Chapter 20
Planning for the End of Someone’s Life
In This Chapter
Understanding the causes of death in dementia
Describing the people involved in end-of-life care
Deciding whether the person can die at home or needs hospital or hospice care
Allowing the person to die with dignity
Knowing when to let go
Dementia is a progressive illness. And although people may live for many years after diagnosis, the disease is nevertheless known to shorten life expectancy.
There’s no way of predicting exactly how long ‘someone has left’, because it varies depending on the type of dementia, the areas of the brain affected and any other concomitant diseases or illnesses. However, thinking ahead and planning for possible end-of-life scenarios early in the diagnosis is always advisable. You want to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible when the time comes.
Relatives have said to me that they don’t want to think about such eventualities at the outset, either because their loved one’s death is ...
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