Hospice care at home is a specialized form of healthcare that provides comfort and support to individuals facing the end of their lives. Hospice care can be provided by independent hospice agencies or through programs based in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living centers, or other health care systems. Hospice agencies most often provide services in the patients home, and most people get hospice care at home. Hospice care can also be provided by free-standing or independent facilities specially designed to provide hospice care, or through programs based in hospitals, nursing homes, or other health care systems.
Hospice care brings together a team of people with special skills, including nurses, doctors, social workers, spiritual advisors, and trained volunteers. Everyone works together with the person who is dying, the caregiver, and/or the family to provide the medical, emotional, and spiritual support needed. Although hospice provides a lot of support, the day-to-day care of a person dying at home is provided by family and friends. The hospice team coaches family members on how to care for the dying person and even provides respite care when caregivers need a break. Respite care can be for as short as a few hours or for as long as several weeks.
Hospice care at home typically involves the following services:
- Basic medical care, like pain management
- Assistance with daily activities, such as eating and bathing
- Dietary and nutritional services
- Emotional and spiritual support
- Counseling sessions and family meetings
- Symptom management to ease pain
- Medication management
- Physical activity
- Creative therapies such as music or art therapy
- Short hospital stays
Hospice care at home can be challenging, but many family members choose it as a way to help support their loved ones. Medicare and most private insurance plans cover hospice care at home.
