Factors Determining End-of-Life Care at Home or at a Facility

Though most are not able to, the majority of individuals diagnosed with dementia would choose to die in their home (with the proper care) rather than at a nursing facility. But, for a variety of reasons, complete end-of-life care in the home is not common and is usually not attainable. To determine what these factors are, Mogan, Lloyd-Williams, Harrison Dening, & Dowrick (2018) reviewed seven papers on end-of-life care in dementia patients’ homes. They discovered that help from social and health services, resilience and social connectedness of the caregiver, and appropriate medicines and equipment made end-of-life care at home more achievable. The researchers also found that problems with social and health service support, declining health, and increasing behavioral disruptions made in-home end-of-life care harder to carry out. Understanding these factors may make end-of-life care more susceptible to positive change – that is, for those who desire to spend the remainder of their time at home.

Access this article to read more: The facilitators and challenges of dying at home with dementia: A narrative synthesis.