End of life care : Care at home

You may not need to move away from home to receive care, as end of life and hospice care can be provided at home. To find out what's available locally, ask your GP.

Your GP can arrange for community nurses to come to your home and provide nursing care for you there. You may also need specialist care from community palliative care nurses who visit you at home to:

  • provide or arrange hands-on nursing or personal care, if you need it
  • advise on pain and symptom control
  • provide practical and emotional support for you and your carers at home

They can also involve other specialist professionals in your care, if their expertise is needed.

Your local authority's social services department may provide a range of services and equipment to help you remain at home as you approach the end of life. This could include home adaptations, such as hand rails.

Read about what you can expect from end of life care.

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Help to care for you at home

Hospices and palliative care services can also provide support for your partner, relatives or anyone else who is helping to care for you at home. This could be through community support groups or one-to-one advice.

Find out about the support available for carers.

Not everyone feels comfortable helping family or friends with personal care.

Marie Curie provides some practical advice about caring for someone with a terminal illness, including helping them wash, take their medication, and stand and walk.

Macmillan Cancer Support's booklet Caring for someone with advanced cancer (PDF, 1.22Mb) includes information on ways your carers can help you manage your practical needs and symptoms at home.

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Support from a hospice

You may want to carry on living at home but visit a hospice during the day for the care and support you need. Going into a hospice for 1 or 2 days a week means you will be able to access more services than if you received care at home.

This may include creative and complementary therapies and rehabilitation, such as exercise programmes. You can also meet other people who are receiving hospice care. Check with your local hospice whether it provides transport to and from your home.

Hospice spaces are limited, but you can talk to staff at your local one to see what is available.

Find hospice services near you

healthtalk.org has videos and written interviews of people talking about their experiences of end of life care at home.

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