Hospices may refuse to admit a patient if there is inadequate support
at home to provide care. Hospice was developed to assist families to
care for patients, not to provide 24-hour, around-the-clock care at home.
Hospices vary in their willingness to care for patients with limited
home support.
If caregiver support in the home appears to be limited, the hospice
social worker can work with the patient and family to make contingency
plans. Care in the home can be augmented when needed or the patient might
be moved to a residential setting like hospice home or nursing home when
home care is no longer feasible. It is imperative that the home have
a phone and other basic utilities so that care can be provided in that
setting.
Social Services may need to assist family with making arrangements
so that the home can support the home hospice services. However, it is
important for medical providers and home hospice workers to understand
that many patient and family members will prefer home care even if the
location seems undesirable from a middle class point of view.
