Dying at home

Terminal care at home should be more generally available, but is often not offered because hospital treatment is perceived as better, because active treatment is not stopped until it is too late to move the patient, because families do not have the necessary resources, or because they are not given the option. To help families cope, good contact with the hospital and the family physician is essential. The decision to stop active treatment must include the family physician's perspective. Family resources must be explored, without assumptions that higher socioeconomic conditions are good, and lower ones bad. Many families are afraid of the unknown, or not being able to cope. They can be helped by short, informative visits. Pain control is paramount, but communication between members of the health care team comes a close second.