In recent times, the use of hospice care has been increasing around the world. Despite the increase in utilization rates of hospice services, there is a disparity that exists among non-Western minorities in accessing hospice and palliative care services. Individuals belonging to cultures from Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America, and Continue reading →

Around 40 million individuals worldwide require palliative care. Over three-quarters of those needing palliative care are from low and middle-income countries (LMICs) where palliative care is still developing and is primarily limited to urban areas. A study conducted by Aregay et al., (2020) examined 30 research papers published between 1990 Continue reading →

Zaborowski and colleagues (2022) conducted a pilot study to examine the impact of education encouraging hospitalists to order palliative care consults within 3 days of patient admission to hospital. The goal was to optimize the benefits of palliative care by conducting a palliative consult sooner in the patient’s hospital stay. Continue reading →

Nutrition during palliative care focuses on both preventing malnutrition, but also on providing emotion and psychological comfort through eating foods associated with pleasure.  Chocolate has been associated with pleasure for some individuals, leading Vettori and colleagues (2022) to assess the effects of chocolate consumption on the nutritional status of older Continue reading →

A recent research study by Khan et al (2021)1, sought to determine whether there were positive changes in palliative end of life care, as measured by validated quality indicators, for people dying of cancer in three Canadian provinces over a 12-year period. The study included 376,108 patients who died from Continue reading →

Complementary therapies are increasingly being offered by hospices to end-of-life clients.  A recent literature review sought to better understand the implementation and outcomes of complementary therapy as a component of hospice care.  Studies examining music therapy, biofield therapies, massage therapy, aromatherapy, guided meditation, and relaxation were included.  Most studies demonstrated Continue reading →

Therapeutic applications of virtual reality (VR) in healthcare have grown over the past 20 years. A 2021 study by Lloyd and Haraldsdottir explored the use of VR for people with life-limiting conditions in a hospice setting. The findings suggest that VR can be beneficial in hospice settings by helping to Continue reading →

November 1st, 2021 is the inaugural World Compassionate Communities Day! Compassionate Communities focus on whole person care to benefit patients, caregivers, and health care systems. This enhances access to care and strengthens communities’ ability to connect, inform, and protect seniors, people with chronic and advanced disease and their caregivers. During Continue reading →