What to say to someone who is dying, according to hospice workers 
Time; by Angela Haupt; 8/5/26   
In the weeks before Her father died, Sydney Mishkin kept trying to figure out what she still hadn’t told him. She felt desperate to identify the words she might one day regret leaving unsaid. ... “How do you sum up a lifetime of loving somebody into a sentence or two?” she says. ... The answer, according to people who spend their careers alongside the dying, is that you don’t have to. There are words that can bring comfort, invite honesty, and help both of you find peace. But there’s no perfect script—and your presence likely matters more than anything you manage to say.

• Don't wait for the right moment ...
• Lead with the obvious—and then let them talk ...
• Say the four things that matter most ...
• Reassure them about what they're leaving behind ...
• Skip the platitudes—and don't try to fix it ...

MatrixCare publishes their list of 2026 CAHPS Honors Elite and Honors Award winners 
MatrixCare, by ResMed; retrieved from the MatrixCare website on 8/11/26 
For over 10 years, the prestigious HHCAHPS Honors and Hospice CAHPS Honors programs recognize agencies that excel in delivering positive patient experiences and high-quality care as measured by the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) and Hospice Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers (CAHPS) satisfaction scores. ... By highlighting agencies that excel in patient satisfaction and quality of care, these programs not only celebrate outstanding achievement, but also set standards of excellence within the industry. They inspire agencies to continually prioritize the patient and caregiver experiences—fostering trust, compassion, and innovation in home health and hospice services. [Read the list here.]
Editor's Note: This list was selected and published by MatrixCare (a ResMed company), and is limited to their clients, only. MatrixCare's "Honors" status indicates scores above MatrixCare's National Performance scores for at least 17 of 22 measures; "Elite" status indicates scores above national averages for all 22 measures. Several other CAHPS approved vendors provide their own scoring and awards. CMS--itself--does not run an award program; it does publish official Care Compare measure scores. Congratulations to all organizations listed, especially the approximately 70 that reached MatrixCare's top "Honors Elite" tier.

AMOREM receives $35k grant from Broyhill Family Foundation
Ashe Post & Times, Hudson, NC; Staff Reporter; 8/9/26 
AMOREM, a local nonprofit hospice provider, has four inpatient hospice facilities throughout its service area. Recently at AMOREM’s Jack and Shirley Robbins Center campus in Hudson the commercial hot water heater stopped working, requiring the organization to purchase meals from outside sources for the patients and their families being served at the Forlines Patient Care Unit at that time. ...  The cost to purchase and replace the dysfunctional equipment was $35k, and needed to continue preparing around 6,000 meals annually in that commercial kitchen. The locally-based Broyhill Family Foundation (of the Broyhill Furniture Industries) graciously donated funds to immediately order new equipment, to be installed before the end of the month.

Nonprofit announces new 'challenge grant,' matching every dollar donated through year-end up to $300K 
Steamboat Pilot & Today, Steamboat Springs, CO; by Julia Coccaro; 8/10/26 
Northwest Colorado Health has raised nearly $800,000 toward its first-year fundraising goal for home health and hospice services since the campaign’s October 2025 launch, and a newly announced $300,000 matching grant could push the nonprofit past its target by year-end. Chief Executive Officer Steph Einfeld shared the fundraising update with the Steamboat Springs City Council at its meeting last week, framing the nonprofit’s home health and hospice programs as essential infrastructure that enables residents to remain safely at home rather than relying on hospitals, emergency services or out-of-area facilities.

Chapters Health System announces expansion of care in Sarasota County 
PR Newswire, Temple Terrace, FL; by Chapters Health System; 8/11/26 
Chapters Health System announced that it received another certificate of need to develop a Chapters Health Hospice program in Sarasota County in Florida. The award expands the organization's footprint and offers the chance to bring industry-leading chronic illness care to the Sarasota community. ... Chapters Health provides hospice care for more than 21,000 individuals each year across Florida through its comprehensive care model, ...  Thanks to the support of the Chapters Health Foundation, the organization also provides more than $10 million in charitable and uncompensated care each year to those in need.

How California’s hospice industry spiraled out of control — and cost millions in fraud 
Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles, CA; by Jason Henry; 8/9/26 
A quiet change in California law in 2018 unleashed a deluge of new hospices and spurred millions of dollars in Medicare fraud that state and federal authorities are still trying to unwind. ... It all started with three paragraphs added, at the request of the California Department of Public Health, to the end of an omnibus bill in 2018. CDPH had a backlog of 72 applications for hospice licenses at the time and wanted legislators to provide an alternative to a major bottleneck: its own inspectors. Under SB 1495, hospices could choose to pay a third-party accrediting organization for the inspection needed for a license, instead of waiting weeks or months for the next available state employee. ... Unlike a restaurant, which must undergo fire, building and health inspections, the vast majority of hospices in California could suddenly obtain a license, and even approval to bill Medicare, without a public employee stepping foot on the property. ...

Judge denies states’ motion to postpone Medicaid work requirement 
STAT, Boston, MA; by Anil Oza; 8/30/26 
[On 7/30] a federal judge denied 26 states’ request to postpone the implementation of Medicaid work requirements announced in June. The case seeks to alter a piece of one of President Trump’s biggest legislative priorities. The suit is focused on the implementation of a work requirement for people who receive Medicaid, the details of which were issued in June with the target of implementing the changes by Jan. 1. But states must also communicate with Medicaid recipients by Aug. 31 regarding how the changes may affect those enrollees.

3 big questions to ask your aging parents 
Morningstar; by Amy C. Arnott, CFA; 5/5/26 
One of the toughest things to go through as an adult is helping your parents as they get older. The elephant in the room is that life is finite, and both you and your parents might be reluctant to talk about what type of support they might need as they get older. But as difficult as these conversations can be, it’s important to make time for them. Eldercare attorney Harry Margolis recommends age 75 as the best time to start talking to your parents about finances and caregiving issues. ...

1. How Healthy Are Your Finances? ...What you can do: ...
2. Do You Have End-of-Life Plans and Documents? ... What you can do: ...
3. Is Your Home Still Safe and Comfortable for You? ... What you can do: ...

Rural health is having a moment. But it still doesn’t feel like enough. 
HealthIT Answers; by Amy Oliver; 8/9/26
Rural health is having a moment. There is $50 billion in federal transformation funding on the table, a wave of state legislation moving through capitols with a trail of confusion, and a public comment period on Medicaid work requirements that recently closed. Layer on the webinars, panels, policy briefs, and LinkedIn posts about rural hospitals, and it is more attention than I have seen in my fifteen years in this industry. ... If you work at a health system or a rural hospital and you are living the gap between what the policy assumes and what your systems can actually do, I would really like to hear from you. I am talking to CIOs, clinicians, and administrators for the next piece in this series, and off the record is completely fine. amy@azulheart.com  

Revisiting mastering the art of re-entry: the key to a less-stressful return from vacation 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); by Chris Comeaux; 8/11/26 
Now that it is midsummer, have you followed my advice in my previous blog, Work-Life Harmony and taken your vacation? Stephen Covey coined the phrase, “Sharpening the saw,” many years ago and that age-old wisdom applies even more today than when he first wrote about it over thirty years ago. Taking time off is essential to live a high-performance life. But I have noticed a disturbing trend amongst my peers and team members. They are taking time off, but about a week into their return, they comment, “that is so far in the rearview mirror because I am so far behind that I am working twice as hard to catch up.” ... It's time to break free from this vicious cycle by incorporating a crucial new competency: planning your re-entry.
Editor's Note: Translate this to your interdisciplinary team professionals for whom--during their vacations--patients have died, their family conflicts have escalated, and newly admitted patients have been added to their caseloads. What systems do you have for smooth, supportive transitions for IDG members when they hand off caseloads when leaving, and pick them up on return?

[England] 'Magical' hospice unit opens after £16m revamp 
BBC News, West Yorkshire, England; by Cara Thorpe and Jack Conlon; 8/4/26  
A new hospice facility which aims to "transform" the care given to patients and their families has opened its doors in West Yorkshire. The £15.8m inpatient unit at Overgate Hospice in Elland has taken two years to build after a previous eight years of planning. ... The new hospice building includes:

• 16 private, spacious bedrooms with accessible en suite bathrooms, internet connection and smart televisions
• Increased family spaces
• Therapy rooms
• Jacuzzi bathroom and state-of-the-art bath with sensory features including music, lights and bubbles
• A spiritual space
• Wildflower garden

The project has been paid for largely by fundraising, alongside grants and donations from local trusts and foundations. "People have literally jumped out of planes, trekked mountains, run through streams of color," Tracey Wilcocks, Overgate Hospice chief executive described.

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