This month's cover features a scene from Defining Hope, a 2017 documentary that tells the stories of patients with life-threatening illnesses and the nurses who care for them. In this scene, Raul and Nina-a married couple who were both patients at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, New York-were brought to see each other with the help of a nurse and a certified nursing assistant. Raul had cancer and was in his final days; Nina was living with dementia. The couple were married for more than 40 years and shared an extremely close bond. While hospitalized at Calvary, which specializes in hospice and palliative care, their rooms were next door to each other.
The topic of end-of-life care is explored in a study in this issue by Nhat Bui and colleagues, who surveyed staff from 14 nursing homes to learn about their perspectives on providing end-of-life care and to identify their needs regarding palliative care education and training. For more, see "Original Research: Understanding Nursing Home Staff Attitudes Toward Death and Dying: A Survey."-Diane Szulecki, editor