Are Disease Modifying Treatments Enough? Improving Quality of Life in Late-Stage Patients.

Abstract

The potential for successful disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) opens up the possibility that there will be a large cohort of patients living with late-stage dementia and poor quality of life. There must thus be a parallel effort to leverage restorative therapies that improve quality of life in these patients. With the potential for stopping the onset of AD in new patients must come a commitment to those patients living with this chronic disability for many more years than first thought. Legal and ethical implications surrounding who makes decisions and equity in receiving care will become increasingly important if AD is no longer a terminal illness.