Memorial Day 2025: Resources, events, and ways to honor our fallen heroes 
Hope for the Warriors; retrieved from the internet 5/22/25 
Each year, as the last Monday of May approaches, we are reminded that Memorial Day is more than just the unofficial start of summer. It is a sacred time to honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. Ways to Honor and Remember:

• Move with Purpose: Join the 30x30 Memorial Day Challenge ...
• Participate in the National Moment of Remembrance: Wherever you are at 3:00 PM local time on Memorial Day, pause for one minute to honor those who died in service to the United States. This simple, powerful act unites Americans in shared gratitude.
• Attend a Memorial Day Ceremony: ...
• Share Their Stories: ...
• Volunteer or Support HOPE: ... 
• The National Memorial Day Concert (PBS): ...
• Honor and Remember by Learning About Our Fallen Heroes: ...
• Gold Star Family Support Resources: ...

Longtime Delaware Hospice CEO Susan Lloyd to retire 
Delaware Business Times, Milford, DE; by Jennifer Antonik; 5/21/25 
Susan Lloyd says the team at Delaware Hospice took a chance on her 38 years ago when the young nursing administrator became its newest CEO. Now, she’s gearing up for a new challenge – retirement. Delaware Hospice first began offering services in the First State just five years before Lloyd took the role over after several organizational changeovers in that short amount of time. “There was a lot of nervousness about, ‘Is this CEO going to stay?’ I think I added some stability and home health care knowledge which I knew about from a previous position. This was a brand-new concept here and Delaware Hospice was just getting started. It was just a tremendous opportunity to grow hospice services throughout the state,” Lloyd recalled. ... Over the course of those 38 years of stability, the nonprofit she grew to love and cherish grew along with her, now boasting around 400 volunteers, more than 300 employees and programs going far beyond home-based hospice care to include a standalone hospice facility in Milford, as well as cardiac care, palliative care, dementia care, advance care planning and grief support.
Editor's note: Susan, we thank you for your immeasurable contributions to the evolution and growth of hospice and palliative care. As you move into this new life-chapter, may we continue to learn from you and the excellence you ensured through Delaware Hospice.

Inaugural walk raises awareness for pancreatic cancer 
Columbus Jewish News, Beachwood, OH; by Becky Raspe; 5/21/25 
On April 30, Wexner Heritage Village held its inaugural Zusman Hospice & Pancreatic Cancer Walkathon fundraiser. Held at Bexley’s Schneider Park, the event was held in memory of Rob Cohen, brother of Wexner Heritage Village and Zusman Hospice’s volunteer coordinator Judi Koval. Cohen died three years ago from pancreatic cancer ... under the care of Wexner Heritage Village’s Zusman Hospice “at the end of his days.” Organizing the walk to honor her brother, the event date also would’ve been her brother’s birthday, she said. 

Health systems need radical transformation. Are C-suites ready? 
Becker's Hospital Review - Financial Management; by Laura Dyrda; 5/21/25
Health systems faced with ever-thinning margins and uncertain financial future may be tempted to double-down on cost cutting as an immediate option relief. But for most, that’s not the best option. ... “Amid unprecedented volatility, resource constraints, and technological disruption, how can healthcare executives rapidly adapt and transform their organizations to sustainably deliver high-value care, optimize operational efficiency, and preserve workforce resilience and empathy?” posed Craig Albanese, MD, CEO of Duke University Health System in Durham, N.C. The question is urgent and complex. Hospital leaders are searching for connecting points with old friends, rivals, community organizations and other stakeholders to problem-solve together. They’re also pursuing larger strategic changes instead of small fixes to truly build sustainable organizations for the future. ...

‘Wake-up call’: Aggressive cancer care common at end of life, supportive care lacking
Healio; by Josh Friedman; 5/22/25
Nearly half of people with advanced cancer receive aggressive care at the end of life, a rate little changed from a decade ago. At the same time, use of palliative or supportive care remains rare, despite increasing evidence that they are a key component of high-quality, patient-centered care. ... Meanwhile, two other studies showed oncologists’ individual practice patterns and institutional resources can play a significant role in determining which patients receive systemic therapy or early palliative care at the end of life.

Securing philanthropic support for palliative care 
Hospice News; by Markisan Naso; 5/21/25 
Fundraising has long been a necessity for many nonprofit organizations to provide palliative care programs. Currently, Medicare payment for palliative care only covers physician or licensed independent practitioner services and does not support the full range of interdisciplinary care, involving nurses, chaplains, aides and social workers. This shortage of funds has made community-based palliative care into a loss leader for many organizations. Palliative care is among the most “underfunded” services in the health care continuum, according to Deborah Johnson, chief philanthropy officer at Empath Health, a large non-profit post-acute care organization in Florida.

New law will fast-track completion of hospice death certificates
Florida Politics; by Drew Wilson; 5/21/25 
Grieving families will spend less time waiting on paperwork come July 1.Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation that would take some stress off palliative care physicians who guide patients through their final hours, as well as the grieving families they leave behind. Sponsored by Republican Rep. Dana Trabulsy, HB 647 would allow Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to complete and file death certificates for hospice care patients. Valid death certificates must record both time of death and cause of death before the deceased’s remains can be turned over to a funeral director. Under current law, a doctor must determine the cause of death and sign the certificate. That will remain the case after Trabulsy’s bill goes into effect July 1 for non-hospice deaths.

First FDA-cleared Alzheimer's blood test could make diagnoses faster, more accurate 
NPR; by Jon Hamilton; 5/21/25 
A new blood test that detects a hallmark of Alzheimer's is poised to change the way doctors diagnose and treat the disease. The test, the first of its kind to be cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, is for people 55 and older who already have memory problems or other signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's. The results show whether the brain of a person with cognitive symptoms also has amyloid plaques, clumps of toxic proteins that build up in the spaces between brain cells. The presence of plaques in a person with cognitive symptoms usually confirms an Alzheimer's diagnosis.
Editor's note: Game-changer!

‘Marathon’ effort to refine end-of-life wound coding runs on 
McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kimberly Marselas; 5/28/25 
Two key wound care groups are finalizing a proposal for new codes that would help skilled nursing providers avoid newly created diagnoses gaps for end-of-life skin breakdown that could lead to missed reimbursement and potential liability risks. The push comes a year and a half after nursing homes won the right to stop coding wounds that occur as part of dying as pressure injuries, which can hurt their quality ratings. But they also lost any way to code or acknowledge treatment of such skin failure in the Minimum Data Set. ...

Proposed California budget calls for prior authorization for hospice in Medicaid 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/22/25 
The proposed California budget would require prior authorizations for hospice care within the state’s Medicaid program. Currently, Medicaid managed care plans who provide coverage through the state’s Medicaid system, Medi-Cal, may not perform prior authorizations for hospice. California’s Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) indicated in a 2025-2026 budget revision that this could save $25 million over the next two years and more than $50 million in the long term. If enacted, this would make California the first state in the nation to implement such a rule, according to the California Hospice & Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA). The association contends that the anticipated $25 million in cost savings is “speculative and fails to account for the downstream costs and systemic burdens this proposal would create,” according to a position paper shared with Hospice News. ... CHAPCA recommended to the state government three alternative approaches: ...

Case of brain-dead pregnant woman kept on life support in Georgia raises tricky questions 
AP - The Associated Press, Atlanta, GA; by Kate Brumback, Sudhin Thanawala and Geoff Mulvihill; 5/16/25 
The case of a pregnant woman in Georgia who was declared brain dead and has been kept on life support for three months has given rise to complicated questions about abortion law and whether a fetus is a person. Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse and mother, was about two months pregnant on Feb. 19 when she was declared brain dead, according to an online fundraising page started by her mother. Doctors said Georgia's strict anti-abortion law requires that she remain on life support until the fetus has developed enough to be delivered, her mother wrote.

Finding Solutions: Local group makes flowers for everyone 
WRDW-12 & WAGT-26, Augusta, GA; by Zayna Haliburton; 5/21/25 
Flowers are something that can put a smile on someone’s face, whether you’re receiving or giving them. For one local group, they’re making bouquets to bring to nursing homes, shelters and hospitals. They’re now finding solutions in asking the community to consider donating their leftover flowers from weddings and events in order to brighten someone else’s day. “These are going to go to hospice patients that a part of Enhabit Augusta, ..." said Patricia Proctor, co-owner of El Rey and founder of non-profit Corazón Bonito ... which translates to "beautiful heart" in English. 

Music as medicine: Jenny Chen, Tyler Jorgensen, & Theresa Allison
GeriPal podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith; 5/22/25
As you know, dear listeners, I love music. We start each podcast with a song in part to shift the frame, taking people out of their academic selves and into a more informal conversation. Well, today’s guests love music at least as much if not more than me, and they each make a strong case for music as medicine. Jenny Chen is a palliative care fellow at Yale who regularly sings for her seriously ill patients... Tyler Jorgensen not only plays music for his patients, starting out with just pulling up a tune on his iPhone, he and others at UT Austin and Dell med now wheel a record player into patients rooms and play vinyl, taking patients back to the sounds and routines – think taking the record out of the sleeve, placing the needle in the groove – of younger days... And Theresa Allison is a geriatrician and ethnomusicologist who studies the role of music for people with dementia.

Social Media Watch 5/23/25

• Alex Mauricio, President & CEO at Bristol Hospice, announced Sonali Wilborn, MD, MBA, as National Medical Director
• Remembering a trailblazer in palliative care, Dr. Anne Merriman: Grandmother of palliative care dies at 90, Hospice Africa Uganda
• The 6 Best Things To Put On Your LinkedIn Profile, According to a Recruiter: Are you actively looking for a new job? Do you just want to make sure that the professionals in your industry have an accurate depiction of your skills and expertise? In either case, your LinkedIn could probably use some updating. To help you decide what's needed (or not), Parade spoke with a recruiter to determine the six best things to put on your LinkedIn profile.

True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever the cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. ~ Arthur Ashe