{"title":"Full Room, Unheld.","authors":"Pramana, Prahastiwi Utari, Monika Sri Yuliarti","doi":"10.1080/15524256.2026.2666513","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2026.2666513","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This poem reflects on one of the most painful paradoxes in end-of-life care: a person may be surrounded by medical attention, institutional routines, and physical presence, yet still experience profound emotional loneliness. Through simple but evocative imagery, the poem portrays a hospital room where care is present in technical and procedural forms, but deeper human fears remain unheld. It invites readers to consider the limits of clinical proximity when emotional presence, existential recognition, and compassionate connection are absent. Positioned within the context of palliative and end-of-life care, the poem gives voice to the often-unspoken isolation that can accompany serious illness, even in spaces designed for support. As a reflective piece, it seeks to illuminate the hidden emotional landscape of dying and to encourage greater sensitivity to the relational dimensions of care among practitioners, caregivers, and scholars.</p>","PeriodicalId":45992,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care","volume":" ","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147844328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"When Transplant Is No Longer the Answer: An End-of-Life Social Work Narrative in Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis.","authors":"Aysha Jawed","doi":"10.1080/15524256.2026.2666511","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2026.2666511","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45992,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care","volume":" ","pages":"1-5"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147822101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hafiz Muhammad Ihsan Zafeer, Samra Maqbool, Zhijun Liu, Quanwang Zhan, Mohammad Al-Masaeid
{"title":"The Quiet between Goodbyes: Witnessing, Holding, and Remaining Present at the End of Life.","authors":"Hafiz Muhammad Ihsan Zafeer, Samra Maqbool, Zhijun Liu, Quanwang Zhan, Mohammad Al-Masaeid","doi":"10.1080/15524256.2026.2666507","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2026.2666507","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>End-of-life social work often unfolds in spaces where clinical language reaches its limits. A social worker observing a 78-year-old patient with advanced heart failure noted multiple discussions had been conducted regarding prognosis, comfort-focused care, and transition planning. Despite clear explanations, the patient's daughter lingered at the bedside, rubbing lotion into her parent's hands, seemingly hesitant to leave. This act of care, quiet and deliberate, reflected the social worker's understanding that the cognitive grasp of death cannot settle its emotional weight. Social workers in such moments emphasize accompaniment over intervention, presence over problem-solving supporting dignity and psychosocial needs as proposed by Moon and McDermott (2021). Observing these moments revealed that families often communicate love and fear through gestures rather than words, providing insight into the complexity of emotional presence at the bedside.</p>","PeriodicalId":45992,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care","volume":" ","pages":"1-4"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147822057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yinn Shan Ooi, Hui En Lee, Mei Yan Ong, Yue Shean Nicole Ng, Nithia Angamuthu, Eng Koon Ong
{"title":"Biopsychosocial Spiritual Needs of Patients in a Singapore Home Hospice Setting-an Exploratory Qualitative Study.","authors":"Yinn Shan Ooi, Hui En Lee, Mei Yan Ong, Yue Shean Nicole Ng, Nithia Angamuthu, Eng Koon Ong","doi":"10.1080/15524256.2026.2655180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2026.2655180","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Patients receiving home palliative care face complex biopsychosocial-spiritual (BPSS) needs, yet studies on their experiences are limited. This study sought to investigate the BPSS needs of home palliative care patients from a qualitative perspective. Between October 2023 and December 2024, patients admitted to Assisi HPC service in Singapore were invited to participate in individual semi-structured interviews. Twenty eligible patients who provided written consent were interviewed using the BPSS model. The results were transcribed, anonymized, and analyzed through thematic analysis. Three key themes emerged: (1) total suffering, which captured the interconnected nature of physical, psychological, and spiritual distress; (2) loss of personhood and identity, reflecting the disruptions in self-concept caused by illness; and (3) search for spiritual wellbeing, highlighting coping mechanisms shaped by faith, social connections, or acceptance of life's course. While some participants found meaning, others struggled with despair. Protective factors such as social support, spirituality, and personal coping strategies were crucial in reducing distress and fostering adaptation. These findings emphasize the need for a holistic, patient-centered approach in home palliative care, where BPSS needs are dynamic. Strengthening social networks and integrating spiritual care may help patients transition from futile to meaningful suffering, enhancing dignity at life's end.</p>","PeriodicalId":45992,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care","volume":" ","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147699890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"To Not Move the Flowers: Presence, Loss, and the Limits of Professional Care at the End of Life.","authors":"Rony Kurniawan Pratama","doi":"10.1080/15524256.2026.2655176","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2026.2655176","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This poetry essay presents three shorter poems and one longer poem exploring what social workers, caregivers, and families face in end-of-life and palliative care in Indonesia. The poems are informed by field experience and cultural understanding, particularly that of communities in Central Java, where people do not speak plainly about death and dying is burdened by what is unseen. They do not attempt to explain or diagnose. Instead, they try to approximate the feel of caregiving: the silence in a hospital corridor, the grief that precedes the leaving of the body, the hands that perform tasks no policy statement lists. Poetry, as both a form of inquiry and a mode of bearing witness, is not simply an addendum to social work knowledge but a way of knowing that which clinical language alone cannot comprehend.</p>","PeriodicalId":45992,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care","volume":" ","pages":"1-4"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147634729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bearing Witness at the Edge of Care: A Reflective Ethical Commentary from Pediatric Social Work Practice.","authors":"Aysha Jawed","doi":"10.1080/15524256.2026.2655976","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2026.2655976","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45992,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care","volume":" ","pages":"1-5"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147634776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Trauma Informed Care with an Alzheimer's Dementia Patient: A Reflection.","authors":"Hollie A Preston","doi":"10.1080/15524256.2026.2650697","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2026.2650697","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45992,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care","volume":" ","pages":"1-3"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147575870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Staying Present When Solutions Fail.","authors":"Summaira Rehman","doi":"10.1080/15524256.2026.2650694","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2026.2650694","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45992,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care","volume":" ","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147533394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maja Holm, Kristofer Årestedt, Tina Lundberg, Camilla Udo, Malin Lövgren
{"title":"Implementation of a Family Centered Intervention Among Families with a Parent or Child Who Is Severely Ill - Associations with Organizational Context.","authors":"Maja Holm, Kristofer Årestedt, Tina Lundberg, Camilla Udo, Malin Lövgren","doi":"10.1080/15524256.2026.2642651","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2026.2642651","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Family Talk Intervention is a family-centered intervention in six sessions, which can be a tool to help health care social workers support families with dependent children when someone in the family has a severe illness. However, the influence of contextual factors on the implementation of Family Talk Intervention warrants further investigation. The purpose of this study was to examine the organizational context of social workers and its association with the implementation of Family Talk Intervention among families in which a parent or child is severely ill with identified palliative care needs. The study was part of a larger intervention project where Family Talk Intervention was implemented through a structured program in three different clinical care contexts: advanced palliative care, adult cancer care, and advanced pediatric care. Two validated instruments were used to measure social workers' ratings of their organizational context and the implementation of Family Talk Intervention. Results showed that higher ratings on certain organizational aspects were significantly associated with higher implementation ratings. These aspects, namely informal interactions, social capital and culture of the workplace, should be studied further. These may serve as facilitators for the implementation of family-centered interventions like Family Talk Intervention, by social workers and should be observed and promoted during the implementation of interventive processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":45992,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147469617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emily Karalus, Elizabeth Wood, Lacey Ahern, Eve Namisango
{"title":"Exploring the Role of Palliative Care Providers Perceptions of Gender-Based Violence in Uganda.","authors":"Emily Karalus, Elizabeth Wood, Lacey Ahern, Eve Namisango","doi":"10.1080/15524256.2026.2642644","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15524256.2026.2642644","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gender-based violence (GBV) is an increasingly prevalent problem that can take many forms, have different levels of severity, and different ways of perpetuation. Palliative care providers' holistic focus assists in improving the quality of life of patients by identifying and responding to various factors that cause suffering in their patients, which provides a unique perspective on identifying GBV. In Uganda, there is a high rate of GBV due to cultural norms, gender inequities, and gender roles. This qualitative case study explored perspectives on GBV through the lens of palliative care providers in Uganda. During 2023, five focus group discussions were conducted across Uganda among different palliative care providers. Thematic analysis was used to identify six themes from the data: Perceptions of What Constitutes GBV, Training Experiences & Recommendations, Identification of GBV, Factors Influencing GBV, Intersectionality of GBV and Palliative Care, and Impact on Family. This study displays the need for developing targeted training, improving collaborative efforts, and creating culturally tailored and appropriate interventions to address GBV through the lens of palliative care providers.</p>","PeriodicalId":45992,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care","volume":" ","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147460558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}