More Americans are spending their final days at home, rather than dying in hospitals.
For half a century, an increasing number of Americans died in hospitals, nursing homes, and intensive care units.
The New England Journal of Medicine now reporting that home is the most common place of death among people who die of natural causes.
Using data from the CDCP and the National Center for Health Statistics, the study found that individuals who are nonwhite or those dying from diseases other than cancer are less likely to die at home than those who are white or those who die from cancer.
The increase in at-home deaths is also attributed to the growth of Hospice programs. In 1986, the Medicare hospice benefit was adopted, giving more support to families of loved ones who want to die in their homes, surrounded by family.
Only about half of Americans die while receiving hospice services, and home-based non-hospice palliative care is still in its infancy
Image courtesy Getty