National Home Care & Hospice Month

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November is recognized nationally as Home Care and Hospice Month, a month-long observance honoring the professionals, volunteers, and family caregivers who provide care to people in their own homes — whether through home health care, personal/home care, hospice care, or palliative care.

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Origins and History

President Ronald Reagan first proclaimed November as National Home Care and Hospice Month to raise awareness of home-based health services. Separately, in 1992 the hospice community designated November as National Hospice & Palliative Care Month, led by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).

In 2024, NHPCO and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) combined operations to form the National Alliance for Care at Home. The Alliance introduced a unifying observance, National Care at Home Month, which now brings the longstanding home care and hospice recognitions together under one umbrella each November.

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How November 2026 Is Structured

The National Alliance for Care at Home has organized the month into four themed weeks, each spotlighting a different part of the care-at-home continuum:

Week    Dates (2026)    Focus

Hospice & Palliative Care Week    Nov 1–7    End-of-life and serious-illness care

Home Care Week    Nov 8–14    Personal care and home care aide services

Medicaid HCBS Week    Nov 15–21    Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services

Home Health Week    Nov 22–28    Skilled, in-home medical care

Separately, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) has named "Care You Can Trust" as its 2026 theme for National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, with a campaign aimed at helping the public understand what high-quality hospice and palliative care looks like.

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Why the Month Matters

It recognizes nurses, home care aides, therapists, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers who deliver care wherever people live — home, assisted living, or skilled nursing.

It raises public awareness of services many people misunderstand, including who qualifies for home health care and what hospice actually provides.

It coincides with National Family Caregivers Month, also observed in November, highlighting the roughly 63 million Americans providing unpaid family caregiving support.

It gives nonprofit and community programs an occasion to educate local audiences, media, and policymakers about the value of care delivered at home.

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Common Myths and Facts

Myth: You must be bed-bound to qualify for home health services. Fact: Qualification depends on whether a patient is considered "homebound" — meaning leaving home is physically taxing — not on being bed-bound.

Myth: Hospice is a place you go. Fact: Hospice is a model of care, not a location. Most hospice patients are cared for in their own home or a loved one's home, though it can also be provided in nursing homes, assisted living, or inpatient hospice centers.

Myth: Hospice is only for the final days of life. Fact: Hospice is available to anyone with a life-limiting illness and a prognosis of six months or less if the disease runs its normal course, and many patients benefit from receiving it earlier.

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Ways Organizations Can Participate

Share patient, family, and staff stories (with permission) through newsletters, social media, or local press.

Distribute sample press releases and toolkit materials from national organizations to local media.

Host or support a "Courageous Conversations" event to encourage end-of-life planning discussions.

Recognize staff and volunteers through appreciation events or public thank-yous.

Use the month to educate policymakers and community members about funding, access, and the value of home-based and hospice care — a useful hook for grant narratives and public-awareness campaigns.

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Additional Resources

National Alliance for Care at Home — National Care at Home Month

NPHI 2026 Hospice & Palliative Care Month Campaign Hub

NHPCO — November Is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month

Caregiver Action Network — National Family Caregivers Month

National Today — National Home Care and Hospice Month Overview

CMS — Hospice Benefits Information

Arizona Hospice and Palliative Care Organization — Hospice Month Resources

 

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