[End of life of demented patients: ethical aspects]

Most people in contemporary western society die of the chronic diseases of old age. Whilst palliative care is appropriate for elderly patients with chronic, non-malignant disease, few of these patients access such care compared with cancer patients. That patients dying with dementia have significant health care needs, comparable with cancer patients, is now well established. Yet, their families typically describe poor advance-care planning and an inadequate level of symptom control, with distress associated with pain, pressure sores, constipation, restlessness and shortness of breath. A comparison of people dying with advanced dementia or terminal cancer found that those with dementia were more likely to experience burdensome interventions and restraints and to have had poor advance-care planning. Prognostic models that attempt to estimate survival of >6 months in demented patients have generally poor discrimination, reflecting the unpredictable nature of most nonmalignant disease. However, a number of generic and disease-specific predictor variables were identified that may help clinicians identify older, non-cancer patients with poor prognoses and palliative care needs. Simple, well-validated prognostic models that provide clinicians with objective measures of palliative status in demented patients are needed. Additionally, research that analyses the effect of comprehensive geriatric assessment and geriatric palliative care on psychosocial outcomes in demented patients and their caregivers is needed. Advances care planning and directives making before death allow meeting patient's preferences.