Alzheimer' s Society comment on a review of palliative care published in the May issue of Journal of Clinical Nursing

This is often because staff lack the specialist training to provide good care at the end of someone's life. It is vital that all people, not just those with cancer, benefit from good palliative care.

The number of people living with dementia in the UK is set to soar to more than a million in less than twenty years. This important review highlights the desperate need for specialist palliative care for those in the final stages of dementia.  There must be more sharing of skills and knowledge between dementia care and palliative care specialists to enable this to happen.

The state of dementia care now has been compared to that of cancer care in the 1950s; people are afraid of dementia; many people do not receive a proper diagnosis; there is poor access to treatments and a lack of good quality care. The time for change is now. The first National Dementia Strategy, due to be published in draft next month, must tackle the appalling state of end of life dementia care.

Clive Evers
Director of Knowledge Management

Notes to editors:
 

• Alzheimer's Society's position on palliative care can be found at: http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=200167&documentID=428. Some key elements of our position are:
• Alzheimer's Society believes that in the advanced stages of dementia, quality of life rather than length of life should be prioritised. The use of a tube for artificial hydration and feeding should not be considered best practice in the provision of care of people in the advanced stages of dementia.
• The opportunity to discuss end of life care should be provided at an early stage of the illness to enable individuals with dementia to input into decisions around their future care and treatment.
• The end of life care of people with dementia will involve a range of professionals across social services and NHS. In order to support the seamless provision of the care package we believe the key worker model should be explored. The NICE clinical guideline on supportive and palliative care recommends that the idea of nominating a person to take on the role of 'key worker' to coordinate care should be developed
  
• 1 in 3 older people will end their lives with a form of dementia.
• 700,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, more than half have Alzheimer's disease. In less than 20 years nearly a million people will be living with dementia.  This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051. 1 in 6 people over 80 have dementia.
• The Alzheimer's Society champions the rights of people living with dementia and those who care for them. The Alzheimer's Society works in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• As a charity, the Alzheimer's Society depends on the generosity of the public to help it care, research and campaign for people with dementia. You can donate now by calling 0845 306 0898 or visiting http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/. 
• The Alzheimer's Society Dementia Helpline number is 0845 300 0336 or visit http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/

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