Literature Review

A hospice nurse made a promise—and found homes for 1,300 pets  Miami Herald, Miami, FL; by Jen Reeder; 4/7/25Working as a hospice nurse, Joanne Bonicelli spent years offering comfort to dying people. Then, in 1998, a request from one patient changed her life. A young woman in her 40s had a fluffy white dog named Jasper, who never left her side while she was at Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  One day, the woman called Joanne to her bedside. “I don’t know where Jasper will end up or who will care for him when I am gone…it’s just too painful to bear,” she told Joanne as tears streamed down her face. “I can’t die in peace worrying what will happen to him…can you euthanize him in my arms as I pass?” The heart-wrenching request stunned Joanne. She asked a veterinarian about what they could do, and after meeting Jasper, the vet’s eyes welled with tears at the prospect of putting down a healthy dog. There has to be a better way, they both agreed. [Continue reading ...]

Transforming communities through leadership with Quint Studer Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux with Quint Studer; 4/9/25In this episode, Chris sits down with Quint Studer, Founder of Healthcare Plus Solutions Group and one of his most trusted mentors, to dive deep into the transformation of Pensacola, Florida.  Quint reveals his powerful framework for community change, sharing essential leadership insights and the challenges of driving real transformation. From the importance of active participation to fostering a growth-driven culture, Quint offers valuable wisdom on leadership, change management, and empowering others.  He emphasizes the need for effective communication, ownership, and a positive mindset in organizations.  He encourages leaders to focus on creating memorable experiences and fostering a culture of learning and growth, this episode is a must-listen!

How housing instability complicates end-of-life take care of growing old unhoused populations Health Medicine Network; by Pilar Ingle; 4/8/25 Research estimates that one-third or more of the unhoused inhabitants within the U.S. is age 50 or older. Unhoused individuals of all ages face high rates of ... severe sickness. They additionally die at younger ages in contrast with people who find themselves not unhoused. Yet, there are few choices for palliative and end-of-life care for unhoused individuals. ... As a health care and aging researcher, ... I interviewed 17 well being care and social service suppliers in Colorado to grasp how they attempt to deal with palliative and end-of-life wants for his or her unhoused shoppers.

Art meets history, grief, boots and landscapes at First Friday Artwalk Steamboat Pilot & Today, Northwest Colorado; by John Componeschi; 4/3/25  April’s First Friday Artwalk will celebrate artistic diversity and storytelling, both of which form the framework of the Yampa Valley’s creative arts community. [Published 4/3/25, before Fri. 4/4/25] ... An emotionally powerful exhibit entitled “Good Grief” will open at the Depot Art Center, ... The works of Krystal Mackey will be presented in partnership with Northwest Colorado Health’s Hospice program. Mackey, who has a background in design and architecture, created the series as an emotional coping outlet. Her pastel on sanded paper and digital drawing pieces offer the viewer an honest and vulnerable exploration of grief. Selected works were displayed during “Tuesdays with Morrie” at Perry-Mansfield in March. “Grief may be scary, sad and hard to look at,” said Mackey. “But it’s worth it.” Influenced by artists Chagall, Kandinsky, Warhol and Lichtenstein, Mackey’s style combines vibrant color with feeling- and grief-based introspection. The exhibit invites viewers to reflect on whether grief has affected them and if they would benefit from talking about their experiences with it.

Strong social connections improve older adults’ well-being regardless of setting, study finds McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 4/7/25 Social connections, trust in others in their community and community cohesion significantly improve elderly well-being whether seniors live at home or in nursing facilities, according to a new comparative study published in BMC Public Health. However, researchers found that nursing home residents generally reported lower subjective well-being compared to their community-dwelling counterparts, even after accounting for health status and demographic factors. ... According to the authors, these findings “indicate the necessity for tailored interventions that address the unique needs of each care environment to promote healthier aging experiences. [Continue reading ...]

What to do if a loved one is evacuated from a nursing home or assisted living AARP; by Emily Paulin; 1/10/25, updated 1/23/25 Running from a wildfire is a terrifying ordeal for anyone. But there’s added fear for those who have limited mobility, rely on medical equipment or suffer from dementia and struggle to comprehend what is happening. ... Evacuating these vulnerable, high-needs residents is a complex and precarious operation. Family members may be unsure of how to find their loved one or what to do to support them in a disaster situation. We’ve gathered advice from disaster response and long-term care experts on five topics to help family caregivers navigate these situations.

Jackson County nurse braves floodwaters to reach isolated hospice patient Fox 56, Jackson County, KY; by Corey Elam; 4/4/25 When deadly flooding cut off access and phone service for a Jackson County hospice patient on Friday [4/4/25], a healthcare worker teamed up with emergency management teams to care for her patient. According to Hospice Care Plus, after finding out her patient was isolated and couldn’t be reached by phone, Nurse Makale Fox worked with Jackson County Emergency Management (JCEM) to find a way to get to her. “With the support of Jackson County Emergency Management, Makale ... was able to safely navigate through the flooded area and reach her patient, ensuring they received the comfort and care they deserved,” Hospice Care Plus wrote. The hospice care nonprofit thanked Makale for her unwavering commitment, as well as JCEM for making it possible for her to get to her patient. [Continue for photos and more ...]

‘The most someone wants is to be heard’: Students foster connection, create memoirs for hospice patients The Daily Texan - University of Texas, Austin, TX; 4/3/25 ... Brought to UT in 2023, Last Writers is a service organization where student volunteers interview hospice patients over the course of several months to write a memoir that is then printed and given to the patients and their families. The process is intended to bring comfort to hospice patients and create a physical memento for the families, representing their lives once they pass. ... “It’s not often that you’re a college student and you get to meet someone who is going to pass away in the next few months,” Nguyen said. “To be with them in that very vulnerable point, it gives you a lot of perspectives. A lot of our members come out of it realizing how much they have to live for. … It makes us more grateful in life and puts our mortality into perspective.” [Continue reading ...]

Franciscan Health men’s group meets to grieve together Daily Journal, Indianapolis, IN; by Ryan Trares; 3/31/25 The depths of the loss felt so great. When Phil Darmelio’s wife, Joanne, died in March 2023, he knew he needed help in his grief. The couple had been together for 60 years, and Darmelio was not certain who to talk to about his feelings. The suggestion of attending a bereavement group specifically for men seemed like a good place to start. The support has been overwhelmingly positive. ... The men’s bereavement group, hosted by Franciscan Health, has offered men grieving a death in their lives a place to heal with others in similar situation. Meeting weekly at the Franciscan Hospice House on the southside, the group offers a specially tailored program intended to meet the emotional needs of men. [Continue reading ...]

How this thrift shop helps Virginia families in their time of need: 'They’re good people here' CBS-6 News - Richmond, Petersburg, VA; by Wayne Covil; 3/31/25 The regulars who frequent Crater Community Hospice Thrift Shops were busy browsing for bargains on Monday. They know that some of the money they spend here goes back into their community. Crater Community Hospice runs the stores as a way for the nonprofit to raise much-needed funding. "The money we bring in to our stores goes directly to caring for our patients," Zach Holt, with Crater Community Hospice, said. "I don’t want to ever say no to a patient. I don’t want to ever say no to a patient’s need." Krystal Mansfield told CBS 6 there was a reason she chose to shop at Crater Community Hospice Thrift Shops. "[It] was a big part of my grandmother's end of time, and they took very good care of her in her last days," Mansfield said. ... Angie Dowdy shared a similar story. ... [Continue reading ...]

Niagara Hospice to offer free community presentation for National Healthcare Decisions Day Niagara Frontier Publications; Press Release; 3/28/25 April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day, which is a day set aside to educate and empower individuals to discuss and document their end-of-life health care wishes. Niagara Hospice invites the community to attend the free presentation, “Advance Care Planning: Advance Directives for Health Care,” ... Advance care planning includes advance directives like health care proxies, do not resuscitate (DNR) orders, and living wills. Advance directives help to ensure end-of-life care wishes are followed if one is unable to make necessary decisions for themselves. [Continue reading ...]Editor's note: For more information about National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD), explor The Conversation Project, at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. 

What to know about palliative and hospice care Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ); by Liz Seegert; 3/28/25 ... [Palliative care] is fundamental to health and human dignity and is a basic human right, according to the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard.  When reporting on serious illnesses, journalists can help demystify palliative care and encourage more people in need to take advantage of it by clearly explaining the differences, and benefits, and incorporating anecdotes to further illustrate how these types of care make a difference in the lives of patients and their families. [Continue reading ...] Editor's note: Share this article--written for health care journalists--with your communications and marketing leadership, with your community newspapers' journalists, and your employee/volunteer educators. Too often, new hospice/palliative care employees at all levels of roles and responsibilities begin their roles without clear knowledge, comprehension, and application of distinctions between standard healthcare, palliative care, and hospice care.  

Foster Funeral Home helps Friends of Hospice provide children’ grief coping books to Hannibal, Mexico libraries Oswego County Today, Fulton, NY; 3/28/25 Foster Funeral Home has partnered with the Friends of Hospice in Oswego County (FOHOC) , to expand their program of offering books at local libraries to help children coping with grief and loss, said Klara Stellingwerf, manager, Foster Funeral Home. FOHOC launched the program in January by donating these books to the Oswego, Fulton and Pulaski public libraries, said Elena Twiss, FOHOC executive director. “Foster Funeral Home has helped us expand this program by donating these books to Hannibal public library and FOHOC donated them to the Mexico public library. ... There are book options for ages zero to eighteen-plus, and one of the books is even for adults to help assist parents in talking to their children about loss.”