Respite Care Accessibility Significantly Increases Likelihood of Dying at Home for Palliative Patients

A recent study led by McGill University highlights the striking impact of respite care services on the end-of-life experience for palliative patients. The research found that when family caregivers have access to respite services—professional support that provides short-term relief—the chances of patients dying at home almost tripled. This is a crucial finding given that many Canadians with serious illnesses prefer to spend their final days in the comfort of their own homes. Unfortunately, in Quebec, less than 10% of palliative care patients currently die at home, a statistic that has remained unchanged for decades and trails behind the national average of 15%.

The study, published in BMC Palliative Care, analyzed nearly 6,000 patient records from Montreal between 2015 and 2024, along with interviews with patients, caregivers, service providers, and policymakers. The results emphasize that timely access to nursing care, assistance with daily activities like bathing, and effective pain management are also vital factors in facilitating home deaths. Lead researcher Kelley Kilpatrick, an assistant professor at McGill’s Ingram School of Nursing, states that addressing the holistic needs of patients and caregivers—physical, psychological, spiritual, and social—enables more patients to remain at home and die peacefully in accordance with their wishes.

To improve home death rates, the study recommends increased investment in respite services, efforts to reduce staff turnover in home care to ensure trust and continuity, standardization of care services across regions, and the deployment of specialized nurse practitioners to support patients and families. The findings are based on extensive data and interviews, illustrating that supportive, comprehensive at-home care is key to respecting patient preferences and improving end-of-life experiences.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-availability-respite-triples-palliative-patient.html