Meaning & use
domiciliary care
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountableBritishformal
Health or personal help given to people in their own homes, especially when they cannot easily leave home.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun: say 'domiciliary care', not 'a domiciliary care'.
Patterns
- provide domiciliary care
- receive domiciliary care
- domiciliary care services
After her operation, she received domiciliary care twice a day.
The council funds domiciliary care for older residents who want to stay at home.
Domiciliary care workers often travel between several clients each day.
Common combinations
- provide domiciliary care
- The local authority provides domiciliary care for people with long-term illnesses.
- receive domiciliary care
- He receives domiciliary care so that he can remain in his own house.
- domiciliary care services
- Domiciliary care services include help with washing, dressing, and meals.
- domiciliary care worker
- A domiciliary care worker visits clients in their homes rather than in a clinic.
Synonyms and how they differ
- home care
- More common in everyday American English and less formal; it can also include care given by family members.
- in-home care
- A common American phrase with the same basic meaning; it often sounds more commercial or practical.
- home health care
- Focuses more on medical or nursing services at home, while domiciliary care can include everyday personal help.
Word family
- domiciliary adjective
- Relating to someone's home; used mainly in formal or official phrases.
- domicile noun
- A formal word for the place where a person lives or is legally registered.
Commonly confused: domiciliary care or domestic care?
domiciliary care vs domestic care
Domestic care is not a standard phrase; 'domestic' usually means related to the home or family, not care services.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'domiciliary care' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Domiciliary care' is an uncountable service, so it fits in 'offers domiciliary care to patients'. Options with 'a domiciliary care' or a completely unrelated meaning do not work.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “domiciliary care”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.