preview

How To Improve Dementiative Care?

Decent Essays
Open Document

There are also many types of people who can be a main carer and are able to provide palliative care for dementia patients in the terminal stage, such as physicians, general practitioners, pharmacists, support staff and volunteers (AIHW 2014, p. 44). Nevertheless, the most appropriate and influential carer is the patients’ family members. In order to provide person-centred and palliative care for the patients, their families are essential and can maintain and enhance the patients’ quality life (Small 2007, p. 198). The key element of the provision of person-centred palliative care is decision-making. Due to advance dementia, the capacity of communication of the patients is limited - they cannot convey their needs and participate in decision-making about their care and management. Consequently, their requests and symptoms are often ignored. …show more content…

2014, p. 158; Agar et al. 2015, p. 1). Unfortunately, in addition to poor pain management due to a lack of knowledge of healthcare workers, emotional and spiritual neglect also frequently occur for patients with advanced dementia (Small 2007, p. 197). The effectiveness of family involvement in palliative care for the patients supported by a randomised control trail is that the case conference with their family members is associated with better maintenance of physical and mental health, and decreases in hospitalisations (Mitchell et al. 2008, p. 904). It is clear that the family members are definitely a key carer to provide person-centred care for dementia patients in the terminal phase, so their families have to be involved in the patients’

Get Access