Clinically speaking, there are four main categories of palliative care: hospital palliative care, residential palliative care (usually at a hospice or care home), hospice respite palliative care, and palliative care at home.
The categories are mainly used to describe where the person is receiving care. If at a hospice, usually, a person is receiving end-of-life care.
For those looking to safely live at home during their illness, palliative care at home is often assessed to be the best option. This can take one of two forms; specially trained palliative carers move into a person’s home to provide 24/7 support or home visits arranged at certain times of the day or night.
Palliative care at home visits are not just for people who live alone. Being a carer to someone with a complex health condition can be incredibly difficult. Palliative care at home can therefore give carers the respite they need to tend to other jobs and have a bit of time to themselves. It can also be very helpful when perhaps an individual does not want a loved one to tend to their personal care needs.