Facilitating home care for children dying of cancer

This paper presents findings from a research project on home care for children dying of cancer. Nurses coordinated the care while the parents were the principal care givers and physicians served as consultants. In one year, 27 children died at home while five reentered and died in the hospital. Nurses played a key role in this high rate of feasibility for dying at home. Their role, however, was different from the usual one of either a hospital or public health nurse. They were on call 24 hours a day and generally assisted the parents in the provision of nursing care rather than providing the care themselves. The advantages of this alternative to hospitalization are discussed.