Elisabeth Kubler-Ross described five stages grief in her book "On Death and Dying," and at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, grief expert David Kessler, who worked on Ross's last book, said the five stages could describe emotional responses to COVID-19. "When people are hurting, they want to know, 'How long is this going to last? What will happen to me?' They want something to hold on to. And the stages model gives them that," says George Bonanno, professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University.

Caregiving is not just a job, but a journey worth taking. Caregiving can be stressful and often thankless, but increases a person's sense of compassion and purpose, makes life better for both the caregiver and the one cared for, and according to studies, can be associated with increased longevity.

"The Family Caregiving Crisis Meets an Actual Pandemic," a paper in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, highlights the challenges unpaid, informal family caregivers face during the COVID-19 pandemic, and gives six ways health care professionals can help. Family caregivers are an essential part of the health care team, says Erin Kent, one of the paper's authors, and health care professionals should elevate the caregiver role and provide support, education and communication.

Young children are perceptive of their parents' emotional states and changes in caregivers, and tough talks about death and dying may be needed to help protect from worry and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Author Robyn Silverman, child and teen development specialist, says it is vitally important that we allow children to say goodbye, and she gives six principles with prompts and scripts to aid discussion.

Research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates that reducing or stopping diabetes treatment for patients with life-limiting illness or advanced dementia may improve quality of life near the end of life. "Deintensifying diabetes treatment regimens in patients with [life-limiting illness/advanced dementia] has the potential to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations due to adverse drug events, reduce medication burden and increase comfort," the researchers wrote.

Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic with quick adoption of approved virtual platforms that allow connections between patients and families, remote grief support groups, Facebook Live events and a rapid response team that answers questions, sends a daily message to all staff members, and holds weekly town halls. Yelena Zatulovsky, a vice president at Seasons, said the response to the pandemic has helped overcome distancing with increased emotional and spiritual connections.

Exposure to trauma and suffering can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder among nurses, according to literature review in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. "We really want to help people be more aware that this is happening because once those conversations start, we feel like more effort will be geared toward helping to find or develop and promote interventions that can best support nurses' well-being, overall," said author Michelle Schuster, a nurse at Boston Children's Hospital.

Winners at the Nurse Hack 4 Health virtual hackathon included ideas for projects such as Well Nurse, a peer-to-peer mental health app, and Nurse GPS, which helps locate needed equipment. The event included 30 teams of nurse innovators, with five winning proposals.

HHS plans to renew the public health emergency for COVID-19 before the declaration expires July 25, according to department spokesman Michael Caputo. The move would add 90 days to the emergency declaration and allow health care providers to keep using waivers and flexibilities introduced during the emergency, including those that support expanded use of telehealth and change requirements for value-based payment models.

HPNA has opened registration for the 14th Annual Clinical Practice Forum (CPF) that will take place September 10-12, 2020. HPNA prioritizes the health and safety of our conference attendees and therefore made the decision to move this year's event to a virtual format. We invite you to join your colleagues as we examine the latest best practices, advance knowledge of caring for patients with serious illness, and network with other nurses in the specialty. Learn more and register today. The first 100 individuals to register for the conference can receive $60 off the registration fee with promo code "FIRST100."

The designation of Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing (FPCN) is bewtowed upon HPNA members who have made significant contributions to HPNA, HPCC and/or HPNF, while also impacting the field of palliative nursing. The 2021 HPNA Fellow Application is open until July 31, 2020. Learn more and apply.