'Hospital-at-home' trend means family members must be caregivers — ready or not

For the past four years, Chad Semling has coped with serious illness, including chronic infections, a weakened liver and a damaged heart. He became a regular visitor at his local hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he and his wife, Clare Semling, got to know the downsides of hospital care a little too well: The isolation. Poor sleep, interrupted by bells and alarms. The food.

In the spring of 2020, Chad was back at the Eau Claire Mayo Clinic emergency department for a flareup of cellulitis, a skin infection that can be serious. He was dreading yet another hospital stay. Instead, they said he was eligible for a new "hospital-at-home" pilot program that would outfit his house with equipment and send clinicians to make visits. "He was all for it, because he hates being in the hospital," says Clare.

She was interested, too. During Chad's stints in the hospital, it would fall upon her to work, care for their two children, and check in on