Ending Life Well: Conversations & Connections
By McKenna Reinhard , End of Life Specialist Dementia and End of Life Care
remember that these recommendations are not meant to be one size fits all— depending on the person and what type of dementia they have some of these things may or may not be comforting. Use your knowledge of them and their likes and dislikes to help guide what you do. For those who have been diagnosed with dementia but are still at a point where you can complete your advance directives, doing so can provide important and helpful guidance for loved ones, caregivers, and healthcare workers in later stages of the disease about not only what healthcare treatments you do or do not want, but also what sort of things bring you comfort and calm. Completing your Healthcare Power of Attorney and Mental Healthcare Power of Attorney forms lets your loved ones and healthcare providers know who you would like to speak for you in the event that you are unable to speak or make decisions for yourself. A Living Will acts as instructions for your Power of Attorney and healthcare providers about specific healthcare treatments you do or do not want and removes the uncertainty (and burden) of wondering if they are making the right choices for you. loss of thinking, remembering, and reasoning abilities, which means that people with dementia at the end of life may no longer be able to make or communicate choices about their health care. If there are no advance care planning documents in place and the family does not know the person’s wishes, caregivers may need to make difficult decisions on behalf of their loved one about care and treatment approaches. When making health care decisions for
Being present for someone at the end of their life can be difficult in the best of circumstances. When a dementia diagnosis is part of the equation, it can make providing end of life care even more complicated. This is because, while dementia is considered a life- limiting disease, it is hard to know how long someone will live with dementia, or how exactly the disease will progress. Regardless of where someone is in the disease progression, there are some things that caregivers and loved ones can do to provide comfort and benefit to someone with dementia. As mentioned in the National Institute on Aging article (below), there are ways to help bring comfort and maintain connections for people with dementia at the end of life. Things that engage the senses like putting on music or white noise can help to lessen agitation. Providing touch by brushing their hair, holding their hand, or massaging them can bring comfort. It is important to
When providing care for someone with dementia at the end of their life, you don’t have to be alone. Palliative care and hospice care professionals can help provide insight and guidance on what to expect, and recommendations at different stages of the disease. These are interdisciplinary teams that can help with physical, emotional, and spiritual needs during this time. PCOA also has resources you can access including our End of Life Specialists, Family Caregiver Support Services, and Dementia Capable Southern Arizona. If you would like to be connected to one of these departments, you can call PCOA’s Helpline at (520) 790-7262. someone with dementia, it’s important to consider the person’s quality of life. For example, medications are available that may delay or keep symptoms from getting worse for a limited time. Medications also may help control some behavioral symptoms in people with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. However, some caregivers might not want drugs prescribed for people in the later stages of these diseases if the side effects outweigh the benefits. (continued on next page)
End-of-Life Care for People With Dementia People often live for years with dementia. While it can be difficult to think of these diseases as terminal, they do eventually lead to death. Caregivers often experience special challenges surrounding the end continue to be physically healthy. However, dementia causes the gradual
of life of someone with dementia in part because the disease progression is so unpredictable. Below are some considerations for end-of-life care for people with dementia. Making medical decisions for people with dementia With dementia, a person’s body may
Page 6 | June 2023, Never Too Late
Pima Council on Aging
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online