Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012:2012:983056.
doi: 10.1155/2012/983056. Epub 2012 May 8.

Nutrition in severe dementia

Glaucia Akiko Kamikado Pivi  1 , Paulo Henrique Ferreira Bertolucci, Rodrigo Rizek Schultz
Affiliations

Nutrition in severe dementia

Glaucia Akiko Kamikado Pivi et al. Curr Gerontol Geriatr Res. 2012.

Abstract

An increasing proportion of older adults with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias are now surviving to more advanced stages of the illness. Advanced dementia is associated with feeding problems, including difficulty in swallowing and respiratory diseases. Patients become incompetent to make decisions. As a result, complex situations may arise in which physicians and families decide whether artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) is likely to be beneficial for the patient. The objective of this paper is to present methods for evaluating the nutritional status of patients with severe dementia as well as measures for the treatment of nutritional disorders, the use of vitamin and mineral supplementation, and indications for ANH and pharmacological therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Pilotto A, Sancarlo D, Panza F, et al. The multidimensional prognostic index (MPI), based on a comprehensive geriatric assessment predicts short- and long-term mortality in hospitalized older patients with dementia. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2009;18(1):191–199. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mitchell SL, Teno JM, Roy J, Kabumoto G, Mor V. Clinical and organizational factors associated with feeding tube use among nursing home residents with advanced cognitive impairment. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003;290(1):73–80. - PubMed
    1. Zekry D, Herrmann FR, Grandjean R, et al. Does dementia predict adverse hospitalization outcomes? A prospective study in aged inpatients. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2009;24(3):283–291. - PubMed
    1. Saxton J, Boller F. Cognitive functions is severe dementia. In: Burns A, Winblad B, editors. Severe Dementia. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons; 2006. pp. 43–49.
    1. Hughes JC, Jolley D, Jordan A, Sampson EL. Palliative care in dementia: issues and evidence. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. 2007;13(4):251–260.

LinkOut - more resources