Making Tough Decisions about End-of-Life Care in Dementia

Anne Kenny

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781421426686
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Caregiving

Practical, essential advice about making tough decisions for people with end-stage dementia.

Each year, more than 500,000 people are diagnosed with dementia in the United States. As stunning as that figure is, countless family members and caregivers are also affected by each diagnosis. Families are faced with the need to make vital end-of-life decisions about medical treatment, legal and financial matters, and living situations for those who no longer can; no one is prepared for this process. And many caregivers grapple with sadness, confusion, guilt, anger, and physical and mental exhaustion as dementia enters its final stage.

In Making Tough Decisions about End-of-Life Care in Dementia, Dr. Anne Kenny, a skilled palliative care physician, describes how to navigate the difficult journey of late-stage dementia with sensitivity, compassion, and common sense. Combining her personal experience caring for a mother with dementia with her medical expertise in both dementia and end-of-life care, Dr. Kenny helps the reader prepare for a family member's death while managing their own emotional health.

Drawing on stories of families that Dr. Kenny has worked with to illustrate common issues, concerns, and situations that occurs in late-stage dementia, this book includes practical advice about

• making life-altering decisions while preparing for a loved one's inevitable death
• medical care, pain, insomnia, medication, and eating
• caring for the caregiver
• having conversations about difficult topics with other family members and with health care, legal, and financial professionals

Concrete to-do lists and lists of important points provide information at a glance for busy caregivers. Each chapter concludes with a list of additional resources for more information and help. Making Tough Decisions about End-of-Life Care in Dementia is a lifeline, an invaluable guide to assist in the late stage of dementia.

Table of contents

• Cover
• A 36-Hour Day Book
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Understanding the End and the Need for Letting Go
• Chapter 2: Preparing to Let Go: Emotions of Caring
• Chapter 3: Making Decisions for Others
• Chapter 4: Legal Aspects of Decisions
• Chapter 5: Complex Medical Decisions
• Chapter 6: Decisions about Places of Care
• Chapter 7: Changing Care Needs at the End of Life
• Chapter 8: Changing Needs for the Caregiver/Partner at the End of Life
• Chapter 9: Active Dying
• Chapter 10: Afterloss and Adjustment
• Index