By comparison, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that about 26% of Californians died at home in 1999, the earliest year for which data on at-home deaths is accessible in the agency’s public database. About 55% of Californians who died from cancer did so at home during the first 10 months of 2022, compared with 50% in 2019 and 44% in 1999. About 43% of Californians who died from Alzheimer’s in the first 10 months of 2022 did so at home, compared with 34% in 2019 and nearly 16% in 1999. The sweeping bans on in-person visitation in hospitals and nursing homes, even to the bedsides of dying patients, created an agonizing situation for families. While hospice providers offer crucial guidance and support, families need to be prepared to shoulder the bulk of the caregiving.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 25, 2023 22:55 UTC