Palliative care for people with late-stage Huntington's disease.
Huntington's disease provides a unique model to examine issues of long-term and palliative care for a younger and more mobile population who remain institutionalized longer than other nursing home residents. A lack of community-based alternatives for young families, and the need for highly complex care planning encourage long term care placement mid-way in the disease process. Despite the need for a body of knowledge specific to environmental enrichment and therapeutic strategies for improving quality of life for people in the later stages of Huntington's disease, there is no published data in the neurological or rehabilitation literature. This article reviews the signs and symptoms and offers a multidisciplinary approach to ameliorate problems frequently encountered in caring for this population.
Moskowitz
C B
CB
Center for Parkinson's Disease and Other Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, Sergievsky Center and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
Marder
K
K
D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D010166:Palliative Care; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology