Another aspect of hospice care that has developed is Hospice Day Care. Here, the patients stay in their own homes, either alone or with their families, but they come to the Hospice Day Care Centre for further input from the hospice team. A hospice day care service may have different functions. Some patients may come to Day Care in order to see the doctor for assessment of symptoms and adjustment of medications.
Others may come for physiotherapy or special dressings or massage. Still others come in order to socialise with other patients, volunteers and hospice staff and to have a change of environment from the home. For most patients, it is often for a combination of all of these. One extra service the Day Care Centre may offer is a custodial service for patients who have no care-givers at home during the day, and who are too frail to be left alone in the house. If it is the patients' wish to stay at home, Day Care may enable the patient to stay at home longer before transfer to an in-patient hospice, or enable a care-giver to stay at work longer before having to give up work to stay at home to look after the patient.
Day care offers different kinds of activities, from group activities, such as exercises, relaxation, games like bingo or mahiong, and music-making, to individual nurturing activities like hair-dressing, manicures and pedicures, massage, aromatherapy and reflexology. Hobbies, such as cooking or gardening, may be encouraged. Sometimes, outings are organised to museums, exhibitions, the beach, or just shopping. Sometimes, volunteer groups come to entertain the patients. There are usually as many variety to the programmes as there are groups of hospice day care volunteers.
Hospice Day Care Centres are usually extensions of an in-patient hospice unit, though some may be attached to a hospice home care service. Local conditions affect how successful a hospice day care service may be, such as the inclination of patients and families to come and avail themselves of the service, and the practicalities of how to get patients to and from home. Transport in the form of ambulance transport or volunteer drivers often has to be provided. This adds to the cost of the service, and limits the geographical area covered by the service. In the UK, there are over 234 hospice day care services, over two-thirds of which are attached to an in-patient unit.
