Literature Review

Post-diagnosis cannabis use and its association with health status and quality of life in cancer survivorsSupportive Care in Cancer; by Nasim Kasiri, Corinne McDaniels-Davidson, Neal Doran, Sandip P. Patel, David R. Strong, Humberto Parada Jr; 9/26We included 652 respondents in this study, which were weighted to represent the cancer center patient population [58.6% non-Hispanic White; 58.5% female; 51.8% ≥ 65 years]. Most reported above average status for mental health (67.2%) and QoL [quality of life] (64.2%), and almost half (47.1%) reported above average physical health. Odds of post-diagnosis cannabis use were significantly higher among survivors with average or below average mental health ...  Conclusion: Cancer survivors reporting average or below average health status or QoL had higher odds of cannabis use. 

Palliative social workers' contributions to cultivating prognostic awareness: A qualitative study using the Prognostic Awareness Impact Scale frameworkJournal of Palliative Medicine; Arden E O'Donnell, Juliet Jacobsen, Rennie Bimman, Sarah Stone, Taylor B Wensley, Judith G Gonyea; 9/26Prognostic awareness is central to informed, value-concordant care for patients with serious illness. Although often conceptualized as cognitive understanding of a time-based prognosis, emerging research highlights prognostic awareness as a multidimensional process involving cognitive understanding, emotional coping, and adaptive response. Objective: To describe the strategies hospital-based specialty-level palliative social workers use to cultivate prognostic awareness, using the Prognostic Awareness Impact Scale (PAIS) framework of cognitive understanding, emotional coping, and adaptive response. Conclusions: APHSW-C SWs play an important role in supporting patients' and families' understanding of the likely disease trajectory and prognosis, viewing their work as an ongoing, relational, and emotionally mediated process. Findings suggest that the PAIS may offer a useful framework for identifying profession-specific contributions to this process.

Social work roles and ethics in U.S. medical aid in dying Health & Social Work; Cynthia Helen Nover; 9/26This article fills a gap in the literature by discussing U.S. social work roles and MAiD [medical aid in dying] through an ethical decision-making framework and suggests social work roles, ethics, and risks of MAiD. Mandatory reporting expectations for U.S. social workers may cause confusion with MAiD, so it is important to distinguish between harm to self and MAiD (which is legal in 12 states and the District of Columbia) for hastening death. Relevant ethical expectations include self-determination, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, informed consent, and competence. Terms related to MAiD, including voluntary stopping of eating and drinking, and the current U.S. legal context for social work practice in this area are also described herein.

[Turkey] “Life still has meaning for me!” Exploring sources of meaningful life among palliative care patients: A qualitative studySupportive Care in Cancer; by Hazal Sonbahar Ulu, Güleser Güney Yılmaz, Ayşenur Baysal Yiğit, Elif Merve Cesur, Şeyma Sarışen, Rıfat Bozkuş, Sedef Şahin; 9/26 Palliative care has increasingly shifted from a biomedical model toward holistic approaches that address physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. Meaning in life is a key determinant of quality of life in advanced illness, yet patient perspectives on how meaning is constructed within inpatient settings remain underexplored. This study aimed to explore how individuals receiving inpatient palliative care at a tertiary hospital in Turkey construct and sustain meaning in their daily lives. Meaning in palliative care appears to be sustained through social connectedness, spirituality, hope, participation in meaningful occupations, supportive environments, and continuity of identity. Integrating occupation-focused interventions, spiritual care, and environmental modifications within palliative care services may help preserve continuity, dignity, and emotional well-being.

Palm Beach caretaker accused of stealing more than $10K from elderly womanWPBF; by Vanessa Laurent; 10/14/26A longtime live-in caretaker is facing felony charges after police said she stole thousands of dollars from an elderly Palm Beach woman with dementia, including through checks allegedly made out to herself.Publisher's note: While not specifically about hospice, this is an important reminder about caring for vulnerable patients.

SOS Y1 A31 – How many hospices are there in the USA???Substack; by Joan Teno; 9/21/26This analysis asks how many hospices listed in federal data appear to be functioning, “real” hospice programs. Although 6,669 hospices were listed in the August 2026 refresh, many lacked patient experience data, had very small numbers of deaths, or were not shown in PECOS as able to bill Medicare. The biggest concern is the large group of unrated hospices with fewer than 50 deaths, especially because many are for-profit and concentrated in a few states such as California and Texas. Using several screening rules, the estimate of likely real hospices may be substantially lower than the total number listed, potentially closer to 3,600–5,200 depending one of my 3 proposed rules. Overall, the findings suggest that public hospice listings may include many programs that are inactive, questionable, or no longer able to participate meaningfully in Medicare.

Being in healthcare is assessing your patient's neuro status by asking what day it is... then checking your watch to see if they're right because you have no clue what day it is...

Developing effective and efficient leadership teamsForbes; by Ryan Dewey Smith; 10/13/26[Based on the documentary Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds], Guy Legare and I began discussions applicable to our leadership on four themes that stood out to me:

The ache of watching someone slowly fade awayeHospice; by Riddhi Tomar; 10/9/26No one prepares you for the grief of gradual disappearance. For loving someone who is still here, and yet, in ways both visible and invisible, is already beginning to leave. For watching familiarity fade while your love remains exactly where it has always been. People who visit after a month or even weeks often say, “He was alright the last time I saw him. How did things change so quickly?” But the truth is, they didn’t change quickly. We watched every inch of the journey...

[Canada] Expert Q&A: New palliative care resource for frontline workers supports people experiencing homelessnessUniversity of Victoria press release; by Stephanie Harrington; 10/13/26National curriculum builds on community expertise. A new palliative and end-of-life care resource is providing frontline workers nationally with tools and strategies to better support people who are aging with serious illness alongside poverty and homelessness. The University of Victoria-led collective of researchers, frontline workers and palliative care practitioners launched the new curriculum at the Montreal International Congress on Palliative Care. Kelli Stajduhar is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Palliative Approaches to Care in Aging and Community Health at UVic and professor in the School of Nursing and Institute on Aging & Lifelong Health. She heads the UVic research program that developed the curriculum, called Palliative Care Is… Strengthening Community-Based Approaches to Palliative and End-of-life care in Homeless and Harm Reduction Settings.

LA County fraud: Which 2026 scandal tops the list?Film Daily; by Simone Barbon; 10/14/26Los Angeles County’s 2026 docket of public-fund thefts keeps growing, and the dollar figures are hard to ignore. Homelessness contracts, Medi-Cal billings, and a landmark sex-abuse settlement now sit under overlapping state and federal probes that stretch from Culver City boardrooms to hospice billing offices. The cases together expose how oversight gaps turned routine county spending into slush funds and how recovery efforts may drag into 2027.

How unexpected health crises can affect retirement savings and long-term wealthThe Clinton Courier [MS]; 10/13/26Retirement planning usually focuses on building enough savings to support a comfortable life after leaving the workforce... Yet even a carefully prepared financial plan can face serious challenges when an unexpected health crisis occurs. A sudden injury, serious illness, or medical emergency can change a household’s financial priorities almost overnight. Money intended for retirement may need to cover hospital bills, rehabilitation, medications, or ordinary living expenses during a period without income. For some families, these costs create financial pressure that continues long after the immediate medical situation improves.Publisher's note: Should hospices include financial discussions with patients and/or families as part of holistic care? Why or why not? If so, how...?