Arlene Radasky | 25-Year Hospice Volunteer and Certified Death Doula/Death Midwife Disclaimer: All views expressed in this blog are the author’s own and do not represent the view of NHPCO or affiliated organizations. Virginia grew up on a small farm and was fiercely independent. She worked extremely hard, juggling two jobs to raise her sons after her beloved young husband passed from a heart attack. The youngest of her two sons had an intellectual disability and required much of Virginia’s spare time. As the boys grew into men, her youngest son, wanting independence for himself, chos ..read more

Dr. Aditi Nerurkar, MD, MPH Dr. Aditi Nerurkar is a Harvard physician, Forbes contributor, and an NBC News medical commentator. Her expertise is in the science of stress, resilience, and burnout. She offers insights in optimizing mental health, wellbeing, and productivity during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. Dr. Nerurkar is on faculty at Harvard Medical School in the Division of Global Health & Social Medicine and serves as the Co-Director of the Harvard Clinical Clerkship in Community Engagement. Prior, she worked in global public health in Geneva, Switzerland with a World Health Org ..read more

Why Safety? By Aparna Gupta, DNP, FACHE, CPHQ, CRNP Safety in healthcare is a cure-all – yet how many of us put safety front and center? From wearing seat belts, to washing hands, to crossing the street, the mechanism of safety is (mostly) well entrenched in all of us. Yet when it comes to identifying safety risks, reporting adverse events, or keeping patients and clinicians safe, we are prone to miss the point. The Institute of Medicine has established six domainsof healthcare quality – safe, effective, patient centered, timely, efficient, and equitable care . The first domain is safety. Deli ..read more

By Emily Marge, MPS, NHPCO Veterans Services Specialist Last year, I ventured into sharing my experience with my uncle's death due to suicide. I wrote my first NHPCO Updater blog post five months after his passing. I was afraid to be vulnerable but hoped that sharing my feelings might help me. The experience allowed me to be comfortable sharing something personal while examining how my professional life intertwines with my grief. The anniversary of his transition into the afterlife was in August. Our family laid him to rest in the National Veterans Cemetery in New York where he always wan ..read more

How Doulas Help Hospices Meet Their Mission By Beth A. Eck, PhD In June of 2019, I began my quest to become a hospice death doula volunteer. For those who may not be familiar, anend-of-life doula guides individuals transitioning to death and their loved ones through the dying process. After a heady turn of events, I recently completed my first year as the Director of End-of-Life Doula Services for Hospice of the Piedmont in Charlottesville, Virginia. I am a practicing doula for hospice and palliative patients, but in my unanticipated “encore career,” I also train and supervise new hospice ..read more

By Erin Whalen Empathy is a buzzword these days. It seems to be everywhere from publications such as Forbes and The New York Times to countless LinkedIn articles mentioning empathy’s power and effectiveness. But in the real world--in the hard work you do helping people die with dignity — is empathy something that fits? And at what cost? What makes it worth the effort? In other words, what’s in it for you? Empathy does have power; it can help ease your day, as well as those of your patients’ and their loved ones. It’s a shortcut to connection, and if people feel connected to you, they are more ..read more

By Ross Hoffman, MBA “Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” –Stephen Covey Covey was on to something. In hospice and palliative care, our patients are important to us and our company. We also know that our employees drive the measure of success regarding the care each patient receives. So how do we increase the care we show our employees to help them be successful? With increases in the cost of living, a changing pandemic environment, and growing tensions regarding social and political issues, staff retention and employee satisfaction deserves mo ..read more

By Edo Banach   Yesterday, I had the opportunity to correspond with Kyle Terry, Director of Saint Francis Hospice in Tulsa. The hospice is part of the same health system as Saint Francis... The NHPCO Updater dives into issues on regulatory, advocacy, quality, research, education and training in the hospice industry. For more information visit http://www.nhpco.org. Look out for our Podcast in the iTunes Music Store ..read more

By Ben Marcantonio As a former hospice executive, I can tell you that volunteers are, and always have been, the heart of hospice. It’s important to remember that historically, hospice in the United... The NHPCO Updater dives into issues on regulatory, advocacy, quality, research, education and training in the hospice industry. For more information visit http://www.nhpco.org. Look out for our Podcast in the iTunes Music Store ..read more

By Edo Banach, NHPCO President & CEO  In April, I’m always reminded of Benjamin Franklin’s famous quip that “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” There’s a less famous, but in my... The NHPCO Updater dives into issues on regulatory, advocacy, quality, research, education and training in the hospice industry. For more information visit http://www.nhpco.org. Look out for our Podcast in the iTunes Music Store ..read more