Do home care providers offer care until death?
Answers
Most home care agencies offer care until death, including Right at Home. State laws differ, and will impact what end-of-life services home care companies are allowed to offer. Typically, these services are called “hospice services.”
But don’t confuse all care at the end of life with care provided by the Medicare hospice benefit. The hospice benefit is a limited range of care and support for dying patients. Home care can offer end-of-life care services that supplement hospice/palliative care, such as meal preparation, light housekeeping, companionship and respite. Some may also offer skilled nursing, which requires additional certifications and can include services such as medication administration, dressing changes and catheter care. These services can be offered in a home or other facility, such as a hospice center.
When considering any home care service, be sure to ask about what end-of-life care services that company offers.
