Hospice & Palliative Care Today

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Welcome to Hospice & Palliative Care Today, a daily email summarizing numerous topics essential for understanding the current landscape of serious illness and end-of-life care. Teleios Collaborative Network podcasts review Hospice & Palliative Care Today monthly content - explore these and all TCN Talks podcasts.

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May 16th, 2026

Saturday newsletters focus on headlines and research - enjoy!

Contents

Research News

   1. The bright side of life: Optimism and risk of dementia
   2. “They’re exhausted”: Hospice staff views on caring for patients and families impacted by dementia
   3. The professional guest: Ethical challenges in home-based end-of-life care among interprofessional teams
   4. The role of spirituality among nursing home staff caring for residents with advanced dementia: A qualitative descriptive study
   5. Assessing PA student interest in hospice and palliative medicine
   6. Integrative review of simulation-based pain management education in undergraduate nursing programs
   7. Trends in preferred place of death among patients with bladder cancer in the United States, 2000 to 2020
   8. End-of-life care patterns for cholangiocarcinoma in the United States: A 26-year analysis of home and hospice deaths by demographic, regional, and urbanization factors
   9. From lacking to linking: A call for inclusion of pediatric palliative care in national cancer data ecosystems

International News

10. [UK] A scoping review: Understanding global integration of traditional, complementary and alternative therapies (TCAT) in end-of-life care (EoLC)
11. [Canada] Understanding clinical ethics situations: A co-created repertoire of practices

Today's Encouragement

12. If you have good thoughts...

Research News

The bright side of life: Optimism and risk of dementia
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Säde Stenlund, Hayami K. Koga, Peter James, Justin Farm; 4/26

Previous studies suggest that higher optimism is associated with better cognitive function and slower cognitive decline in aging. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative sample of older U.S. adults, we examined whether optimism was associated with lower risk of developing dementia in different population groups and if associations were maintained after accounting for initial health status and other potential confounders and across multiple sensitivity analyses. Conclusion: Higher optimism was associated with a lower incidence of dementia. These findings suggest a potential value of optimism in supporting healthy aging, which could be considered in future research on dementia prevention initiatives.

Assistant Editor's note: This article summary claims a remarkable conclusion-that higher optimism was associated with a lower incidence of dementia. For many of us as we age, developing dementia is our biggest fear. I think we'd all like to lower our risk of getting dementia! But how? How do we get more optimistic? How do we develop optimism? As health professionals how do we teach others to engage in optimism as part of a healthy lifestyle? The answers to these questions are not simple nor straightforward. Perhaps this is an idea for a research study.

“They’re exhausted”: Hospice staff views on caring for patients and families impacted by dementia
Journal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Lauren J. Hunt, Matthew E. Growdon, Alexander K. Smith, Noam Margalit, Krista L. Harrison; 4/26

This qualitative study provides the first comprehensive overview of hospice professionals’ perspectives on care of patients and families impacted by dementia, highlighting that challenges and facilitators span the socioecological domains. Participants identified the prolonged and uncertain decline of PLWD [people living with dementia] —combined with insufficient family and long-term care resources—as the crux of many challenges for patients and families, hospice care delivery, and hospice policies. Optimizing hospice for patients and families impacted by dementia requires addressing both hospice-specific practice and policy, as well as broader dementia care infrastructure.

The professional guest: Ethical challenges in home-based end-of-life care among interprofessional teams
Nursing Ethics; by Inbal Halevi Hochwald, Gila Yakov, Moran Weiss, Liron Inchi, Inbal Mayan, Ron Sabar; 4/26
Home-based end-of-life palliative care presents unique ethical challenges that differ fundamentally from those in institutional settings. Healthcare professionals navigate the complex role of being both clinical experts and guests in patients' domestic environments, operating in a context where professional authority is continuously negotiated rather than institutionally established. Home-based palliative care places professionals at the intersection of clinical responsibility and domestic sovereignty, a position for which existing frameworks offer insufficient guidance. Addressing these structural and relational challenges requires both individual-level preparation, including training in ethical decision-making in low-control environments, and systemic policy reform.

The role of spirituality among nursing home staff caring for residents with advanced dementia: A qualitative descriptive study
International Journal of Palliative Nursing; by Anita Hendrix Rogers, Ashley Roach, Ruth Palan Lopez; 4/26
Experts recommend that people with advanced dementia receive palliative care focused on comfort and quality of life and including spiritual care. While expected to provide this care, the role of spirituality in the work of staff is not known. [In this study] four themes described how staff perceived spirituality to influence their work to comfort, guide, protect and make meaning. Understanding the role of spirituality in caring for nursing home residents with advanced dementia could help identify strategies that help staff draw on their spiritual resources.

Assessing PA student interest in hospice and palliative medicine
The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Ryan Baldeo, Rachael Broder; 4/26
While hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) is a critical and growing field, Physician Associates (PAs) are underrepresented. This study sought to assess PA student interest in HPM and identify strategies to increase engagement with the Physician Associates in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (PAHPM) organization. The survey assessed attitudes toward HPM and identified barriers to organizational involvement. Lack of awareness was the primary barrier to involvement (75.8%). Students expressed interest in educational resources (63.6%), job opportunities (57.6%), and mentorship (51.5%). Most respondents (81.8%) do not currently follow PAHPM on social media, but 72.7% indicated they would follow an Instagram account.

Integrative review of simulation-based pain management education in undergraduate nursing programs

Pain Management Nursing; by Elizabeth Byma; 4/26

Pain management education continues to be inadequate. The purpose of this integrative review was to explore the current state of the literature regarding the use of simulation-based education to teach pain management in undergraduate nursing. Simulation modalities included traditional in-person simulation with mannequins and standardized patients, computer and audio-visual recorded simulations, computer-based branching path simulation, and virtual reality simulations. Overall, the simulation interventions were reported to be helpful and engaging. Results indicated that most of the reviewed research addressed pain management strategies, with a few also addressing the multi-dimensional nature of pain, pain assessment and measurement, and clinical conditions affecting the pain experience.

Trends in preferred place of death among patients with bladder cancer in the United States, 2000 to 2020
Palliative & Supportive Care; by Manas Pustake, Atharva Railkar, Mohammad Arfat Ganiyani, Atulya Aman Khosla, Avi Harisingani, Hanzala Jehangir, Mostafa Eysha, Divya Samat, Taha Hassan, Rohan Garje; 4/26
Understanding trends in end-of-life care for bladder cancer patients is essential in improving palliative care planning. This study analyzes trends in preferred place of death among bladder cancer patients in the United States from year 2000 to 2020. Black individuals had significantly lower odds of hospice use than White patients ... and hospice use increased annually by an average of 13.4% ... Interestingly, younger individuals were more likely to die in hospice compared to those aged 85 years or older, though the odds decreased with age. The results indicate that utilization of hospice care and home-based end-of-life care have risen in prominence though disparities are present across racial and regional groups.

End-of-life care patterns for cholangiocarcinoma in the United States: A 26-year analysis of home and hospice deaths by demographic, regional, and urbanization factors

Clinics and Research in Hepatology & Gastroenterology; by Mohamed Elnaggar, Ahmed H. Abdelwahed, Mohamed Yasser Elnaggar, Mira Bhatia, Mustafa Habib, Ismail Elkhattib, Ahmed Ghazy, Hatem Eltaly; 5/26

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare, aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis, and patterns of place of death for CCA patients are poorly characterized. This study examined long-term trends in home or hospice deaths among CCA decedents, with attention to demographic and regional disparities. Among 181,776 CCA decedents, 104,208 (57.3%) died at home or in hospice. The proportion increased from 42.0% in 1999 to 69.0% in 2020, then declined to 62.0% in 2024 ... Non-Hispanic Black patients had the lowest proportion of home or hospice deaths (47.29%), despite comparable upward trends across ethnic groups. Home or hospice end-of-life care among CCA patients has risen over 25 years, though recent declines and persistent demographic disparities remain.

From lacking to linking: A call for inclusion of pediatric palliative care in national cancer data ecosystems

Pediatric Blood & Cancer; by Meaghann S. Weaver, Lisa C. Lindley; 4/26

Pediatric palliative care (PPC) data are largely absent from national cancer registries, creating critical gaps in understanding when and how children with cancer receive PPC and hindering efforts to improve care, equity, and outcomes. Standardized, longitudinal PPC data elements—mandated through state reporting laws and integrated into national data ecosystems—are essential to enable meaningful linkage, research, and policy development relevant to childhood cancer.

International News

[UK] A scoping review: Understanding global integration of traditional, complementary and alternative therapies (TCAT) in end-of-life care (EoLC)
Critical Public Health; by Charlotte Gray, Diane Peck, Karen Higginbotham, Rachael Frost, Julie-Ann Hayes, Conan Leavey; 4/26

This scoping review offers significant insights into how healthcare systems globally integrate and implement traditional, complementary and alternative therapies in end-of-life care. The findings reveal complex interactions between different healing paradigms, cultural contexts, and implementation frameworks that shape integration efforts across various healthcare settings. The findings suggest that successful integration of TCAT in EoLC may involve more than simply incorporating traditional practices into conventional healthcare frameworks. Rather, the literature indicates this may benefit from reconsideration of how healthcare systems approach the intersection of different healing traditions. Hospice and palliative care settings in the UK and US demonstrate more established complementary therapy provision, while Middle Eastern contexts show particular strength in traditional herbal medicine integration within oncology services.

[Canada] Understanding clinical ethics situations: A co-created repertoire of practices

BMC Medical Ethics; by Eric Racine, Bénédicte D’Anjou, Izadora Foster, Gabriel Saso-Baudaux, Claudia Barned, Jennifer A. H. Bell, Daniel Buchman, Lee de Bie, Adélaïde Doussau, Katherine Duthie, Pierrette Fortin, Gary Goldsand, Ann M. Heesters, Kim Jameson, Monique Lanoix, Alexandra Olmos-Perez, Amanda Porter, Andréanne Talbot, Marika Warren & Randi Zlotnik Shaul; 4/26

Understanding moral problems in clinical settings is central to clinical ethics consultation practice. Although this process may seem straightforward, it is in fact complex, multifaceted, and ongoing throughout consultations. Oftentimes the moral aspects of a situation will be articulated vaguely by those involved based on feelings of uneasiness and discomfort. Thus, clinical ethicists play a key role in helping to characterize these tensions in more formal and explicit terms using references to values and principles. In this paper, we report a co-creative effort to lay out practices for understanding moral problems and structure them into a repertoire of practices. The final repertoire structure and content includes: (1) elements considered to discern the moral nature of the problem; (2) actions and approaches taken to discern the moral nature of the problem; (3) elements considered in preparation for addressing the problem; (4) actions and approaches taken in preparation for addressing the problem; (5) modulating factors, and challenges and limits.

Today's Encouragement

... if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. ~Roald Dahl

The Fine Print:
Paywalls: Some links may take readers to articles that either require registration or are behind a paywall. Disclaimer: Hospice & Palliative Care Today provides brief summaries of news stories of interest to hospice, palliative, and end-of-life care professionals (typically taken directly from the source article). Hospice & Palliative Care Today is not responsible or liable for the validity or reliability of information in these articles and directs the reader to authors of the source articles for questions or comments. Additionally, Dr. Cordt Kassner, Publisher, and Dr. Joy Berger, Editor in Chief, welcome your feedback regarding content of Hospice & Palliative Care Today. Unsubscribe: Hospice & Palliative Care Today is a free subscription email. If you believe you have received this email in error, or if you no longer wish to receive Hospice & Palliative Care Today, please unsubscribe here or reply to this email with the message “Unsubscribe”. Thank you.