Inside the hospice that feels like home: How Omega House catches those who fall through the cracks 
ABC KTRK-13, Houston, TX; by Brittaney Wilmore; 10/13/25 
Retired teacher Eleanor Munger opened Omega House in 1986 in Montrose, pioneering care for dying HIV/AIDs patients. ... Sonny and Neil, and perhaps the laughter they bring, are all part of the key ingredients that make up Omega House, a mainstay in Montrose complete with a living room and garden that you might not immediately realize is a hospice. ... But making it feel like home means it's functioning just as founder Eleanor Munger intended it. "She was a retired Montessori school teacher, so she had no medical background whatsoever. She was 74 years old, and she just felt like this was something that people need - a really loving, caring environment," said Omega House director Sandy Stacy.

Central Coast VNA & Hospice expands registered nursing care for hospice patients in Monterey County 
US National Times, Monterey, CA; 10/13/25 
In response to increasing community needs, Central Coast VNA & Hospice has announced expanded support for registered nursing care and interdisciplinary hospice services across Monterey County, Salinas, Hollister, Santa Cruz, and surrounding Central Coast regions. The organization continues its mission to provide home-based, compassionate care through its nonprofit model serving families navigating complex health challenges, including terminal illness.

The unacknowledged grief oncologists face and the need for closure 
Medscape; by Mark A. Lewis, MD; 10/8/25 
Hello, Medscape. It's Mark, and I just got back from a patient's funeral. I know — even for an oncologist, that sounds grim, but I have my reasons and I'd like to explain them to you. ... One of them is deeply personal. When my father died, his oncologist came to his memorial service, and that made a huge impression on me. I was 14 years old at the time. ... Now, there's a whole other video to be recorded, if not a whole book to be written, about how a patient dying shouldn't necessarily be viewed as a failure. Immortality, after all, is never the goal. ... I've been absolutely astonished by what I've learned about my patients posthumously. ... Most meaningfully, you get to witness the ripple effect of the patients on their families who love them and who will carry on their traditions and even some of their character traits. 

Common hospice medications linked to higher risk of death in people with dementia 
EurkAlerts! American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); by Michigan Medicine - University of Medicine; 10/14/25 
... [For] the growing number of Americans with dementia who enter hospice, their course is often long and unpredictable — making it especially important to ensure treatments align with each person’s goals and stage of illness. A new University of Michigan study published in JAMA Network Open finds that medications commonly prescribed to ease symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, and delirium — benzodiazepines and antipsychotics — may carry major unintended risks for people with dementia receiving hospice care. Among more than 139,000 nursing home residents with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias enrolled in hospice between 2014 and 2018, those who began taking a benzodiazepine or an antipsychotic after enrollment were 41% and 16% more likely to die within six months, respectively, than very similar hospice patients with dementia who did not receive these medications.

Stiff person syndrome in the hospice patient: A case report and discussion  
Journal of Palliative Medicine; by Molly Svendsen, B Parker Layton, Shiri Etzioni, Mark Edwin; 10/13/25 
Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) is a rare, progressive autoimmune neurological disorder characterized by painful spasms, muscle rigidity, and heightened sensitivity to external stimuli. Management often relies on therapies that fall outside standard hospice formularies, creating challenges in end-of-life care for affected individuals. ... This case highlights the need for flexible, patient-centered approaches in hospice care for rare neurological conditions like SPS. Continuation of disease-specific therapies for symptom palliation can be ethically and clinically appropriate when integrated with clear goals of care. 

New art exhibit on display at MaineHealth Waldo Hospital 
MaineHealth, Belfast, ME; 10/14/25 
A new art exhibit is now on display at MaineHealth Waldo Hospital, featuring works by Kristin Golden, Penny Linn and Penny Markley. Their works are on display along the first-floor hallway near the hospital’s laboratory and cardiac rehabilitation department. The exhibit is part of an ongoing effort at MaineHealth Waldo Hospital to showcase a range of artists and mediums from across Maine. The MaineHealth Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals Art Committee, made of care team members from both hospitals, put out a call for artists in January, looking for artists with ties to Maine and New England to display their work in a series of 12-week exhibits at the hospitals. 
Editor's Note: MaineHealth Waldo Hospital’s rotating art exhibits show how creativity can enhance healing spaces for patients, families, and staff. Consider adapting this idea—partnering with local artists or schools to display works that bring comfort and reflection—to enrich your hospice units, grief counseling rooms, or offices.

North Carolina hospitals wipe out $6.5B in medical debt 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Andrew Cass; 10/13/25 
North Carolina’s medical debt relief program has surpassed its initial financial projections, relieving more than $6.5 billion in medical debt from 2.5 million residents over the past year. ... The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services partnered with Undue Medical Debt — formerly RIP Medical Debt — to support participating hospitals and help them identify medical debt that is eligible for relief. Hospitals are continuing to work with Undue Medical Debt to facilitate full implementation of relief over the next year. 

Healthcare ransomware attacks shift from hospitals to vendors: Report 
Becker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 10/13/25 
Ransomware attacks on U.S. healthcare businesses have increased in 2025, even as incidents targeting hospitals and clinics declined, according to a new report from Comparitech published Oct. 9. Here are five key findings from the report: ... 

AI is making medical malpractice harder to prove
Complete AI Training - Healthcare; 10/14/25 
AI is moving deeper into care delivery and hospital operations, from image interpretation to bed management. The upside is real, but so is the legal fog around fault when outcomes are poor. Experts warn that patients may struggle to show where the fault lies if an AI system is involved. For providers, this creates operational and legal risks that demand deliberate planning, documentation, and ongoing oversight. ... What leaders can do now: ...

More than 45,000 Kaiser Permanente workers strike in 4 states 
Modern Healthcare; by Hayley DeSilva; 10/14/25 
An estimated 46,000 Kaiser Permanente staff members began a five-day strike Tuesday across multiple states over staffing, pay and benefit concerns. Employees on strike include registered nurses, lab professionals, pharmacists and other skilled healthcare workers from 23 different unions, a spokesperson for Kaiser Permanente said. The unions are part of the Alliance of Health Care Unions, which represents an estimated 62,000 Kaiser employees. ... "[They] are demanding significantly higher increases than our 21.5% offer,“ the Kaiser spokesperson said.

LGBTQ+ history project: The need to preserve LGBTQ+ histories of rural America 
Watermark Out News; by Lauren Rowello; 10/14/25 
... Resources importantly emerged as people formally organized — bringing critical health care and hospice networks during the HIV/AIDS crisis, for instance, and launching LGBTQ+ voices into expansive advocacy careers. Across the US, some of the most impactful voices for change have come from rural regions. ... 
Editor's Note: For more on this interface with the birth of hospice care in the US, examine "The AIDS Epidemic’s Lasting Impact on Hospice Care for LGBTQ+ Populations," by Holly Vossel, Hospice News, 6/28/24. Pair these with today's post, "Inside the hospice that feels like home: How Omega House catches those who fall through the cracks." 

As I grow older, I pay less attention to what people say. I just watch what they do. ~ Andrew Carnegie