Palliative Care For Alzheimer s Patients - 2196 Words

Palliative Care for Alzheimer’s Patients Brittany Dooley Denver School of Nursing Abstract This paper discusses the transition patients and families experience during palliative care. In patient’s experiencing terminal illnesses, care priorities tend to shift and instead of focusing on curative measures, it often shifts to palliative to provide comfort measures. Palliative care focuses on the relief of suffering and psychosocial support during serious illnesses. Its goal is to provide alleviation from symptoms and stress related to the disease process. Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the families involved. Palliative care aids patients experiencing Alzheimer’s disease symptoms such as depression, anxiety and difficulty sleeping and can assist with secondary diagnosis conditions that are painful. The palliative care team can serve as a support system and help discuss what’s important to the patient and family and what level of care the patient wants when they enter the last stage of Alzheimer’s d isease. When palliative care is involved, the burden most families experience is eased and the patient is able to achieve the best quality of life. Palliative Care for Alzheimer’s Patients Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects an estimated 5.2 million people worldwide (Gies, 2009). This disease process works on memory, over time increasing with age. Early symptoms are memoryShow MoreRelatedAlzheimerS Disease: The Biggest Culprit. AlzheimerS Disease1561 Words   |  7 PagesAlzheimer s Disease: The Biggest Culprit Alzheimer s disease is a progressive deterioration of cognitive function sufficient to cause functional disability (Hannaman, Mitchell, Cross, 2011). 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