Literature Review

From fear to empowerment: How palliative care can help University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute; 8/21/24 In 2018, Ruth Hill got out of bed one morning and felt her spine literally break. The 53-year-old collapsed to the floor. “I knew something catastrophic had happened,” Ruth says. She soon learned six of her vertebrae had cracked and two had exploded. The doctor at the hospital in Colorado Springs, where Ruth had been visiting her son and grandchildren, gave her even more devastating news. “You’re filled with cancer. It’s incurable,” he told her. “We’re going to take you upstairs and check your brain. If it’s in your brain, you won’t have long to live.” ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading this inspirational story.]

Veteran in hospice care completes bucket list with tattoos designed by family WNEM/Gray News, Saginaw, MI; by WNEM Digital and Gray News Staff; 7/28/24 A Michigan veteran with ALS crossed off the final item on her bucket list by getting tattoos designed by family members, including her teenage daughter. Beth Bedore, a 47-year-old veteran, served in Iraq and Kuwait before retiring after 23 years. Last year, she was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. She is currently receiving care while on hospice at the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center in Saginaw, WNEM reports. Bedore’s recreational therapist, Heidi Nadobny, says the last wish on the veteran’s bucket list was crossed off Friday. She received two tattoos, one designed by her 14-year-old daughter and the other designed by her daughter’s father. 

Grandad rehearsed his funeral 10 years ago – Now his final wishes come true after his passing Good News Network; 7/28/24 A British senior who pre-planned his funeral and rehearsed it on TV in 2013, had his final wishes come true after peacefully passing away in June. Malcolm Brocklehurst, who is a renowned aircraft expert, commissioned an orange airplane-shaped coffin ten years ago from Crazy Coffins, an offshoot of a Nottingham-based traditional coffin and urn maker in England that helps people customize their funeral. The grandfather-of-nine was filmed sitting in the coffin on Channel 5’s Bizarre Burials, which also featured a rehearsal of the ceremony that the former aerospace engineer coordinated to the last detail. The plane was aptly called Tango One and numbered with MB 1934—his initials and year of his birth. He also announced that he wanted the funeral procession to leave from the stadium pitch where his favorite football team, Blackpool FC, plays. ... But speaking about the rehearsal in 2013, he said it was all “light-hearted fun.”

A rabbi shares what he’s learned speaking with people in their final moments of life: Exploring the final moments before death is a reminder of what really matters in life  Forward - Jewish. Independent. Nonprofit.; by Rabbi Daniel Cohen; 7/28/24  I have been at the bedside of many people in their final moments on earth. The experience can be either haunting or inspiring. Ironically, my first experience of saying goodbye to someone I loved was as a 9-year-old boy. My grandfather was dying from lung cancer ... I remember the final moments as if they were yesterday. ... I have seen people call out to loved ones in the days or moments before their body and soul separate. I have seen people wait for a loved one to arrive at their bedside, further testimony that the body may be dying but the soul is very much alive. ... In truth, exploring the final moments before death is not intended to be depressing, but a reminder of what really matters in life. ... Looking at the day of death can awaken us to invest more fully in life. Each of us possesses an inner voice beckoning us and pushing us towards greatness. Do we hear that voice and do we invest in it?

Show You Care: 10-year-old donates profits from greenhouse to hospice unit

‘I never thought I’d live to see it’: Veterans honored at WTRC’s Hospice of the Big Country thank you dinnerKTAB/KRBC Abilene, TX; by Noah McKinney; 7/19/24 Fellowship and reverence filled the West Texas Rehab’s Hospice of the Big Country boardroom Thursday evening. The organization opened its doors once more to local Veterans for its annual ‘We Honor Veterans’ thank-you dinner. ... Veterans of every branch spanning the decades showed up to sit with each other and break bread. The evening started with the Dyess Honor Guard presenting the flag and the singing of the national anthem. Following that, a POW/MIA or “Missing Man table” was set as a tribute to those who never returned. The attendees were then served dinner, and lively conversations filled the room. Notable Mention: Angie Lane, Director of Hospice Services, Hospice of the Big Country 

Hospice patient takes 'one last ride' as hospice wish NBC WREX TV-13, Rockford, IL; by Derek Bayne; 7/16/24 Michael Rickert is ready to ride. "Let's hit the pavement," he said. As Rickert gets in the sidecar of Tom Dean's motorcycle, supporters can't help but get emotional. As the engine revs, Rickert, who is in hospice care, remembers why he started riding motorcycles 25 years ago. "It's like my adrenaline is so up," Rickert said. He asked for one last ride, with the Northern Illinois Hospice Foundation setting up this special moment. ... And getting his wish granted means a lot, especially going out to ride on a beautiful day. "If I wouldn't have made it two more days or a day, at least I could say one thing," Rickert said. "I got my wish." 

Fallen nurses are honored by ‘guards’ in white uniforms, capes and caps Radio Iowa; by Radio Iowa Contributor; 7/17/24 A hospital in southwestern Iowa is joining a national volunteer organization that pays tribute to nurses who have died or who are in hospice care. Registered nurse Sara Beth Jones spearheaded the effort to launch a local chapter of the Nurses Honor Guard at Cass Health in Atlantic. Jones says part of their uniform is to wear a cape that’s black on one side and red on the other, much like those worn by nurses who tended to soldiers in the 1800s. ... The Nurses Honor Guard is a comprised of current and former nurses. In addition to the funerals of nurses, they attend parades, honor walks and living tributes. Besides the cape, Jones says Honor Guard participants don the traditional white uniform and cap. 

Married 'soulmates' spent final days side by side BBC News, United Kingdom; by Isaac Ashe; 7/13/24 Two married "soulmates" who died from terminal cancer within days of each other were able to spend their last moments together side by side. Chris and Lynne Johnson, from Bolsover in Derbyshire, had been married for 52 years before both were diagnosed with cancer and eventually moved to Ashgate Hospice in February. The hospice arranged for the pair's beds to be placed in the same room, allowing them to hold hands in Mrs Johnson's final moments. Eight days later, Mr Johnson then died with his brother Alwyn and the couple's pet dog Tess by his side. ... Their daughter, Julie Whittaker, has decided to now share the story and is now calling on the government to review funding so more people can access end-of-life services. "Not only do all people deserve the end-of-life care that my parents received, but when patients are in a hospice instead of a hospital, it takes the strain off the NHS [National Health Services, UK]."

[Global Partners in Care] 25 Years of Compassion and Impact eHospice; 7/9/24 In 2024, Global Partners in Care (GPIC) celebrates its 25th anniversary. Over the past 25 years, GPIC has been dedicated to enhancing access to compassionate care for individuals and families across the globe who face serious illness, death and grief. This silver anniversary is a significant milestone in the history of the organization. Not only does it provide an occasion to reflect on the impact the organization has made, but it also provides an opportunity to consider numerous future possibilities. 

Hospice patient's wish fulfilled with playing the blues, family, and his favorite pizza ABC 13 On Your Side YouTube, Grand Rapids Township, MI; by Jeremiah Brown; 7/5/24 Coming from a family of musicians, Peter's family believes music has helped save him, as they gathered from throughout the country to listen to his blues. In the audience were his five older siblings, and other family members who had come from throughout the country for "Peterpalooza." "He would play his harmonica, and we would just jam together," said Peter's music therapist Miranda Eden from Emmanuel Hospice which organized the event. "He talked about how musical his family is, and how much he enjoyed spending time with his family, and he also mentioned how much he loves pizza from Lou Malnati's  in Chicago, so I thought, well, we need to make this happen."

'I'm as happy as I've been in my life,' says aid worker Simon Boas as he faces deathBBC News; 7/4/24 In September 2023, Simon Boas was diagnosed with throat cancer. Aged just 46, he was told the disease was terminal, and that it would ultimately take his life. Over the following year, he knitted together his reflections on life into a book - A Beginner's Guide to Dying. The book is set to hit the shelves in October. It will be a posthumous publication. In what he expects to be one of his final interviews, Simon spoke to Emma Barnett on the Today Programme, offering his reflections on life and death as he moved into hospice care. "My pain is under control and I'm terribly happy - it sounds weird to say, but I'm as happy as I've ever been in my life.I used to think I'd rather be hit by the proverbial bus, but having a couple of months knowing this is coming has really helped me both do the boring 'death-min', but also get my thoughts and prepare myself, and feel so accepting of what's to come.It's been such a great bonus, actually. The book is called A Beginner's Guide to Dying, but really what I'm trying to convey is how enjoying life to the full kind of prepares you for this. ... I spent my life as an aid worker - quite a lot with the UN - and I've lived in places where death is something that not just exists in the background, but is imminently possible."Editor's Note: Click on the title's link to continue reading this inspirational story. Simon's book--to be published posthumously--is available for pre-orders on Amazon.com in Audible formats with Simon as the narrator.

Harn Art Museum encourages woman with Alzheimer’s to move again ABC TV WCJB-20; Gainesville, FL; by Kayla Lewis; 6/28/24 Pat Mclaurin’s Alzheimer’s has progressed since her daughter, Diana Dodds took her on a bucket list trip in 2022. ... “So my mom would never use a walker or a cane. She would be more likely to try to hit me with it then use it, so she’s fiercely independent, yet she knows right now she cannot really walk without falling,” Dodds shared. “She’s always grabbing for walls just in the house.” ... Pat used to walk 3-5 miles a day, but in January slowed down. They decided to test out their own walker on a trip to the Harn Museum of Art in Gainesville, but her mom didn’t like it. However, the museum offers walkers and Pat loved them. Diana tells her it’s like a shopping cart. “Four wheels, it has higher bars, it had brakes on it. It felt more like a shopping cart because of the seat,” Dodds shared. Diana described the walker they gave her mother to Haven Hospice officials who then brought her mom a walker just like it a couple days later. “It’s inspiring because I’ve seen her push through every step trying to keep moving, and I want her to be able to keep moving,” said Dodds.