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How Often Does Palliative Care Come to the Home?
Date Updated: January 12, 2025
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Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a health care professional, researcher, and an experienced medical writer (2000+ articles published online and several medical ebooks). She received her MD degree from “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine, Romania, and her HD diploma from OCHM – Toronto, Canada.
How often palliative care comes to the home depends on several factors, including the severity of your condition and other specific health needs. Your palliative care provider creates a personalized care plan outlining needed services and frequency of visits. As your health needs evolve and you require additional services, such as end-of-life or hospice care, the number of visits may change.
Who Qualifies for Palliative Care Home Visits?
Palliative care treats seniors with serious or life-limiting chronic illnesses, such as kidney disease, heart failure or neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. You can enter palliative care at any stage of your illness with a referral from a health care provider and receive services at home or in an institutional setting. If you choose at-home care, your provider can arrange and send a palliative care team to your place of residence.
After assessing your needs, they also send medical equipment, such as a hospital bed, ventilator or blood pressure monitor, to enhance comfort and safety. This allows you to remain in familiar surroundings and receive additional support from family or friends.
How Does Palliative Care Evaluate Health Needs for Frequency of Visits?
Upon receiving a patient referral, palliative care providers conduct an initial assessment to understand your condition and health needs and develop a tailored care plan. This phase may involve multiple visits so your provider can determine several factors, including:
- The stage and progression of your illness
- Severity of symptoms
- Level of support needed
- Types of services and health care professionals needed
- Goals of care as determined by you, your family and the palliative care team
Your provider then uses this information to determine how often to conduct home visits. Regular visits can occur daily, weekly, biweekly or monthly, depending on the types of services and health care providers on the palliative care team. Additionally, many palliative care programs offer 24/7 on-call support for urgent concerns or emergencies. If you experience an increase in symptoms or other health complications, your provider visits more frequently to address these issues. Some providers also use telehealth appointments to supplement in-person visits.