Planning for the End of Life with the Home Care Client

Assisting frail, isolated home care clients to exercise autonomy in end-of-life decision-making presents unique challenges to the social worker. Described is a program in which social work and nursing staff members help home care clients with a particularly sensitive issue: The making of burial plans. Typically, making burial plans is part of the nursing home admis sion process. However, the opportunity to do this rarely extends to those who reside in the community. It is suggested that offering elderly, dependent, home care clients the chance to make plans for burial is a source of comfort for them and facilitates matters at the time of death.