Serious Illness & End-of-Life Care
Types of Hospice Care: Home, Inpatient, and Facility-Based
Reviewed by Everendium Editorial Team · Last reviewed August 18, 2026
Quick answer
Most hospice care happens at home, with a team visiting regularly. Inpatient hospice provides short-term, more intensive symptom management in a hospital-like setting when home care isn't enough. Hospice facilities offer dedicated, round-the-clock hospice care in a residential-style setting. Many patients move between these settings as needs change.
Hospice is a philosophy of care more than a single physical place, and it can happen in several different settings depending on what a person needs.
Home hospice
The most common setting: a hospice team — nurse, aide, social worker, chaplain — visits on a regular schedule, while family or other caregivers provide day-to-day care in between. The team is reachable by phone 24/7 for urgent symptom concerns, even outside scheduled visit times.
Inpatient hospice
Inpatient hospice provides short-term, more intensive symptom management, sometimes within a hospital setting, when symptoms become too difficult to manage safely at home — even with hospice support. This is generally intended as a temporary step; many patients return to home hospice once symptoms are better controlled.
Hospice facilities
A dedicated hospice facility offers a residential-style environment specifically for hospice patients, often for longer or ongoing stays than typical inpatient care — useful for patients who need more consistent, round-the-clock support than home hospice can provide, without needing a hospital-level inpatient setting.
Home Hospice
- ✓Team visits on a schedule
- ✓Family provides care between visits
- ✓Phone support available 24/7
Inpatient Hospice
- ✓Short-term, intensive setting
- ✓For acute symptom management
- ✓Often within a hospital
Hospice Facility
- ✓Residential, ongoing environment
- ✓Round-the-clock dedicated staff
- ✓For longer or ongoing stays
Many patients move between these settings as needs change over time.
Moving between settings
It’s common for patients to move between these settings as needs change — starting at home, moving to inpatient care during a difficult period, and sometimes returning home afterward. This flexibility is a normal part of how hospice care works, not a sign that something has gone wrong.
Choosing the right setting
The hospice team, together with the patient’s family, generally makes this decision collaboratively based on symptom severity, caregiver capacity, and the patient’s own preferences about where they want to be.
This is general educational information. A hospice team can help determine the right setting for a specific situation.
Frequently asked questions
Is home hospice the same as having a hospice nurse living with you?+
No — home hospice is visit-based, not live-in care. A nurse and other team members visit on a schedule and are reachable by phone for urgent needs, but family or other caregivers generally provide day-to-day care between visits.
When would someone need inpatient hospice instead of home hospice?+
Inpatient hospice is generally used short-term when symptoms become too difficult to manage safely at home, even with visiting hospice support — once symptoms are better controlled, many patients return to home hospice.
What's the difference between inpatient hospice and a hospice facility?+
Inpatient hospice is typically a short-term, intensive setting (sometimes within a hospital) for acute symptom management. A dedicated hospice facility offers a more residential, ongoing environment specifically for hospice patients, often for longer stays than typical inpatient care.
Can someone move between these settings?+
Yes — many patients move between home hospice and inpatient or facility care as symptoms and needs change over time, without this being an unusual or negative sign.
Sources
Related glossary terms
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