Literature Review

[United Kingdom] 2 in 5 hospices planning to make cuts this year ehospice; by Hospice UK; 9/24/25 Data from Hospice UK reveals that as many as 2 in 5 hospices are planning to make cuts this year. With demand for services rising fast, the stark reality of insufficient funding leaves hospices with no option but to shrink services just as they should be expanding. Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK says: “Hospices are on the brink. Recent short-term funding for hospices in England, Scotland and Wales has been a genuine help, but as costs continue to snowball and demand keeps rising hospices can’t keep up and many are making or considering cuts. 

Emotional analytics in HRtech: Measuring mood, motivation, and morale HRTechSeries; by HRTech Staff Writer; 9/22/25 Organizations have used the same set of HR metrics for decades to keep track of the health of their employees: turnover rates, absenteeism, performance scores, and time-to-hire. These benchmarks are useful, but they don’t tell the whole story about what really makes an organization successful. They keep track of what employees do, but not how they feel. That gap is no longer acceptable in today’s fast-paced workplace, where employee experience is becoming more and more important for engagement and retention.

55% of healthcare workers plan to change roles within 1 year: Survey Becker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 9/15/25 More than half of U.S. healthcare workers plan to change roles in the next year, according to a recent survey from Strategic Education. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they plan to search for job openings, interview for new positions or switch roles within a year — either within their current organization (38%) or externally (40%). ... Here are 11 things to know from the survey:

How hospice chaplains improve patient outcomes Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/19/25 Patients may seek spiritual guidance from a number of places, but hospice chaplains remain essential. Hospice chaplains receive specialized training in caring for patients at the end of life that clergy in the larger community may not have. They are trained in active listening and to address the intricacies and sensitivities of end-of-live conversations with patients and families. Nearly 8,000 hospice chaplains are working in the United States, according to a study in the journal Work, Employment and Society. About 66% of these chaplains identify as men, and 20% are members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Close to 72% are white, 10.8% are Black and 8.5% are Latino. Nearly 42% of hospice chaplains have a bachelor’s degree, an equal percentage have masters degrees and 7% hold a Ph.D., the study indicated. Editor's Note: Hospice chaplains are often misunderstood or underestimated. Their role is not simply to pray or read Scripture, but to offer skilled, sensitive spiritual support—often through life-review, family conflict, presence, words and actions that honor diverse beliefs. Effective chaplains know when not to pray, how to avoid imposing religious language, and how to remain aware of their own biases while creating space for another’s faith or worldview. Their contributions can profoundly shape the patient and family experience at the end of life. When hiring, look for credentials such as BCC, BCCI, or BCC-PCHAC and learn more through the Association for Professional Chaplains. 

Medicare cuts & tech gaps drive home health nurse exodus Access Newswire - Regulatory; by Black Book Survey; 9/16/25 Black Book Research today released 2025 survey findings from U.S. home health executives, finance leaders, and clinical directors showing that technology inefficiencies are a primary driver of nurse attrition. Respondents also warn that proposed Medicare home health payment reductions totaling 6.4% over 2026-2027 will intensify workforce pressure unless agencies can invest in modern IT.Key 2025 Survey Findings (U.S. Home Health & Hospice):

Winning at work and home with Randy Gravitt Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); host Chris Comeaux with Randy Gravitt; 9/10/25 Join us in this insightful episode of "The Anatomy of Leadership" as we explore the challenge of winning at work and family life with Randy Gravitt, CEO of Lead Every Day. When was the last time you examined the connection between your leadership at work and your life at home?  In this eye-opening conversation, Randy Gravitt, CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Lead Every Day, reveals that our greatest superpower isn't talent or expertise—it's our ability to choose.

Training and practice gaps in nursing home palliative care: A cross-sectional study Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS); by Manali Saraiya, Molly A. Nowels, Rose L. Carlson, Jerad H. Moxley, Catherine A. Riffin, Evan Plys, M. Carrington Reid, Isabella Hastings, Taimur Mirza, Ronald D. Adelman, Daniel Shalev; 9/7/25 We conducted a cross-sectional survey of clinical employees (N = 398) at seven NHs within a single integrated health system in New York State to (1) gauge attitudes toward and knowledge about palliative care, (2) estimate the extent of engagement with advance care planning, and (3) elicit perceptions of the most valuable components of palliative care for NH residents. ... Despite support for palliative care, gaps in knowledge and clinical engagement persist and vary by discipline. Discipline-tailored training and program design may improve palliative care delivery in NHs and help ensure more consistent, value-aligned care for residents with serious illness.

This is the one question leaders need to ask themselves: To avoid burnout, leaders need to pay attention to their energy levels Forbes - Work Life; by Tim Jack Adams; 9/1/25 You’ve carried the weight of big decisions, the pressure to perform, to lead and deliver, all despite what’s happening behind the scenes. You’ve navigated through uncertainty and change, providing the space for everyone else to thrive. It’s a feeling that the most capable leaders feel. It’s not quite burnout, but a kind of dullness. A slow drain. A fog that creeps in quietly and makes it harder to stay clear, connected, and grounded. ... It's not about time, it's about energy. ...Editor's Note: Twenty years ago, this concept revolutionized my workday, productivity, outcomes, and overall well-bing, via the book The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, by Jim Loehr, published 2003. This author's content is fresh, dated September 2025.

NMDOJ charges ‘imposter nurse’ who treated hospice patients in Albuquerque KRQE News, Albuquerque, NM; by Fallon Fischer; 8/28/25 A certified nurse assistant in Albuquerque is facing charges for allegedly stealing the identities of three nurses and illegally providing care to hospice patients, and in one case, almost causing one patient to die via a morphine overdose, according to the New Mexico Department of Justice. This week, a Bernalillo County grand jury issued an indictment against April Guadalupe Hernandez, 26, for 19 counts of misconduct including identity theft, nursing without a license, fraud totaling approximately $40,000, abuse of a resident, violations of the Nursing Practice Act and more. “To exploit trusting patients in their most vulnerable moments is unconscionable,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez stated in part, in a news release. 

The new state of HR: Pressures, systems and skills IBM Corporation; by Molly Hayes; 8/18/25 To prepare for the workforce of the future, HR leaders should face these challenges-head on. Recently, I spoke to Kimberly Morick, Global Technology Practice Leader at IBM, about how HR can create new paradigms within their organizations.

Is Gen Z changing the culture of medicine? Medscape; by Kelly K. James; 7/9/25 ... In the workplace, Boomers are often assumed to have strong work ethics, while Millennials tend to value their free time more than preceding generations. While generational generalizations have shortcomings (as do all generalizations), the incoming crop of Gen Z doctors will likely affect the culture of medicine in significant ways. ...

Over half of older employees plan to work 'indefinitely' and never retire Money Magazine; by Amd Hardy; 8/11/25 Many retirement-age Americans are planning to continue working — forever. Some 51% of employed Americans 65 or older say they expect to work “indefinitely,” according to a recent report from Asset Preservation, a financial advisory firm. Meanwhile, about 6 in 10 respondents say they plan to work “at least five more years” before retiring, putting the earliest age they would consider retiring at 70. ... Why older Americans are working so late in life seems to be a fairly even split between necessity and choice. About one half works to cover basic living expenses, like food, health care and housing, while the other half chooses to work to stay mentally and physically active. Guest Editor’s Note, Mark Cohen: As many hospices are still trying to rebuild the ranks of their volunteers to pre-pandemic levels, this report indicates the challenges may continue to grow. It’s worth noting that half of the Boomers who say they will continue working past normal retirement age would do so out of choice and not economic necessity. That opens the door to demonstrating the value and rewards of volunteer service. And for those volunteer managers younger than Boomers, it’s important to keep in mind that, more than any other generation, Boomers define themselves and measure their success in life in large part by their work.