World hospice and palliative care news roundup

China – Launch of central government supported social service project

APHN
March saw the launch of the National Hospice Service project – a central government supported social service project.

Need for hospice is likely to double

New Zealand – Stratford Press
Population gains mean an increase in need for hospice palliative care is going to almost double in the next 30 years, says chief executive of Hospice Taranaki Kevin Nielsen.

Ljubljana hospice shutting down due to funding disputes

Slovenia – STA
Slovenia’s only hospice in Ljubljana plans to shut down in the coming days once the last patient is transferred to another location.

Expanded hospice improves care but raises Medicare costs

US – Medical Xpress
A large new study in the New England Journal of Medicine examines the impact of growth in Medicare’s hospice benefit among nursing home residents.

Perception of US care for the dying worsens

US – Eureka Alert
Surveys of loved ones who lost elderly relatives show that the perception of the quality of care for the dying in the United States has worsened over the last decade.

Your doctor probably has A DNR. Here’s why you should consider one, too.

io9
From the time they’re in medical school, doctors are taught to respect and preserve the lives of their patients. But what happens when saving a patient’s life means contradicting his or her wishes?

Butterfly Children’s Hospices in China face short term nurse shortage

ehospice International children’s edition
Between May and October this year, the Butterfly Children’s Hospices in China needs to recruit volunteer, western-trained nurses to support them as they recruit and train permanent nurses.

Songwriting as a means of meaning and remembering

ehospice Canada
At the HPCO Conference in Toronto, Sarah Pearson facilitated a workshop that used music therapy techniques to address the grief that hospice and palliative care workers experience from the death of patients.

Celebrating Hospice Week – Passion for Compassion

ehospice South Africa
The theme for this year’s Hospice Week, 3 to 10 May, is “Passion for Compassion”. The aim for this week is to demonstrate compassion in communities and to reflect on the compassionate care that hospice workers provide for patients and their families.

Free outreach guides to reach diverse communities available

ehospice USA

Outreach Guides to help reach African American, Latino, and Faith Communities are available online, free of charge from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.