Palliative Excellence in Alzheimer Care Efforts (PEACE): a program description.

Area of Science:

• Geriatrics
• Palliative Care
• Dementia Care

Background:

• Hospice care is underutilized in patients with dementia, despite potential benefits.
• Barriers exist to hospice referral and utilization for individuals with dementia.
• Earlier integration of palliative or hospice-like services can improve end-of-life care for dementia patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Palliative Excellence in Alzheimer Care Efforts (PEACE) program.
• To improve end-of-life care for persons with dementia.
• To integrate palliative care into the primary care of dementia patients throughout the illness trajectory.

Main Methods:

• The PEACE program is a disease management model for dementia.
• It incorporates advance planning, patient-centered care, family support, and palliative care.
• Semi-annual interviews with patients and caregivers for two years, plus a post-death caregiver interview, assess key care domains.

Main Results:

• Initial feedback indicates adequate pain control and high satisfaction with quality of care for patients.
• Patients experienced death in their preferred location, with attention to their stated wishes.
• Families reported high satisfaction with the quality of care received.

Conclusions:

• The PEACE program demonstrates an innovative model for delivering quality palliative care to dementia patients.
• The program effectively supports both patients with dementia and their caregivers.
• This integrated approach enhances the end-of-life experience for individuals with dementia.