Social Model Hospice Residential Care Homes: Whom Do They Really Serve?

Background: Most prefer to die at home, but the Medicare Hospice Benefit does not cover custodial care, making it difficult for terminally ill patients with housing insecurity and/or caregiver instability to access hospice care at home.

Objectives: To examine the characteristics of patients who received end-of-life care in community-run, residential care homes (RCHs) operating under the social model hospice.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of 500 residents who were admitted to one of three RCHs in Upstate New York over a 15-year period (2004-2019).