What is appropriate health care for end-stage dementia?

Abstract

Objective: This study sought to determine the kind of health care that professional and family caregivers viewed as appropriate for end-stage dementia patients.

Design: Survey.

Participants: All 819 physician members and 1,000 randomly selected non-physician members of the Gerontological Society of America and 500 families of demented relatives from the Alzheimer's Association.

Measures: Respondents chose the appropriate level of care from five choices on a continuum from highly aggressive to palliative.

Results: The majority of physicians who cared for elders (61%), gerontologists from other professions (55%), and families (71%) chose palliative care only. Increased age of the respondent and experience with terminal care choices were associated with the choice of palliative care. The majority favored hospice care for patients with end-stage dementia.

Conclusions: Professional and family members of demented individuals, especially if they have experience in terminal care decisions, strongly favor palliative care for end-stage dementia. These findings may be helpful to professionals and families dealing with these choices.