When we think of hospice care, it’s often a peaceful scene of a dedicated nurse or aide providing comfort to someone who’s surrounded by the familiarity of their own home. And while that’s the heart of hospice, there’s another side to this story that goes unnoticed. The very real risks that caregivers walk into every time they cross a stranger’s household.
Working in a hospice is different from working in a hospital. There are no security guards at the door, no front desk, and more importantly, no emergency call buttons. They’re guests stepping into the unknown, a private and unpredictable environment. This ‘home’ can be in a safe suburban house as well as in a high-crime area or a rural home far from the main road.
One of the initial challenges in home-based care is the physical environment itself. While a hospital room is controlled, a private home isn’t. Aide workers often step into unhygienic conditions with the potential exposure to communicable diseases without proper sanitation, or even animal waste. A family's beloved dog, stressed by a stranger's presence, can easily become a threat. These quickly turn into serious health and safety hazards.
Then comes the human element, which is the most unpredictable of all. Home care often happens during the most stressful times for a family. Negative emotions like grief, fear and exhaustion are like an active volcano that’s steadily building up waiting to erupt. Those feelings burst into verbal abuse or aggression towards the very person who is there to help.
This risk is also increased by other factors. As a guest, an aide worker doesn’t know if there are any weapons, illegal drugs, or even other family members struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues. All these factors contribute to the verbal harassment, threats, and even physical violence that home care and hospice workers face too often.
This is the core of the risk they are taking; they are almost always alone. If a situation escalates, they need a reliable way to call for help. That’s why strong emergency response protocols are important, as these systems and technology ensure a caregiver isn’t truly on their own, even when support isn’t on site.
They’re working in unfamiliar neighborhoods at all hours, carrying medical supplies and managing situations all on their own.
Hospice and home care workers do the job and take risks because they are deeply compassionate. They want to provide dignity at the end of a life. But that shouldn’t require them to risk their own safety. Their courage deserves true protection by implementing tools that keep caregivers safe through solutions made to meet the realities of every home visit. Especially with the growing awareness around how these innovations work (as shown below) and make a difference in the most critical moments.