title: Hospice use for the patient with advanced Alzheimer's disease: the role of the geriatric psychiatrist.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Aupperle
authors.forename: Edward R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: MacPhee
authors.forename: Janet E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Strozeski
authors.forename: Myra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Finn
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Heath
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry / Q000379:methods*; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D010819:Physician's Role; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States