End-of-Life Care: Reasons Most Elderly Patients Do Not Die in Their Homes

End-of-Life-Care
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Reasons most Elderly Patients do not die in their homes
End of life care is the support offered to a person nearing the end of life and has stopped treatment to cure their disease. The care includes social, spiritual, emotional, and physical support to control pain and comfort patients and their families. Hospice care, palliative care, and supportive care are examples of end-of-life-care. Health and social care providers should take into account the choices of patients when planning their care.
Most elderly people would prefer to die in their homes because it is a familiar environment and they would be close to their families. However, most of them pass away in healthcare institutions or care homes because of various reasons. The patient’s needs determine the type of services appropriate for them. Complex conditions may require inpatient care for the patient to receive specialized care. Additionally, if a patient’s condition worsens, they may need a transfer from home based care to inpatient hospital care for close monitoring. If their health continues to deteriorate, the elderly patient may die in the hospital.
The availability of family members is a factor that influences whether end-of-life-care support will be home-based or institution-based. Family and friends may not be available to care for their terminally ill or aged parents (Hestevik et al., 2019). The unavailability of caregivers at home may prompt the decision to have their loved one admitted to a nursing care facility for easier monitoring. Furthermore, some elderly patients may require specialized services that only a trained healthcare worker can offer. An untrained caregiver would struggle to support a patient with limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs). Therefore, family members may consider inpatient care for their loved ones.
In addition, elderly patients receiving home-based care may have an em...