Palliative care nurse Marina Sargin emphasizes the comprehensive and compassionate approach of palliative care. "We don't just treat illness, we treat the whole person," Sargin said. "We partner with patients and families to ensure care provided aligns with their values and preferences."

Integrating spiritual care into the treatment of serious conditions can help patients process their experience and manage pain, experts say. "Spiritual care starts with your compassion and presence, with your compassionate listening, with your acts of kindness and being empathic," says Dr. Marvin Delgado Guay, a palliative care physician.

Team-based care: "When we've interviewed patients and talked to them about it, not infrequently many patients want their doctor to be their doctor and to be open to this, but they’re really more plugged into their nursing team or social work team to dive deeper into spirituality and religion with them," said surgeon and researcher Dr. Timothy Pawlik.

The Illinois Public Health Association has developed an advance care planning training program for community health workers. The curriculum, created with the Illinois Hospice Palliative Care Organization and the HAP Foundation, includes on-demand video modules, workbooks and live instruction, and could be adapted for use in other states.

Why community health workers: " Community health workers are one of the most trusted workforces that is identified, so building upon that momentum of trust makes sense," said Tracey Smith of the IPHA

Supporting a loved one with cancer can take multiple forms: accompanying them to doctor's appointments, offering emotional and physical support during procedures, helping with household tasks and simply being present. Survivors emphasize the importance of leveraging personal strengths to provide meaningful support, whether it's through organization, advocacy or simply spending time together. "You don't have to be the person who makes this all better for someone or who offers them the perfect pearl of wisdom," Marielle Segarra writes.

Read the transcript of the show that led to this article.

Fulfilling bucket list wishes for people nearing the end of life improves well-being, strengthens family bonds and reduces health care costs, according to a study in Palliative & Supportive Care. Helping someone experience a deeply-held wish doesn't have to be expensive, say the researchers, who share examples such as having their room decorated in colors they love or experiencing a favorite song.

Lasting meaning: "When someone gets to check an item off their bucket list, it's more than just a joyful moment; it can have a lasting impact. For families, fulfilling a dream often becomes a cherished shared memory. Some even described it as being as special as a wedding or the birth of a child," researcher Michael Bennett said.

A surgical resident who recently lost a sibling asks how to grieve while maintaining the demands of medical training. Residency program director Dr. Omer Awan shares lessons from personal experiences with grief as well as the experiences of trainees, suggesting having a conversation about time and other needs with leadership, sharing feelings with loved ones, engaging in a spiritual practice, and turning to the mental health resources that hospitals offer.

Fewer complications were found with nurse-led pain management for patients with liver cancer following transarterial chemoembolization, according to a study in Scientific Reports. The model involved dynamic pain assessment, nonpharmacological interventions, early mobilization and education.

The role of nurses: "Nurses play a central role in the perioperative continuum, offering consistent bedside presence, timely symptom recognition, and holistic care that extends beyond pharmacologic intervention," researchers wrote.

The CMS is recalling close to 3,000 furloughed employees to assist with open enrollment for Medicare and Affordable Care Act coverage. The CMS is using research data-sharing user fees to pay employees temporarily, although Congress has not approved back pay for furloughed federal workers. Open enrollment for Medicare began Oct. 15 and goes through Dec. 7, while open enrollment on the federal health insurance marketplace starts Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 15.

Value-based payment is transforming how health care is delivered and financed in the U.S. For individuals living with serious illness, this shift raises important questions about access, affordability, and quality of care. The National Academies’ Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness will convene a hybrid public workshop on November 6 to examine current effects of value-based payment on people living with serious illness, the role of interdisciplinary care teams in ensuring quality care, and policy and practice opportunities to better align payment models with patient and family needs. Learn more and register.