Sheinelle Jones honors nurses who cared for her late husband
TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle; YouTube segment from tv show; 2/4/26 
TODAY's Sheinelle Jones pays special tribute to the nurses and caretakers who looked after her husband Uche Ojeh while in hospice and not only made the time he had left more comfortable, but also supported her and the whole family during their most difficult moments. "The only reason I even have the strength to talk about it, is because I believe that they're our heroes. They deserve all the love and attention we can give them," she says. Then, the care team, Jazzie Stickle, Denise James Wright, Nykyra Owens, Chanel Duff and Jessica Goldstein, get a special surprise.
Editor's Note: This segment on TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle honored Uche's birthday, the first birthday Sheinelle and her family are experiencing since his death from brain cancer in May 2025. Hudson Valley Hospice provided hospice care, and beautifully represented the best of hospice care's philosophy and care. In addition to nurses and aides, Sheinelle especially thanked Uche's speech pathologist who helped him voice "I love you." I invite you to watch this and be inspired:  Sheinelle Jones' late husband Uche relearned to say 'I love you' in hospice. And she has the video.

Awards and Recognitions: January 2026

• Four Seasons is proud to announce that Jamie Rouse, DNP, AGNP C, ACHPN, CLE, Four Seasons’ Vice President of Palliative Care, has been awarded a 2026 State Award for Outstanding Contributions by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). The AANP honors just one individual per state with this prestigious award.
  
  
• Purple Flag Excellence in Dementia Care™ has announced the appointment of Dr. Ronald Schwartz, MD, FACP, AGSF, CMD to the Purple Flag for Dementia Care Credentialing Committee. ... Dr. Ronald Schwartz is Senior Director of Continuum Health Services and Medical Director of Masonicare Hospice Services, bringing more than 30 years of experience as a board-certified internist and geriatrician specializing in dementia and hospice care.
  
  

WTWH Healthcare, a WTWH Media, LLC company, is proud to announce the Frontline Honors Class of 2025. With nominations across the behavioral health, home health & home care, hospice & palliative care, memory care, senior housing & senior living, and skilled nursing industries, the program showcases exemplary character and performance of frontline workers across the care continuum. Professionals awarded for their "Hospice & Palliative Care" excellence include the following:

• Amy Shen – On-Call Registered Nurse (RN), MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care 
• Beverly Lee – Chaplain, Grief Recovery Specialist & Mentor Faculty Member, Unity Hospice and Palliative Care
• Chyanne Esparza – Registered Nurse (RN) Case Manager, Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care 
• Deborah Shepherd – Social Worker, St. Francis Hospice 
• Guy Walters – Registered Nurse (RN), In-Patient Unit, Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care 
• James Mara – Hospice Registered Nurse (RN) Case Manager, Anchor Hospice & Palliative Care
• Jessica Glore – Lead Hospice Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Friendship Village
• Jodi Bigness – Hospice Manager, Partners in Care
• Penelope Ohlendorf – Admissions Registered Nurse (RN), Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness
• Trudy Daves – Registered Nurse (RN) Case Manager, Elara Caring
• Venilee De Sa – Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), HealthView Hospice & Palliative Care

O&I Subcommittee holds hearing on ongoing fraud in Medicare and Medicaid programs 
Energy & Commerce - Chairman Brett Guthrie, Washington, DC; Press Release; 2/3/26 
Today [2/3], Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, led a hearing titled Common Schemes, Real Harm: Examining Fraud in Medicare and Medicaid. ... Watch the full hearing here. [Key excerpts:] ... Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01): “Auditors found 112 hospice providers operating out of a single physical address. 112...holy cow. As a result, hospice agencies in LA County alone likely overbilled Medicare by $105 million in just one year. […] It looks like it’s a problem in a lot of different places. 

Congressional hearing confronts hospice, health care fraud 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 2/4/26 
Regulatory reform, better data and more state-federal and other stakeholder partnerships are necessary to combat health care fraud in the United States, including among hospices. This was a key message in a recent hearing by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Hospice fraud has been rampant in certain states. Unscrupulous providers have enrolled patients in hospice who were not eligible or without their knowledge or consent. They have also transferred patients from one hospice to another in exchange for monetary payments, engaged in “license flipping,” and paid illegal kickbacks for referrals, among other abuses.

CAPC tools and events to help address disparities and improve outcomes 
Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC); email and webpage; 2/2/26 
February 2026 marks 100 years of Black History Month. As we reflect on a century of honoring the history and contributions of Black Americans, CAPC’s Project Equity initiative focuses on turning that reflection into action by providing practical tools, innovative practices, and training to help palliative care teams effectively advance health equity for patients living with serious illness. 

Protecting patients at the end of life why CON still matters - part 2 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Paul A. Ledford and Tim Rogers;  1/30/26 
In Part Two of Protecting Patients at the End of Life: Why CON Still Matters, host Chris Comeaux continues the conversation with two of the nation’s most respected hospice policy leaders—Paul A. Ledford, President & CEO of the Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association, and Tim Rogers, President & CEO of the Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina. This episode moves beyond regulatory theory and into the real-world patient and family experience—especially in states without hospice Certificate of Need (CON) laws. Drawing on decades of leadership, personal stories of loved ones in hospice, and data-informed insights, Paul and Tim explore what families actually face when hospice markets are oversaturated, fragmented, or poorly regulated.

Drivers of disease-specific end-of-life disparities 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 1/30/26 
... Racial and ethnic disparities persist among underserved patient populations with dementia, who have a stronger likelihood of dying without awareness or access to hospice, recent research has found. Clinicians may play a vital role in moving the needle forward. Nearly 260, 000 Black, Hispanic and white Medicare decedents with dementia-related conditions were recently examined in a new study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Health Forum.  
Editor's Note: We posted this study in our Saturday Research newsletter, 12/27/25, End-of-life care for older adults with dementia by race and ethnicity and physicians’ role. This article gives more practical descriptions and applications for its results.

HopeWest holds 30th annual gala to support new dementia program 
KJCT 8 News - ABC, Grand Junction, CO; by Robbie Patla; 2/1/26 
HopeWest held its 30th annual gala on January 31, bringing community members and partners together to support its new Dementia Support Program, which launched in July 2025. ... "This program really supports the caregiver’s journey and provides them with resources so that they are knowledgeable and have the tools to take care of their loved one,” said Breeana Gumpert, Chief Development Officer for HopeWest. ... Over 520 Grand Valley residents attended the sold-out event, which featured a “Romantic Renaissance” theme and raised funds for the program through ticket sales, a silent auction, and donations.

Patients with terminal blood cancer stress need for transfusion access in hospice care, survey finds
Hematology Advisor; by Joantahn Goodman, MPhil; 1/28/26  
Patients with blood cancer eligible for hospice care emphasize the importance of access to transfusion over other services, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. The survey-based study confirms that, among patients with an estimated life expectancy of 6 months or less, routine hospice services are perceived of less value than transfusion access — suggesting that palliative transfusion availability should be incorporated into hospice care universally, the authors noted in their report.

[Australia] Cancer and dementia incidence are strongly correlated worldwide: Evidence from cross-national regression analyses
Future Science OA; by Wenpeng You, Brendon J Coventry, Maciej Henneberg; 12/25
Cancer and dementia are two major health problems affecting millions of people around the world. Countries with higher cancer rates almost always have higher dementia rates. Even after we accounted for income, life expectancy, and other social factors, cancer remained one of the strongest predictors of dementia. These findings suggest that cancer and dementia share many of the same underlying causes, such as aging, chronic inflammation, lifestyle habits, and changes that come with economic development. Understanding these shared patterns can help countries plan for future healthcare needs.

“Existential risk” – Why scientists are racing to define consciousness 
WDC TV News; by WDC TV News Staff; 2/1/26 
As artificial intelligence continues to advance and ethical concerns grow alongside it, scientists say the need to understand consciousness has reached a critical point. In a new review published in Frontiers in Science, researchers warn that progress in AI and neurotechnology is moving faster than scientific understanding of consciousness. This gap, they argue, could lead to serious ethical problems if it is not addressed. The authors say explaining how consciousness emerges is now an urgent scientific and moral priority. A clearer understanding could eventually make it possible to develop scientific methods for detecting consciousness. That breakthrough would have far-reaching consequences ...

Executive Personnel Changes - 1/30/26

• The Denver Hospice welcomed Dr. Julienne (Julie) Bemski, DO as their Medical Director, beginning January 20, 2026.
• The Denver Hospice welcomed Kerry Mclaughlin, MS, RN, NEA-BC, CNL as their Vice President of Clinical Services.

It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up. ~ Vince Lombardi, legendary coach who led the Green Bay Packers to wins in the first two Super Bowls