory analysis of advance care planning typologies in a sample of midlife and older adult sexual minority men
Journal of Gerontological Social Work; by Daniel Siconolfi, Emma G. Thomas, Sabina A. Haberlen, M. Reuel Friedman, Deanna Ware, Steven Meanley, Mark Brennan-Ing, James E. Egan, Robert Bolan, Valentina Stosor, Michael Plankey; 1/26
Advance care planning (ACP) allows individuals to specify preferences for care and surrogate decision makers that may be needed during a serious illness or at the end of life. Cisgender sexual minority men (SMM) are an overlooked population in most ACP research. Pre-Contemplators and/or Contemplators generally reported less socially supportive relationships, greater loneliness, less optimism, and less resilience than Formal Preparers and Full Preparers. Full Preparers had the highest level of AIDS-related bereavement. To maximize self-determination and preference concordant care, future ACP research and direct practice with SMM should be cognizant of underlying constellations of planning behaviors and psychosocial factors that may act as barriers or facilitators to planning.

Lawyer explains why everyone should do 'mandatory hospice volunteering' when they turn 18 
Upworthy; by Heather Wake; 2/20/26 
In a recent, thought-provoking episode of the Impact Theory podcast with Tom Bilyeu, renowned divorce attorney and author James Sexton shared how being a hospice volunteer drastically changed his perspective on life. "I think when you turn 18, you should have to do a year or two of mandatory hospice volunteering," Sexton said. "It changed my entire way of viewing the world."

To be seventy years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be forty years old. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes