Additional Resources
Page 1 5.2 Factsheet and prompt for good practice guide
FACT SHEET 1 A 1 B
Facilitating discussions on future and end-of-life care with people with dementia
Why this is important?
• Dementia is a progressive life limiting condition. • People with dementia should have opportunities to make informed decisions about their future care at an early stage and have their palliative care needs addressed. • Planning future care can optimise comfort care at end of life, enabling a person to live well until they die.
When should these discussions take place?
Discussions on future and end-of-life care should take place with the person with dementia as early as possible. There are some key events which commonly act as prompts for staff to facilitate discussions about future and end-of-life care with a person with dementia. Below is a list of some of these prompts:
HEALTHCARE EVENTS • Deterioration or decline in a person’s condition • Person presenting with complex symptoms • Person presenting with difficulty with nutrition and hydration • Decreasing response to antibiotics • Consideration of the need for further medical investigations or treatments • Discussion about attempting cardiopulmonary resuscitation
TRANSITION POINTS • Time of diagnosis • When the person is doing their Enduring Power of Attorney • Change of care setting: transfer to an acute hospital/ residential care setting etc • Care plan review or referral for homecare package
“The thing is once you’ve spoken about these things (as hard as it might be) you can put them away and focus on enjoying things” (NCPC 2011).
Dementia is a life limiting condition, communicating and collaborating on matters relating to future and end-of-life care requires a considered approach. This FACT SHEET is a visual aid to accompany the IHF guidance document: ‘Facilitating discussions on future and end-of-life care with a person with dementia’. This is available do download on www.hospicefoundation.ie June 2015
Facilitating discussions on future and end-of-life care with a person with dementia
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