Hospice News and Research

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Terminally-ill patients often denied chance to die at home

Many terminally-ill patients cannot die at home because of a lack of services and training in palliative care, say researchers from the University of Warwick.

8 May 2007

New and improved techniques to treat cardiac arrest

Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has been named Director of Penn's new Center for Resuscitation Science.

4 Apr 2007

NYT examines 'gray market' for in-home long-term care aides

Many middle-class families facing the "crushing burden of indefinite home-care expenses" have begun to hire in-home long-term care aides through the "gray market," an "over-the-back-fence network of women," although the practice "is fraught with risks," the New York Times reports.

4 Mar 2007

State proposals for universal health insurance unlikely to succeed

Democratic presidential candidate and former Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) recently released a universal health care proposal that incorporates "the bad idea of raising taxes on employers and forcing individuals to purchase insurance," but before "others get carried away with this model, they should take a look at its most recent manifestation in Massachusetts," Sally Pipes, president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

27 Feb 2007

More insurers, programs offer 'open access' hospice care

Increasing numbers of hospice programs and private insurance companies are allowing patients to receive medical treatments while participating in hospice care, the New York Times reports.

13 Feb 2007

Health officials accused over cover up in deaths from vCJD

A cover up on the part of British health authorities meant a man who had been infected with CJD from contaminated blood during a transfusion was not told until he was dying what was really wrong with him.

11 Dec 2006

Terminally ill cancer patients continue to receive aggressive treatment at end of life

The increasing use of chemotherapy and intensive hospital treatment for cancer patients in their last two weeks of life continued at least into the late 1990s despite the growth of the hospice movement that emphasizes comforting personal bonds and controlling pain and discomfort

9 Jun 2006

Religious orientation influences elderly's fear of death

As they approach death, the churchgoing elderly are likely to find little solace in religion if they had little personal commitment to God during the rest of their lives, a new University of Florida study finds.

20 Apr 2006

HHS announces grants of $579.7 million to fund HIV/AIDS primary care

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced grants of $579.7 million to fund HIV/AIDS primary care and support services for low-income residents living in major metropolitan areas hit hardest by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

17 Mar 2006

New guidelines to battle heart failure

Early diagnosis and new treatments can help battle heart failure -- a growing national problem that causes 1 million hospital admissions each year, according to new guidelines released by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

22 Aug 2005

Asian American and Pacific Island women less likely to receive breast-conserving surgery

Asian American and Pacific Island women, particularly those born abroad, are less likely to receive breast-conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women, according to a study published in the online Journal of General Internal Medicine.

17 Jul 2005

At the end of life hospices better option for the elderly than nursing homes

A new study has shown that straight talking elderly people, who are facing death in nursing homes, raises the likelihood of them agreeing to enter hospices in the last days of their life.

14 Jul 2005

Hospice referral rates increase with intervention

A simple information and communication intervention between a patient and physician can increase hospice referral rates among nursing home residents, increase their families' ratings of end-of-life care, and may decrease use of acute care resources, according to an article in the July 13 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Jul 2005

Most people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are not depressed

Contrary to what you might think, most people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are not depressed. They are also not more likely to get depressed as the end of life approaches, and they are not more likely to be depressed if they want to die or hasten their own death.

11 Jul 2005

Research looks at palliative care services in hospitals

In more and more hospitals across the U.S., patients turn to palliative care specialists to provide relief from pain, help in making difficult medical decisions and support for their families and those who care for them.

9 Jun 2005

Good communication skills can improve academic achievement, self-esteem, social adjustment

The most anticipated moment for many parents is the sound of a child’s first word. But what if the words are delayed, jumbled or never come at all?

23 Apr 2005

Bush will seek a record $70.8 billion in 2006 for Veterans Affairs

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson announced today that President Bush will seek a record $70.8 billion in the fiscal year 2006 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), with the overwhelming majority of these resources targeted for health care and disability compensation.

7 Feb 2005

Shorter hospice enrollment was linked to elevated depression among family caregivers

Delayed enrollment in hospice can result in increased depression among family members after the death of their loved one, according to a study by Yale researchers published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

8 Dec 2004

Clinical care of community-dwelling older adults with advanced chronic diseases would be enhanced by identifying and alleviating the range of symptoms they experience

In a study to determine the prevalence of a range of symptoms among older persons living independently with advanced chronic diseases, researchers at Yale have found that the majority experienced multiple moderate or severe symptoms.

8 Dec 2004

Geriatricians call for creative and wide-reaching solutions to end-of-life care for patients with dementia

Three University of Chicago geriatricians are calling for creative and wide-reaching solutions to the problem of sub-optimal end-of-life care for patients with dementia.

14 Oct 2004