Alzheimer’s Awareness in Hospice
May is Alzheimer's Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about a disease that affects millions of individuals and their families every year. As a hospice provider, we understand the profound impact Alzheimer's disease can have on those who are living with it and their loved ones. We strive to provide compassionate care and support for both the individual and their family members, helping them navigate the challenges that come with this disease. Through education and advocacy efforts, we hope to bring increased understanding and empathy to this important issue. Alzheimer's Awareness Month is an opportunity to come together as a community and support those who are affected by this devastating illness.
Life’s Journey Hospice
At Life’s Journey Hospice in Indianapolis, Indiana, we strive to provide the best quality compassion and care to our patients and their families.
Considering the slow decline of a patient with dementia, it can be difficult to determine when the time is right for hospice. In general, hospice patients are thought to have six months or less to live. Only a doctor can make a clinical determination of life expectancy. However, look for these common signs that the disease has progressed to a point where all involved would likely benefit from hospice care for dementia:
Two or more episodes of pneumonia or other serious infections in the last six months
Difficulty eating and swallowing resulting in weight loss of 10% or more over the last six months
One or more skin pressure ulcers that will not heal properly
The patient can say only a few words
The patient can no longer walk and may be bed-bound
The patient is totally dependent on others for eating, dressing, and grooming
The patient shows signs of severe anxiety
As Alzheimer’s disease progresses into late-stage dementia, more hands-on care becomes required to help the patient maintain the best possible quality of life. Someone in the final stages of dementia may not understand what’s happening, making it challenging for a family caregiver to provide support. Personality changes can cause family stress as the patient becomes unable to recognize familiar faces.
Feeding changes can cause weight loss or nutritional impairment in Alzheimer’s patients, and it can be difficult to get a family member with dementia to eat. The patient will experience difficulty swallowing but will not be able to communicate the difficulties, resulting in pocketing food, coughing, choking or aspiration.
Patients with a co-occurring condition, such as cardiovascular disease, COPD, diabetes or renal failure, may present even more challenges for caregivers. Your hospice care team can coordinate with your loved one’s regular health care provider to find strategies to alleviate symptoms of these illnesses in addition to dementia symptoms.
Hospice staff and volunteers who are specifically trained to deal with individuals who have Alzheimer’s or related dementias can help families navigate the end-of-life process. Patients can receive hospice care in their home or the home of a family member. The hospice team focuses on the patient’s comfort, including pain relief, as well as emotional and spiritual support. Social workers help families understand what to expect as the disease progresses and assist with navigating available services for individuals with dementia.
When a patient reaches the stage of Alzheimer’s disease in which everyday activities become too difficult for family caregivers to handle and the symptoms become dramatically more pronounced, a doctor can refer the patient to a hospice provider for end-of-life care.
Upon referral to Life’s Journey Hospice, each patient receives an individualized care plan. The hospice team takes into account the patient’s condition and specific symptoms to determine what services are needed. Hospice providers may supply and set up medical equipment and medical supplies that assist families in caring for the dementia patient. This may include equipment, medications, or supplies such as feeding tubes that help manage the symptoms of the disease.
Hospice care workers can offer families suggestions for creating routines that help an Alzheimer’s patient feel more comfortable. Bereavement counseling is also available for the loved ones of a patient in hospice care.
If your loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, talk to your doctor about the right time to consider hospice care. Contact Life’s Journey Hospice to learn more about hospice and palliative care options for patients who’ve been diagnosed with advanced dementia.
