What Are the Different Types of End of Life Care at Home?

End of life care at home can include a variety of services to help patients feel comfortable at the end stages of their lives. Formal hospice care is available in some regions and people can also provide comfort and palliative care with assistance from medical advisers. The intent of such treatment is not curative, but if the patient does experience a turnaround, it is possible to transition to more aggressive management of the patient’s condition. People with terminal diagnoses may want to discuss their wishes with friends and family in advance to provide time to prepare.

Patients can opt to receive end of life care at home if they would be more comfortable in a home environment than a hospital or formal hospice facility. Invasive medical interventions are no longer necessary, and it is often possible for family and friends to provide most of the care and assistance people need. In the event a patient needs help with more advanced medical care, a nurse or other practitioner may be able to offer home visits, or could stay with the patient. This assisted end of life care at home can also offer respite for caregivers, who may experience emotional strain if they are not able to take a break.

Those with terminal conditions may decide to transition to end of life care if they are no longer responding to treatment, or experience such a decline in their quality of life that they no longer wish to continue with treatment. A care team can discuss the treatment and end of life options with the patient to determine the best approach for the patient’s needs. End of life care at home may include pain management, symptom control, and comfort care to keep the patient as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.

In hospice care at home, health professionals may visit to provide treatment and assist friends and family members with preparations for death. People can also meet with religious officiants, if they would like an opportunity to discuss spiritual matters. Palliative and comfort care offered without formal assistance can include food and water to keep the patient comfortable, regular pain management, and medications or treatments to address symptoms of illness. Patients also benefit from being regularly turned to prevent the development of bed sores, and may appreciate gentle massage, hair treatments, and other human contact towards the end of their lives.

The goal of end of life care at home is not to hasten death or leave patients uncomfortable while waiting for them to die. Instead, caregivers support the patient emotionally and physically to assist with preparation for death. This can include a series of choices it’s important to discuss ahead of time, like whether the patient should be revived in a medical emergency, and what kinds of interventions the patient consents to. It may be possible for someone to stay alive on a mechanical ventilator, for example, but the patient might not want this.