title: [Palliative care of patients with severe dementia].
abstract: Dementia is an important public health problem due to the complex challenges it poses during the progression of the disease and especially during its end-of-life stage. The aim of this article is to consider the issues that arise from the use of commonly administered therapies in patients with severe dementia. Scenarios where excessive or futile therapeutic interventions might occur are discussed. The article concludes that it is advisable to analyze the clinical criteria and ethical considerations related to the administration of those treatments in order to develop and disseminate better practice guidelines for health professionals.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Slachevsky Ch
authors.forename: M Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Abusleme L
authors.forename: Ángela
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Arenas Massa
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013727:Terminal Care