Literature Review

'Music makes everything better': Austin doctor spins vinyl to give patients a sense of home KUT 90.5, Austin, TX; by Olivia Aldridge; 12/16/25 Lying in her bed at Dell Seton Medical Center, 64-year-old Pamela Mansfield sways her feet to the rhythm of George Jones’ “She Thinks I Still Care.” Mansfield is still recovering much of her mobility after a recent neck surgery, but she finds a way to move to the music floating from a record player that was just wheeled into her room. “Seems to be the worst part is the stiffness in my ankles and the no feeling in the hands,” she says. “But music makes everything better.” Mansfield was being visited by the ATX-VINyL program, a project dreamed up by Dr. Tyler Jorgensen to bring music to the bedside of patients dealing with difficult diagnoses and treatments. He collaborates with a team of volunteers who wheel the player on a cart to patients’ rooms, along with a selection of records in their favorite genres.

My patient was gone. I had to help his family see it: The art of medicine means sitting with families’ grief and hope Stat10 - First Opinion; by Raya Elfadel Kheirbek; 12/15/25 Bullets tore through Michael Thompson’s car at a stop sign, ending the life of a 35-year-old father in an instant. Just minutes earlier, he had dropped his 8-year-old daughter, Emma, at dance class, her pink tutu bouncing as she waved goodbye. Now, in the ICU, his young body lay tethered to machines — ... a ventilator’s hiss forcing his chest to rise. ... His family’s grief filled the room, raw and heavy, as I prepared to document our meeting. On the screen, a pop-up appeared: “Patient is deceased; do you want to continue?” Its cold bluntness paled against their pain. Michael looked alive. His chest rose and fell with the ventilator. ... Medicine isn’t just tests or machines. It is presence — sitting with families in their grief, faith, and love. Our tools should support that presence, not interrupt it with cold prompts. ... Most U.S. hospitals lack clear guidelines for these situations, leaving families and clinicians alike in limbo. They also worried about organ donation — a decision fewer than 1% of families consent to after brain death, often because the body still looks alive.Editor's Note: We thank the palliative care physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains who provide sensitive presence with families in the unbearable spaces between hope and loss, especially when life support decisions arise. In this season, may we pause to honor those who carry this sacred work—and remember the families who have had to accept harsh truths while machines still “breathe.”

Volunteer vocalist has provided solace to hospice patients for 23 years The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; by Danielle Charbonneau;  Kevin Dunn has been a volunteer vocalist at Wellstar West Georgia Hospice in LaGrange for 23 years, providing solace to hospice patients and their families through his music. ... Dunn's voice has been a source of comfort for many, including Kitty Matthews Crawford, who experienced a moment of peace when her grandfather's face softened after hearing his voice. Dunn has sung at roughly 250 funerals and has never charged a fee for his services. His dedication to music and hospice care has made a significant impact on the lives of those he serves. [Access may be limited by paywall]

Hospice House marks 20 years of compassion and community support KTLO.com, Mountain Home, AR; by Staff; 12/4/25 The Hospice of the Ozarks Hospice House is celebrating a major milestone this week, 20 years of providing comfort and dignity to families across the Twin Lakes Area. On Friday [12/5], the community is invited to join the celebration from noon until 2 at the administration building. Rebecca Rainer, relationship and giving officer, says the Dec. 5 date was intentional, marking exactly two decades since the hospice house first opened in 2005.

Hope Hospice Center completes, exceeds $15M capital campaign Times-Leader, Fairfield, MT; by Keila Szpaller; 12/1/25 Before the Hope Hospice Center opened in Missoula in July, people working on the project toured different facilities in the country looking for ideas. ... They learned that families are as integral to the mission as their loved ones, even that it’s advisable to have multiple USB ports in a room and couches that convert into beds. ... Now, four months after opening its doors to families across Montana, the Hope Hospice Center has served more than 100 patients and their families, exceeded a $15 million capital campaign by $200,000 ... 

Holidays can be celebrated even during illness SNJ Today, Cumberland County, NJ; 11/30/25 The holidays often bring warmth, tradition, and togetherness, but when a loved one is facing a terminal diagnosis, the season can also bring intense emotion, uncertainty, and sadness. The joyful anticipation of the season may now feel solemn and bittersweet. Yet, according to NJ Health Hospice and Palliative Care, observing the holidays, gently and intentionally, can foster comfort, connection, and cherished memories.

Letters without limits: Jesse Tetterton The Johns Hopkins News-Letter; by Omkar Katkade; 11/22/25 Letters Without Limits, founded by students at Johns Hopkins and Brown University, connects volunteers with palliative care and hospice patients to co-create “Legacy Letters.” These letters capture memories, values and lessons that patients wish to share, preserving stories that might otherwise be lost. By honoring these voices and preserving legacies, Letters Without Limits hopes to affirm the central role of humanism in medicine, reminding us that every patient is more than their illness and that their voices deserve to be heard.

Shepherd’s Cove Hospice: Children’s Activity Garden Sand Mountain Reporter, Albertville, AL; by Mary Bailey; 11/22/25 Shepherd’s Cove Hospice in Albertville lives by the words of community, compassion and connection. On Tuesday morning they opened the doors of the community room for a free breakfast and then held a ribbon cutting for their new “Children’s Activity Garden” located at their facility. With one in nine children in Alabama experiencing a loss of a parent or sibling by age 18, Shepherd’s Cove Hospice saw a need and wanted to help. The Children’s Activity Garden is space where children and teenagers can come to deal with their emotions but also have the freedom and space to still be a child and play. 

Phoebe Sumter helps hospice patient say final goodbyes to "Moonshine" and "Cowboy," her beloved animals Phoebe Putney Health System, Americus, GA; Press Release; 11/14/25 ... Kate’s only wish was to see her horse, Moonshine. ... Kate’s close friend Sunday Laramore said, “She was an amazing horse trainer.  She had been doing that since very early adulthood.  She got Moonshine when he was 18 months-old; ... they had an amazing bond.” Kate’s condition was too unstable for her to return home to visit Moonshine, so the Phoebe Sumter care team began formulating a plan to bring Moonshine – and Kate’s dog, Cowboy – to the hospital to see her.  Less than an hour after the team learned of Kate’s desire to see her animals, the pets were loaded up and on the way to the hospital.

When hospice referrals are placed to improve acute care hospital mortality metricsJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Gina M Piscitello, Emily Martin, Gregg A Robbins-Welty, Ryan Baldeo, Joseph Shega, Michael T Huber; 10/25Risk-adjusted inpatient mortality is one way in which the quality of US acute care hospitals is assessed. While the specification of inpatient mortality measurements can vary, patients transitioned to general inpatient hospice (GIP) status are often excluded. GIP is one of four levels of hospice care intended for short-term inpatient management of uncontrolled symptoms that cannot be effectively managed in another setting. This care may be provided in acute care hospitals through partnerships with hospice agencies. As such, a patient may potentially be discharged from the hospital and enrolled in GIP in the same hospital location, even the same bed, and excluded from the hospital’s inpatient mortality measures.

Hospice House welcomes 500th patient, expands mission Nola.com, New Orleans, LA; by Lisa Von Eberstein; 11/2/25 When the 500th patient entered the Hospice House near Slidell last month, the milestone marked more than a number. ...  “We call them bittersweet benchmarks,” said Miranda Lindsay, executive director of the Hospice Foundation of the South and Hospice House. “It’s amazing for us in 11 years to have helped 500 families in our community, but at the same time, it’s 500 people who have passed.” Hospice House is a 3,600-square-foot home featuring three private suites, with screened-in porches in a homelike setting, for terminally ill patients to spend their final days.

Scout completes Eagle Scout project to replace a former Eagle Scout project at Kathy Hospice Washington County Daily News, Town of Polk, WI; by Grayson Sewell; 10/30/25 In 2013, Derek Palecek made and installed eight handcrafted bird feeders at Kathy Hospice for his Eagle Scout project, but after years of wear and tear, a new scout, Tyler Szabo, stepped up to replace them for his Eagle Scout project in October. “It meant a lot for me to be able to have this opportunity to make sure I can make something that can have a lasting effect on not only on the loved ones, but the ones who are passing away,” said Szabo. “It’s an amazing feeling to make sure they can enjoy the little bit of time they have left. It almost brings me to tears.”