Care homes as places of compassionate end-of-life care: recognising a changing reality

Care homes are increasingly supporting people to live well in later life, and also through the final chapter of their lives. While Marie Currie research (opens new window) on public attitudes to dying shows that most people express a wish to die at home. However, for many residents, care homes have become the place where their life ends, and the care staff around them are the ones who provide continuity, compassion and dignity throughout their journeys; they help to create the beautiful moments that families remember most.

This all highlights a wider shift across the care sector. As people move into care later, they are often living with more complex health and care needs.  Due to this, care homes are playing an ever-increasing role in supporting frailty, those living with dementia and end-of-life care.  Despite this, the wider understanding of the sector has not fully evolved in line with that change in reality.

Earlier this year, sadly, my own family experienced this first-hand when my lovely Gran, Doris (106 at the time!), entered her end-of-life journey in the care home where she had lived for 7 years. What has stayed with me was both the kindness shown by staff, and the depth of the relationship that had developed with Gran over time.

Some members of the care team chose to come in during their own time to sit with her overnight. They called it a “girly sleepover”. They were not asked to do so, nor expected to. They did it because they cared and they wanted to.

When my Gran passed away, our family grieved, but it was clear the staff felt a deep loss too. Gran had become an important part of their lives, in the same way they’d become a significant part of hers. It was a powerful reminder that care homes are not just services or buildings; they are places where real human relationships form every day.

This emotional reality is rarely recognised. Care staff are often discussed in terms of vacancies, funding pressures or workforce shortages, which are all very important issues, but those types of conversations can often overlook the extraordinary emotional work that is involved in the role.

If care homes are increasingly places where people live, decline and die, then the staff within them are supporting residents and families through some of life’s most difficult moments, often repeatedly, while continuing to care for others the next day.

As an architect working in the later living and care sector, I believe recognising this reality is the first step towards creating environments, support systems and policy conversations that truly recognise the incredible individuals who make compassionate care possible.

As our population ages, we need a more honest conversation about what modern care homes now represent. They are not only places of accommodation, but places of care, connection, grief and dignity.

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To mark Carers Week 2026, this blog is the first in a series of three from Julie, exploring the evolving role of care homes and the people who make compassionate care possible. Across the series, she reflects on lived experiences, the emotional realities of care, and why greater recognition of the sector is more important than ever.

And, if you found this of interest and would like to access a selection of other tools and resources, check out the Housing LIN’ dedicate webpages on Bereavement and End of Life Care.