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What Is Included in Palliative Care at Home?
Date Updated: December 14, 2024
Written by:
Ashlee Shefer is a freelance copywriter, content writer, and digital marketer who specializes in senior care, mental health, health care, and other wellness-related topics. She has one year of experience writing both short- and long-form content related to senior resources, assisted living, nursing homes, and home care, including blog posts, research-based articles, resource guides, product reviews, facility blurbs, finances, and care costs.
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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.
Palliative care at home includes a range of medical, social, emotional and spiritual services to support individuals with serious illnesses. After receiving a diagnosis requiring specialized care, you may choose palliative care over hospice care to alleviate symptoms and maintain comfort. A palliative care team coordinates and administers services directly in your home, allowing you to remain in familiar surroundings.
How Do You Coordinate Palliative Care at Home?
Palliative care accommodates individuals at any stage of a chronic or terminal illness. After a diagnosis, ask your doctor about recommendations for palliative service providers. Once you choose a provider, they'll conduct an assessment and assign a palliative care team based on your disease type and unique health needs. Your care team may include:
- Nurses
- Doctors
- Therapists
- Disease specialists
- Social workers
- Nutritionists
- Financial advisors
- Spiritual advisors or chaplains
These professionals travel to your home and provide symptom management, disease education, social support and financial or legal planning to enable informed care decisions. They also make adjustments to your care plan as needed.
Deciding Which At-Home Palliative Care Services Align With Your Needs
The palliative care services you need depend on your health condition and the severity of your symptoms. The agency conducts a health assessment to determine which services, medical providers and specialists to include in your personalized care plan. You may also require additional support services and treatments as the disease progresses. Common at-home palliative care services include:
- Daily living assistance: This includes help with personal care tasks, such as dressing, bathing and meal preparation, to maintain quality of life and independence.
- Symptom and pain management: Your care plan may include medication management or rehabilitative therapies to reduce unpleasant symptoms associated with your illness and other underlying conditions.
- Care coordination: Palliative care providers coordinate services with other health care professionals to ensure access to comprehensive support.
- Emotional and spiritual support: This includes counseling, therapy or spiritual care services to help you and your family cope with the emotional or psychological aspects of having a chronic illness.
- End-of-life planning: Depending on the disease stage, palliative care providers also assist with end-of-life planning, including advance directives and hospice care transitions.