# Has anybody ever known a doctor who made house calls? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 11, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-ever-known-a-doctor-who-made-house-calls/570970 "2011-02-11T01:09:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-ever-known-a-doctor-who-made-house-calls/570970/61 "2011-02-12T08:07:21Z")
When I was a kid in the 50s, doctors would routinely make house calls. Especially if we had something contagious. ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-ever-known-a-doctor-who-made-house-calls/570970/62 "2011-02-13T00:06:15Z")
I remember my doctor’s locum making a house call for us back in the 60s. My sister & I had pneumonia & my mother gave up her driving licence when my parents moved back to NZ. It (making house calls) was obviously unusual as my parents were so grateful to this young guy. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-ever-known-a-doctor-who-made-house-calls/570970/63 "2011-02-13T05:59:41Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > When I was a kid in the 50s, doctors would routinely make house calls. Especially if we had something contagious. Same here. It ended sometime in the early '60s. As for vets, our vet always made house calls - well stable calls, actually, since it was too hard to trailer the horse to see him. ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-ever-known-a-doctor-who-made-house-calls/570970/64 "2011-02-13T06:09:26Z")
A vet made a surprisingly reasonable home visit for our goat last year. They were from a practice in another town that specialised in farm animals though. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-ever-known-a-doctor-who-made-house-calls/570970/65 "2011-02-13T18:45:33Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > We brought my stroke surviving, bed ridden, mother in law to our house so we could be her caregivers. It was a 6 yr journey. > > During those years her doctor always came to the house. Flu shots, check ups, issues. > > As she came to the end of her journey, (it took almost 10 wks for her to pass), her doctor was here often, changing meds, checking on her. > > And when she passed, he came to our home and signed the paperwork. He is an awesome doctor. All of this happened, not in some distant past, she passed 3 yrs ago. > > Of course, I’m in Canada where we have the fearful ‘socialized’ medicine, so we never paid for the service or anything, it was all covered, as were all of her very expensive meds, (6 yrs worth), her home care aids, (2hrs everyday), and her respite care stays. > > When I see such things on tv it doesn’t even give me pause. Of course, if she was able, she’d have been expected to go to the doctor, whatever her age or condition. Yes, of course you paid for the service. Do you think little magical pixies sent a cheque to the province on your behalf? I’m curious about which province you’re in. I grew up in Ontario, and never heard of doctors doing housecalls, and I have a grandfather in another province who refuses to leave the house to see his doctor, and despite my grandmother’s best efforts she hasn’t been able to get the doctor to come see him at their house. This was especially difficult since it took them almost a year to get an appointment with a geriatrician. They do have aides and such who come by occasionally, which is also common in the USA. ETA: My wife’s OB in Illinois once made a housecall here but I don’t think it’s something she ordinarily does. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-ever-known-a-doctor-who-made-house-calls/570970/66 "2011-02-13T20:33:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Yes, of course you paid for the service. Do you think little magical pixies sent a cheque to the province on your behalf? So sorry, I meant, of course, it cost us nothing out of pocket, my bad. > [@](#): > > I’m curious about which province you’re in. > [@](#): > > location: London, Ontario Sheesh, tough crowd. I don’t think the service would have been offered to her, simply for being stubborn or hardheaded. I believe it’s only for those ‘unable’ to get to the Dr’s office. She was entirely bedridden. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-ever-known-a-doctor-who-made-house-calls/570970/67 "2011-02-13T21:21:16Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > So sorry, I meant, of course, it cost us nothing out of pocket, my bad. > > Sheesh, tough crowd. > > I don’t think the service would have been offered to her, simply for being stubborn or hardheaded. I believe it’s only for those ‘unable’ to get to the Dr’s office. She was entirely bedridden. Oops, sorry. Didn’t notice your location. In my grandfather’s case, he’s not really being stubborn or hardheaded. He appears to be suffering from depression and anxiety possibly related to mild dementia, but it’s very difficult to have him evaluated or treated since he won’t leave the house. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-ever-known-a-doctor-who-made-house-calls/570970/68 "2011-02-13T23:29:17Z")
Sounds like you’re in a catch 22, I think he may have to be assessed before qualifying. My Mother in Law was assessed, in the hospital, after her stroke, making things easier for us. If depression qualifies, I’ll be very surprised, slippery slopes and all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-ever-known-a-doctor-who-made-house-calls/570970.md?page=3)