Hospice use for the patient with advanced Alzheimer's disease: the role of the geriatric psychiatrist.
Advanced Alzheimer's disease (AD) can place an immense burden on caregivers as they struggle to provide end-of-life (EOL) care for the patient. Palliative care, as delivered by hospice, provides a viable solution. Hospice maintains the patient's quality of life (QOL) and helps the family during the grieving process. However, many providers are not familiar with hospice and its care for advanced AD patients. Geriatric psychiatrists can be central in implementing hospice, and they can remain an important part of the care once it is in place. A principal clinical challenge is establishing the six-month prognosis for such patients, which is a prerequisite for initiating hospice admission.
Aupperle
Peter M
PM
Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University Behavioral Healthcare, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA.
MacPhee
Edward R
ER
Strozeski
Janet E
JE
Finn
Myra
M
Heath
John M
JM
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006278:Medicare; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010166:Palliative Care; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010819:Physician's Role; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index