• To expand your knowledge of palliative dementia care
• To recognise the barriers and enablers to delivering palliative dementia care
• To enhance your ability to recognise when a person is at the end of life
Dementia is characterised by memory loss, behavioural changes and decline of cognitive, social and physical functions and is a life-limiting condition. At the point of diagnosis it is classed as a palliative condition, yet there is limited public and healthcare professional awareness that, once diagnosed, a person will either die of dementia or die with dementia. This article discusses how the recognition and timing of the need for palliative dementia care is pivotal in providing person-centred care. The authors explore factors such as optimal prognostication, advance care planning, staff education and accessing support from palliative and end of life care teams and Admiral Nurses. The authors also use a fictional case study to demonstrate best practice in palliative dementia care.
Nursing Older People. doi: 10.7748/nop.2024.e1479
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared
Drain D, Stone L, Daly RL (2024) Implementing palliative and end of life care for people with dementia. Nursing Older People. doi: 10.7748/nop.2024.e1479
Published online: 06 November 2024
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