UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Amedisys closes
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/14/25
On the heels of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, UnitedHealth Group has closed its acquisition of the home health and hospice provider Amedisys. Amedisys announced the news in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing on Thursday. The UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum, in June 2023 inked its agreement to acquire Amedisys in an all-cash transaction of $101 per share, or about $3.3 billion. Amedisys on Thursday also stopped trading on the Nasdaq.

CU School of Medicine receives $64 million NIH award to establish palliative care research consortium
University of Colorado School of Medicine press release; by Kara Mason; 8/7/25
The University of Colorado School of Medicine has been selected as the prime award institution for a [5-year] $64 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a consortium focused on palliative care research... “This consortium will serve as a springboard for filling gaps and offering resources to researchers who will ultimately improve the field,” says Jean Kutner, MD, MSPH, distinguished professor of medicine and chief academic officer of UCHealth, who will serve as a principal investigator of the Advancing the Science of Palliative Care Research Across the Lifespan (ASCENT) Consortium... The consortium includes principal investigators from the CU School of Medicine and four other academic centers across the country - New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, Duke University School of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania... The ASCENT Consortium’s creation comes at a critical juncture for palliative care research, as two vital programs - the National Institute of Nursing Research-funded Palliative Care Research Cooperative, which Kutner led at the CU School of Medicine for 13 years, and the National Palliative Care Research Center - have been expected to sunset in 2025... “We've gone from publishing observational and cross-sectional work to where we are today with demonstrating effective and innovative interventions,” Kutner says.
Publisher's note: WOW - congratulations Jean and team! What a tremendous accomplishment building on decades of work! To receive information and updates from the ASCENT Consortium, click here.

$50,000 grant from Hospice Cleveland County Foundation helps EVERYONE EATS Emergency Food Fund Drive Cleveland County, NC
The Home Page for Cleveland County, North Carolina; Press Release; 8/14/25 
The Board of Directors for Hospice Cleveland County Foundation recently awarded a $50,000 grant to support the Everyone Eats Emergency Food Fund Drive, spearheaded by Healthy Together Cleveland (HTC) to combat food insecurity in Cleveland County. "As we continue to face unprecedented challenges, community support is vital. Everyone Eats is a testament to what we can achieve when we come together with a shared purpose. ..." said Katie Borders, President, Hospice Cleveland County Foundation. Last month, HTC announced that 1 in 6 people in the county are experiencing food insecurity. ... The mission of the Foundation is to strive to maintain the success of the hospice tradition in Cleveland County by supporting efforts to help people lead healthy, productive lives and experience peaceful, dignified deaths. We seek to ensure that all people - especially those with the fewest resources - have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and in life.
Editor's Note: May we all learn and live from Hospice Cleveland County Foundation's mission and action. Thank you.

Over half of older employees plan to work 'indefinitely' and never retire 
Money Magazine; by Amd Hardy; 8/11/25 
Many retirement-age Americans are planning to continue working — forever. Some 51% of employed Americans 65 or older say they expect to work “indefinitely,” according to a recent report from Asset Preservation, a financial advisory firm. Meanwhile, about 6 in 10 respondents say they plan to work “at least five more years” before retiring, putting the earliest age they would consider retiring at 70. ... Why older Americans are working so late in life seems to be a fairly even split between necessity and choice. About one half works to cover basic living expenses, like food, health care and housing, while the other half chooses to work to stay mentally and physically active. 
Guest Editor’s Note, Mark Cohen: As many hospices are still trying to rebuild the ranks of their volunteers to pre-pandemic levels, this report indicates the challenges may continue to grow. It’s worth noting that half of the Boomers who say they will continue working past normal retirement age would do so out of choice and not economic necessity. That opens the door to demonstrating the value and rewards of volunteer service. And for those volunteer managers younger than Boomers, it’s important to keep in mind that, more than any other generation, Boomers define themselves and measure their success in life in large part by their work.

Late attorney leaves lasting legacy to St. Luke’s hospice 
Times News - tnonline.com; Press Release; 8/9/25 
A recent gift to support hospice programs at St. Luke's deepens the impact of Justin K. McCarthy, Esq. ... Among his greatest accomplishmnets is his support of programs offered through St. Luke's University Health Network [in Pennsylvania and New Jersey]. ... For many years, McCarthy, who died in August 2023 at the age of 95, served on the board of trustees for the Network's Visiting Nurses Association and was an early supporter of the hospice program that evolved into an integral component of VNA services. In addition to sharing his time, talent and energy, he was also an extremely generous donor who contributed more than $2 million in support of St. Luke's.  

She wanted her dad to give her away at her wedding. A Niagara hospice made it happen 
NiagaraThisWeek.com - Grimsby Lincoln News; by Mark Newman; 8/10/25 
Ron Oliver got to see his daughter get married. When the 67-year-old Grimsby resident moved into McNally House Hospice for end-of-life care on Wednesday, his daughter Alissa mentioned to hospice staff she wanted her father to see her get married and to give her away as part of the matrimonial ceremony before he dies. McNally House staff went to work, and 48 hours later Alissa was walking along an outdoor patio at the hospice with her father behind her in a wheelchair holding her hand.

Few released under NC law that allows seriously ill incarcerated people to spend their final days at home
NC Health News; by Rachel Crumpler; 8/14/25
Advocates hoped 2023 eligibility changes would increase medical releases. So far, that hasn’t happened. North Carolina expanded its prison medical release eligibility in 2023 to allow more sick and aging incarcerated people to be released, but the number of approvals is still low. Since 2019, the Parole Commission has granted medical release to 67 people.
Guest Editor's note, Mark Cohen: Thank you for calling this interesting article to our attention.

Fear of death may undermine hospice care preparedness for future nurses 
McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 8/6/25 
A new study from Central South University in China examined the relationship between nursing interns’ attitudes toward death and their attitudes toward hospice care. ... The researchers found that most nursing interns held a “neutral acceptance” view of death, defined in the study as the belief that death is a natural part of life. This attitude was significantly associated with more positive views toward hospice care. ...  The study also reported that interns who held stronger fear-based or avoidance-based death attitudes scored lower on all six hospice care subscales, including communication and family support.

Reimagining support for family caregivers and their loved ones 
Duke University School of Medicine; by Bernadette Gillis; 8/11/25 
... Duke population health researchers are gathering evidence to show what type of care leads to the best physical and mental health for the care recipients, and how to best support the caregivers themselves.  ...

• A study led by Megan Shepherd-Banigan, PhD, calls for a major shift in how society understands and supports family caregivers. ...
• Courtney H. Van Houtven, PhD, is doing research focused on the needs of the care recipient. ... The study, published in Health Economics, reveals that older adults who receive both family and professional home care experience better health and less depression than those cared for by family alone.  ... 

Pennant Group expands through Amedisys acquisition 
Pulivarthi Group; 8/12/25
In a significant shift within the healthcare landscape, the Pennant Group has announced its intention to acquire home health and hospice agencies presently owned by Amedisys and UnitedHealth. This move marks an essential strategic expansion into the Southeast U.S., a region already experiencing increasing demand for quality home health services. ... This post provides an in-depth analysis of the home health acquisition landscape while addressing key challenges such as reimbursement issues, staff retention, and access to care for vulnerable patients.

Hospice patients using virtual reality to fulfill final wishes 
WRDW-12 / WAGT-26 On Your Side News, Augusta, GA; by Staff; 8/7/25
Patients at Crescent Hospice in Augusta are using virtual reality headsets to fulfill their last wishes. The headsets allow patients to experience new things before the end of their lives. The hospice aid and community liaison used one of the headsets and spoke about how one of the patients got to experience mardi gras through VR before he died.

I choose a lazy person to do a hard job, because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it. ~ Bill Gates