Literature Review

Chesapeake Supportive Care and Southern Maryland House Calls partner to expand access to in-home palliative care in Calvert County Southern Maryland News Net, Chesapeake, MD; 10/16/25 Chesapeake Supportive Care (CSC), the palliative care arm of Hospice of the Chesapeake, is excited to announce a new partnership with Southern Maryland House Calls (SMHC), a trusted leader in home-based geriatric care, to enhance access to palliative care services for residents of Calvert County. ... “Southern Maryland House Calls has been an exceptional partner in caring for our shared patients,” Becky Miller, President and CEO of Hospice of the Chesapeake, said. “Together, we’re building on that relationship to help more people access the kind of care that truly improves quality of life.”

America’s best home health agencies 2026 Newsweek; by Alexis Kayser; 10/10/25 With over 10,000 agencies operating across the United States, narrowing the field to find trusted, high-quality care can be daunting. To help guide that process, Newsweek and global data intelligence firm Statista are proud to introduce the inaugural ranking of America’s Best Home Health Agencies 2026, highlighting top providers in the 25 states with the highest number of home health agencies, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. ... This year’s list recognizes 300 top providers across the country, evaluated on four data sources: quality metrics, peer recommendations, patient experience and accreditations. ... [Click here for the list.]

The Center to Advance Palliative Care and the National Kidney Foundation make the case for the integration of palliative care into kidney disease management PR Newswire, New York; by The Center to Advance Palliative Care; 10/8/25 Despite facing high rates of distressing symptoms—including fatigue, pruritus, and pain—people living with advanced kidney disease are far less likely than those with cancer to receive appropriate pain and symptom management. And fewer than 10% of older adults receiving dialysis report having had conversations about their goals of care. These are two of the many important statistics highlighted in The Case for Palliative Care in Kidney Care, a new publication from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), which emphasizes the critical need to integrate palliative care services into the treatment of patients with advanced kidney disease. 

Stories from an accidental Hospice Nurse by Shawn Brast, MSN, RN, CHPN ehospice; by Shawn Brast, Clinical Education Manager at Gilchrist Hospice in Baltimore; 10/9/25 ...  The strangest thing happened: after 30+ years in healthcare, I found my calling as a hospice nurse. Routinely, I am granted special access to some of the most intimate moments in patients’ and families’ lives. With my short experience as a hospice nurse, I have come across some awe-inspiring moments that have provided life lessons that must be shared for the greater good. ... [Shawn describes several hospice stories with his insights.] These types of “Aha!” moments continued since these three experiences, but it was these three experiences that set my direction to answer my calling. In doing so, I am becoming a better person, clinician, educator, researcher, student, husband and father.

When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too. ~ Paulo Coelho

Celebrating the Guernsey Center for Caring groundbreaking in Arlington, VA ABC 7, Arlington, VA; by Good Morning Washington; 10/13/25 Diane and David Guernsey, longtime community supporters and advocates for hospice care, joined Capital Caring Health to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Guernsey Center for Caring in Arlington, Virginia. Their generous gift made the renovation possible, helping expand access to compassionate, nonprofit hospice care across the region. 

[Scotland] The University of Glasgow has partnered with The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice to launch a bold new concept in sustainable fashion, in the heart of Glasgow University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom; by University News; 10/14/25 The University of Glasgow has partnered with The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice to launch a bold new concept in sustainable fashion, in the heart of Glasgow. With more than 200,000 tonnes of textile waste generated annually in the UK, Worthwhile Wardrobe is a collaboration between the hospice and Adam Smith Business School that offers a more conscious and sustainable way to shop. High-end items donated to the hospice will be curated into the ‘Worthwhile Wardrobe’ collection, available at the Hospice Shop on Queen Street, Glasgow. When a customer purchases an item from the collection, they have the option to return it after use and receive a discount on their next Worthwhile Wardrobe purchase. This ensures that garments stay in the circular chain rather than being discarded after minimal wear. Professor Deirdre Shaw, Professor of Consumer Ethics and Sustainability at the Adam Smith Business School, said: “Worthwhile Wardrobe is all about doing good - for the planet and for people. By extending the life of clothes, you help reduce waste while supporting vital hospice care."

5 critical skills leaders need in the age of AI Harvard Business Review (HBR) - Generative AI; by Herminia Ibarra and Michael G. Jacobides; 10/7/25To thrive in the rapidly evolving age of generative AI, senior leaders need to recognize that success hinges less on the technology itself than on leadership and organizational transformation. In particular, they’ll need to develop five key skills: 1) cultivating AI fluency by engaging with diverse networks and fostering cross-industry conversations; 2) redesigning organizational structures to unlock AI’s value; 3) orchestrating collaborative decision-making between people and AI; 4) empowering teams through coaching and psychological safety; and 5) modeling personal experimentation with AI to inspire broader adoption. Doing so will allow them to guide their organizations through the profound changes required to realize the technology’s full potential.

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

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. 

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.

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.