Abstract: Objective: To investigate the current situation of utilization of home hospice care services in older adults in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Methods: A survey was conducted in 332 older adults from six medical and nursing institutions providing hospice services and three communities in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. They were asked to answer the self-designed questionnaire. Results: The utilization rate of home hospice services was low at 13.6%, and the main reason for not utilizing home hospice services was lacking of awareness of the services (92.3%). The 45 older adults who utilized home hospice care were mostly patients with malignant tumors (75.6%), and the purpose of utilizing the services was symptom management especially pain control. The quality of palliative care was at an average level. Conclusion: It is recommended to promote the establishment of the "hospital-community-home" hospice service model, cultivate highly specialized multidisciplinary teams, and strengthen the public awareness of hospice care. The implementation of these measures is expected to promote the comprehensive development of hospice services and improve the quality of life and health of the population.

Key words: older adults; hospice care; home care; service utilization; end-of-life care