Literature Review

Medicare moments: The scarcity of Medicare caregiver benefits Allied News; by Joel Mekler; 9/14/26 ... AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving released the 2025 Caregiving in the U.S. report, their newest update since 2020. This comprehensive document offers an in-depth look at the evolving landscape of family caregiving for adults, highlighting key trends, challenges, and potential reforms. A key discovery is the swift growth in family caregiving. Almost 25% of adults — 63 million Americans — spent the last year caring for an adult (59 million) or a child (4 million) with complex medical needs or disabilities, marking a 45% increase since 2015. This trend underscores the essential role of family caregivers and exposes systemic shortcomings that place significant burdens on them, highlighting the pressing need for reforms.

Addus HomeCare announces a definitive agreement to acquire Personal Care Division of AccentCare BusinessWire, Frisco, TX; Press Release; 9/14/26 Addus HomeCare Corporation (Nasdaq: ADUS), a provider of home care services, [Monday 9/14] announced a definitive agreement to acquire the personal care division of AccentCare for an anticipated purchase price, after customary purchase price adjustments, of approximately $275.0 million. The transaction relates only to AccentCare's personal care operations outside of New York and does not relate to its hospice and home health operations. The acquired operations serve an average daily census of approximately 13,700 customers through locations in a 10-state footprint. 

NPHI urges CMS to build on hospice moratoriam with targeted enforcement Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/14/26 The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should follow the six-month moratoria on hospice and home health enrollment in Medicare with more pinpointed efforts to root out fraud, according to the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI). The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) implemented the moratoria in May. At the time, NPHI voiced support for the moratoria. The organization in March called for such action in a letter to CMS. Now, NPHI contends that the moratorium has “accomplished its intended purpose,” the nonprofit group said in a new letter to CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and CMS COO Kim Brandt. The temporary moratoria is scheduled to expire in November.

Sandwich generation caregiver shares how she cares for her mom with Alzheimer’s at home KVVU-TV Fox 5, Las Vegas, NV; by LeAnne Gendreau and Sondra 'Sam' Cradduck; 9/10/26 Ty Lewis, a dementia practitioner, takes care of her mother, Gertrude, who is in the end stages of Alzheimer’s while raising her children. She has been sharing her journey online with a community of more than 120,000 people online. Lewis, a member of the “sandwich generation,” sat down with Aging Untold expert and gerontologist Sam Cradduck to talk about what it takes to care for two generations and what the online community means to her family. 

Retired educator gives back to grieving children at Camp Braveheart WJAR-10, NBC, Cranston, RI; by Patrice Wood; 9/9/26 Young hearts come together at Camp Braveheart in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. And the first person to greet them when they get off the bus is Harry Potter. Potter is a retired Rhode Island school educator with a famous name and a heart of gold. They come Camp Braveheart to begin to heal after the death of a loved one. Braveheart is now in its 20th year and much of that time, Potter has been a trusted counselor. "The little kids think I'm magical. You see them running around the camp saying, 'Harry Potter, Harry Potter,'" Potter said. That connection eventually opens the door for a more serious conversation.

Camp Nabi’s 31st year brings healing and joy to 35 grieving children Hospice of the Chesapeake, Pasadena, MD; Press Release; 9/11/2026 For the 31st year, Chesapeake Life Center took over the cabins, pavilions, docks and recreation areas of Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center in Millersville to bring a little peace and a lot of joy to 35 grieving children. It takes a lot of creativity and many trained volunteers to help make this annual bereavement camp for children ages 6 to 18 a success. Sixty volunteers and 16 Hospice of the Chesapeake and Chesapeake Life Center team members with a passion for helping kids worked from Aug. 7 to 9 and included:

93-year-old veteran on hospice gets to live dream of flying in stunt plane in MorristownWATE Knoxville/Morristown, TN; by Hope McAlee; 9/10/26Army Veteran Thomas Judge may be nearing the end of his life, but his hospice team is helping ensure he lives his final days to the fullest. On Thursday, Judge checked an experience off his bucket list: Flying in a stunt plane. Around two weeks ago, Judge spoke with his hospice nurse Brittany Seal about a dream he would like to accomplish before his life ended. Seal said Judge is always up for something exciting and always tries to make someone's day, so their goal Thursday was to finally make his day. 

What we get wrong about death, according to end-of-life workers HuffPost; by Monica Torres; 9/12/26 ... I had conversations with palliative and hospice care physicians, nurses and social workers that comforted me, surprised me and challenged my own assumptions about death. Maybe they will for you, too. Here are some of the biggest misunderstandings they shared with me about death and what the reality actually is:

Your culture isn't what you say—it's what you tolerate | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); by Chris Comeaux; 9/926 Your organization’s culture isn’t defined by the values hanging on the wall—it’s defined by the behaviors leaders allow to continue. In Part One of Your Culture Isn't What You Say—It's What You Tolerate, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Tom Foster, President of Foster Learning Corporation and author of Premeditated Culture: The Consequences of What We Tolerate, for a compelling examination of how organizational culture is actually created.  Foster challenges a common leadership assumption: culture begins with defining what an organization believes. Instead, he argues that leaders should start by identifying the specific behaviors they want to see—because beliefs, values, customs, and ultimately culture become visible through what people actually do.

Memory Care: Hospice of the Valley awarded grant to support first-of-its-kind in-home dementia program Lovin' Life, Tuscon, AZ; 9/6/26 Hospice of the Valley has been awarded a $100,000 Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment Grant to support its Supportive Care for Dementia Program across Maricopa, Pinal and Pima Counties. This unique service is the only in-home program in Arizona delivering clinical and emotional care to support families caring for a loved one with any stage of dementia. Specific features of the program include in-home guidance and custom care plans from an experienced dementia team; free family caregiver education and support; low-cost in-home respite care through the RISE student engagement partnership; and 24-hour access to clinical advice and care coordination.

Celebrating Connie Fox: 96 years young and 25 years of giving backHERLIFE Magazine; by HERLIFE Magazine; 9/1/26This year, we proudly celebrate Connie Fox, our oldest active volunteer, as she turns 96 years young. Connie began volunteering with Hospice of San Joaquin in 2001, after our hospice cared for her husband. ... When asked why she continues to volunteer, Connie’s answer is simple. “The satisfaction. I’ve loved every minute of it. ... We are family. I love Hospice of San Joaquin.” The feeling is mutual. ... At 96, Connie continues to embrace life with enthusiasm. ... She firmly believes that staying involved and positive is the key to a fulfilling life.

When end-of-life becomes the beginning of new life: Application of the Society of Critical Care Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines on Adult End-of-Life Care in the ICU to the setting of donation after circulatory deathCritical Care Explorations; by Ian M. Oppenheim, Rita N. Bakhru, Carolina B. Maciel, Katharina M. Busl, on behalf of the Donor Care Unit Network for Optimizing Recovery (DONOR) Group; 8/26The recently published Society of Critical Care Medicine Guidelines on Adult End-of-Life Care in the ICU provide a detailed and well-thought-out approach to a vital component of critical care, although they explicitly refrain from discussing how they may apply to organ donation. As representatives of the Donor Care Unit Network for Optimizing Recovery (DONOR), a group of intensivists experienced in managing donation after circulatory death (DCD), we wish to endorse equal delivery of high-quality end-of-life (EOL) care for organ donors. Although some logistical differences must be addressed, the EOL recommendations outlined in the Guidelines are still applicable to patients being evaluated for or undergoing DCD. Recent accounts of unacceptable patient care in the setting of DCD highlight a critical threat to patient welfare and public trust. Our mandate is clear: implement and audit protocols that guarantee dignity and symptom control while demonstrating that DCD remains wholly consistent with a compassionate, honorable, and fulfilling EOL.

Navigating generational shifts: strategies for sustaining organizational knowledge and future-proofing the workforce Recruit-Talent.com; 9/9/26 The modern workplace is in the midst of an unprecedented demographic transformation, driven by the mass retirement of Baby Boomers and the increasing entry of Generation Z. This confluence of generational shifts presents both significant challenges and unique opportunities for organizations globally. ...