Revisiting stories about mothers
Hospice & Palliative Care Today; compilation by Joy Berger, Editor in Chief; 5/6/26
Some relationships nurture. Some ache. Most carry both. As we move into Mother’s Day weekend, we revisit memorable stories from our newsletter about mothers and the many relationships surrounding them. Some are rooted in unconditional love, some are fractured, and many live in the quiet nuances in between.
May these stories serve as gentle catalysts for reflection on your own relationships with the women in your lives — mothers, grandmothers, wives, daughters, aunts, sisters, in-laws, “steps,” chosen family, and more.

• Metro East hospice aide caring for her own son with rare terminal disorder
• Facing loss & cancer: A daughter’s dual grief
• Is hospice over-sedating my mom?
• South Bay family mistakenly told 92-year-old relative had died at healthcare facility
• 'I want to carry on mum's legacy after her death'
• Netflix: Goodbye June
• Girl, 6, spends pocket money on gifts for hospice
• Hospice created Christmas for patient in November
• Daughters of Marshall: 4th-generation graduate credits family's perseverance for her success

While these stories only scratch the surface, we hope they connect with meaningful places in your own life and relationships. Shared with gratitude for my mom, Jane. — Joy

NPHI concludes record-setting 2026 Summit “Quality in Action” in Chicago 
National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Chicago, IL; Press Release; 5/2/26 
The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), the national voice for nonprofit hospice and advanced illness care, has concluded its 2026 Summit, Quality in Action, at the Chicago Marriott Marquis — marking the largest gathering in the organization’s history. Over three days, nonprofit hospice and advanced illness care leaders from across the country came together around a shared commitment to Quality in Action. The Summit created space for candid discussion and practical exchange, with a clear focus on how nonprofit hospice and advanced illness providers will continue to lead in delivering high-quality, community-based care for patients and their families.

Hospice workers stop by to thank Lila Kozel, founder of hospice care in Bismarck 
KXNET News CBS, Bismarck, ND; by Joel Porter; 5/1/26 
Health care workers in North Dakota made a house call on Friday to a special woman’s house. Workers from CHI Health at Home stopped by Lila Kozel’s home to greet her and thank her. Kozel is credited with starting hospice services in Bismarck in the 1980s. Health workers say Kozel started the program after losing a son, which made her want to give comfort to others as her family handled their grief. Now, Lila is living on hospice care, and the workers say if not for Lila, they’re not sure the program would be what it is.

Where do unhoused people go to die? 
The Denver Clarion, Denver, CO; by Hawke Baldwin; 5/4/26 
... On April 29th 9News presented its documentary “Refuge” in DU’s Anderson Academic Commons, giving viewers a glimpse into the reality of death. “Refuge” is a sad yet inspiring story that delves into end-of-life care for those both terminally ill and unhoused in Denver. ... A person featured in the film is James Patrick Hall, a Gregorian Frier and former engineer who founded Rocky Mountain Refuge, a haven for those in need of end-of-life care. The refuge is a hospice center providing home-style care for free. ... The documentary follows four unhoused and terminally ill individuals: Jennifer, Renne, James and Jose. All of whom were unable to find appropriate care anywhere else, so they turned to Rocky Mountain Refuge.

The power of a visiting nurse: from Marian Watts to Nona’s visiting nurse to Katina Zaninovich 
Noozhawk, Santa Barbara, CA; by VNA Health; 5/5/26 
“My experience caring for my Nona at home and watching the visiting nurse greatly impacted my decision for home care,” shares Katina Zaninovich, RN. ... The history of visiting nurses dates back to the 19th century, when rapid urbanization and widespread poverty created a need for healthcare services beyond hospitals. In 1908, a visiting nurse, Marian Watts, founded the Visiting Nurses Association of Santa Barbara, California’s third oldest VNA. In that first month, one visiting nurse made 140 visits. Today, ...

Closing the gender gap in medicine: 5 ways to support women physicians 
CAPC | Center to Advance Palliative Care; by  Laurel Kilpatrick, MD, FAAHPM and Sonia Malhotra, MD, MS, FAAP; 4/27/26 
From allyship to advocating for systemic change, learn how you can you champion women physicians so they can lead and thrive. Having more women physicians in medicine isn’t just a matter of equity—it’s important for patient outcomes. ... The strategies outlined at the end of the blog apply to all female health care professionals, not just physicians. 

The best leaders embrace the role of supporting character 
HBR | Harvard Business Review; by Jamil Zaki; 5/5/26 
The rise of “founder mode” and “main-character energy” as approaches to leadership has pushed many executives toward self-centered, top-down styles that research shows are deeply counterproductive—eroding trust, stifling performance, and ultimately leaving leaders themselves less engaged and fulfilled. The antidote is what might be called “supporting-character energy”: a humble, curious leadership style focused on understanding and advancing other people’s stories rather than one’s own. 

A guide to visiting a nursing home: tips for meaningful connection 
U.S. News & World Report | Health; by Claire Wolters and Rachael Hood; 5/6/26 
If you have a loved one in a nursing home, frequent visits can help them feel loved and fight loneliness. Here's how to make the most of your visit. ...

• Navigating Nursing Home Visitor Rules and Policies ...
• Planning Your Visit: Mother's Day and Father's Day Tips ...
• Activities to Do Together During Your Visit ...
• Practical Gifts to Bring to a Nursing Home Visit ...
• What Not to Bring to a Nursing Home Visit ...
• How to Visit a Loved One With Dementia or Alzheimer’s ...
• How to Prepare Children for a Nursing Home Visit ...
• Advocacy: Communicating With Nursing Home Staff ...

Why artificial intelligence displacement threatens medical specialties 
MedPageToday's KevinMD.com; by H. Michael Boulton, MD; 5/3/26 
Diagnostic radiology, as a physician-staffed specialty, will not exist in its current form within 20 years. Neither will diagnostic pathology. Neither, in all likelihood, will the outpatient model of endocrinology or general internal medicine as we currently understand it. These are not fringe predictions from technologists who have never set foot in a hospital; they are the logical endpoint of capability curves that are already clearly in motion, ... I know that will make a lot of my colleagues uncomfortable. I get it. But I would argue the real problem is not the prediction; it is that we keep avoiding the conversation.

My mother left me a garage full of mysterious ingredients—and so much more 
Vogue; by John Mok; 5/6/26 
Late in the summer of 2024, my mother was moved into hospice after a brief hospitalization. ... I promptly returned home to Los Angeles from New York and steeled myself for her passing. The trip lasted five months. ... Over the years, I had tried to meet her in the kitchen, to learn through her homestyle dishes, to unlock some part of her Chinese heritage, even with her American adaptations. But there was never enough time. During those five months we did get a little more time—one more round of holidays and one more memorable moment, when she passed peacefully passed. ... What my mother left behind was an invitation. Our garage remains an apothecary of TCM, dried herbs, and dried seafood—all stored in repurposed mayonnaise jars and Costco biscotti containers, their labels scribbled over with her Chinese script. ...

Executive Personnel Changes - 5/8/26

• Andy Duncan--former Senior Director, Membership for NHPCO--recently joined LeadingAge as Senior Director, Association Data Strategy and Systems. In this newly created role, Andy will focus on AMS governance and operations, build out a data clearinghouse, guide the analytics and data governance infrastructure to help LeadingAge and its state affiliates make better use of their data.
  
• The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) announced that Debra Saliba, MD, MPH, AGSF and Alex Smith, MD, MS, MPH will succeed Joseph G. Ouslander, MD, AGSF as editors-in-chief of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) beginning in July 2026. 
  
  
• Caroling Caring announces Daniel Gilland, BSBA, PHR, sHRBP has been named Vice President of Human Resources
  
  
• The CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care is proud to announce the appointment of Jessica Empeño, MSW, as its new Executive director.
  
  
• Liberty  Partners Group, a leading provider of strategic government relations and public affairs counsel, is proud to announce that Bill Dombi, a nationally recognized expert and leader in home care and hospice, has joined the Liberty Partners team, effective April 29, 2026, and will be serving the firm as a Principal.

You were born an original. Don't die a copy. ~ John Mason

There is no such thing as a perfect parent. So just be a real one. ~ Sue Atkins 
Happy Mother's Day Weekend!