Palliative care and dementia WHAT COMES TO MIND when you hear the words ‘palliative care?’ If you’re like most people, you probably think the person is going to die soon and there isn’t anything that can be done. Or, you may think the person’s care team has given up. Misconceptions abound. What is palliative care? It’s about providing the best possible quality of life for people facing lifethreatening illnesses like dementia, right up to and through their final days. 16
Home & LongTerm CARE | June 2017
Dementia and its many forms, including Alzheimer’s disease, have a terminal phase. Some dementias will worsen over time and the person will eventually die of related complications or another condition they may have. Regardless of when focuses on comfort care helps manage symptoms, as well as pneumonia.
death occurs, palliative care – not cure. Good palliative the person’s pain and other as treatable conditions such