[The end of life of patients with dementia].
The end of life among patients affected by dementia may occur at any stage of the disease. It has an influence on care, nursing team and family. Death usually results from associated pathologies, mainly cardio-vascular and infectious diseases. Pain must be carefully searched for because its expression is altered by dementia. The measurement of pain is based on behavior scales such as the Doloplus 2 scale. End-of-life care for demented patients leads to many ethical questions, specific to palliative situations. Medical decisions can be difficult to take because both excessive care and lack of must be avoided. Nursing and relation-care must be perfect, even when the patient no longer communicates. Families also need assistance. Mobile palliative care teams are useful. The most important thing is to keep the value of caring.
Strubel
Denise
D
Service de gérontologie et prévention du vieillissement, Nîmes. denise.strubel@chu-nimes.fr
Hoffet-Guillo
Françoise
F
D000368:Aged; D003643:Death; D003704:Dementia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care