If you have a loved one who is terminally ill but in stable condition, you may feel unsure about the care they can receive at home. The good news is that hospice routine home care is designed to aid those whose symptoms are stable and can be managed at home while supporting family caregivers. 

In this article, we’ll explain what hospice routine home care is, explore what’s typically included in this level of care and consider who qualifies for it. 

If you’re seeking care at home for a loved one facing a life-limiting illness, we encourage you to reach out to us. For more than 40 years, we’ve been helping patients and their families from the Triangle area to the North Carolina coast with expert, compassionate care in the place they call home. We invite you to contact us to learn more and get care.  

What is Hospice Routine Home Care?

Hospice routine home care is the most common of the four levels of hospice care and involves providing care for your loved one in their own home. It’s designed for patients whose pain and symptoms are well managed and who don’t require continuous nursing care or hospitalization.

Routine home care includes visits from a hospice nurse, social worker, chaplain and other members of the hospice team. 

This level of care is meant to:

• Monitor your loved one’s symptoms and prevent unnecessary hospital visits
• Help maintain comfort and quality of life
• Provide emotional support to both patient and family

Hospice routine home care can be delivered in a private residence, an assisted living community, a nursing home, a skilled nursing facility or wherever your loved one calls home.

Hospice is flexible, so it’s possible for your loved one to move between routine home care and the other levels of hospice care as their needs change.

What Services Are Provided by Hospice Routine Home Care? 5 Things That Are Included

Hospice routine home care includes periodic visits from a collaborative, cross-disciplinary team working together to support your loved one’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs, while also providing caregiver relief. 

Primary services provided include:

1. Regular nursing visits to:

• Evaluate pain and symptoms 
• Monitor changes in condition
• Help identify concerns early and prevent symptom crises
• Coordinate with the physician to adjust medications or the care plan when needed

2. Personal care assistance to aid with:

• Bathing, grooming and dressing
• Personal hygiene
• Caregiver relief

3. Medication and medical equipment management to help coordinate or assist with:

• Symptom-relief and pain medications
• Oxygen
• Walkers and wheelchairs
• Hospital beds 
• Other medical supplies related to your loved one’s life-limiting illness

4. Emotional and spiritual support provided by:

• Social workers
• Trained Volunteers
• Chaplains or spiritual counselors for patients and families who desire spiritual guidance
• Bereavement support for family members

5. Education and guidance to help caregivers understand:

• What changes to expect as illness progresses
• How to safely care for their loved one and keep them comfortable
• How to administer medications
• How to recognize symptoms that require more attention
• When to contact the hospice team

While hospice staff make regularly scheduled visits, hospice routine home care does not include around-the-clock care. Instead, the hospice team works with your family members and other caregivers to provide expert guidance, medical support and resources that allow your loved one to remain comfortable at home.

How Often Do Hospice Nurses Visit During Routine Home Care?

While hospice nurses generally visit on a regular, scheduled basis during routine home care, how often they visit depends on your loved one’s individual needs.

Frequency of visits vary and will be tailored to:

• Your loved one’s specific condition 
• Their symptoms
• Their care plan and goals of care
• Their changing needs

Other members of the hospice team, including hospice aides, social workers, chaplains and volunteers may also visit during a given week. 

Fortunately, care is flexible – if your loved one’s symptoms worsen, we can increase nurse visits. If they experience a medical crisis, we may temporarily transition them to a higher level of care such as Continuous Home Care or General Inpatient Care until symptoms become manageable and they can return to routine home care. 

Who Qualifies for Hospice Routine Home Care?

For general hospice eligibility, your loved one must:

• Have a terminal illness with a life expectancy of about six months or less if the illness follows its expected course as determined by a physician
• Have chosen care focused on comfort and quality of life rather than curative treatment 

For hospice routine home care, your loved one’s condition must be stable enough to be managed safely through care at home. This generally means their symptoms are controlled and their pain is manageable. 

We can adjust the level of care as your loved one’s needs change. 

3HC: Expert Hospice Care at Home That Supports You and Your Family Every Step of the Way

You don’t have to navigate end-of-life care alone. 

Hospice routine home care from 3HC provides visits from nurses and a team of other compassionate professionals dedicated to caring for your loved one as if they were a member of our own family. We’ll keep your loved one as comfortable as possible while giving your entire family support and guidance.

We’ve been helping families from the Triangle area to the North Carolina coast since 1981. We encourage you to reach out to us to learn more and get care.