Hospice Care for Dementia: When Is It Time?

...Unlike other serious illnesses, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias are extremely difficult to categorize into the neat stages of progression that are typically used to determine whether hospice care is appropriate. Life expectancy is difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint for patients affected by AD or other forms of cognitive impairment, such as vascular dementia, Lewy Body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Furthermore, patients in the later stages of these conditions are usually unable to communicate pain, discomfort, wants, and needs. This means that family caregivers and even their loved ones’ physicians can have a tough time deciding when to call in hospice.  How Dementia Complicates Hospice Eligibility: Estimating how long a person has to live is nearly impossible. It simply cannot be done with absolute accuracy in most cases, but a general idea is required in order to establish a person’s eligibility for receiving hospice care. To qualify for most programs, an individual must have a terminal health condition and a life expectancy of six months or less. However Continue reading on Agingcare for insight into the complications of when someone with advanced dementia would be better served by going on hospice care for comfort rather than cure:  Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. "For anyone having to walk the last segments of life with a loved one, read this. There are so many different people discu...
Source: Minding Our Elders - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: blogs