Chapter 112 - Palliative Care in Dementia

Abstract

Advanced dementia (AD) is a terminal disease associated with extensive suffering and having to make difficult decisions in its most severe stages. End-of-life care received by this group is often poor and does not equate to that offered in other life-limiting illnesses. Estimating prognosis is difficult, which may explain why most patients are not included in palliative care programs. The decision-making process is characterized by uncertainty due to the lack of scientific evidence backing the efficacy of treatments and the need to reconcile conflicting points of view, as well as the difficulty of understanding patient wishes.