Palliative and end-of-life decision-making in dementia care

This paper will highlight some of the pertinent issues associated with palliative and end-of-life decision-making in relation to dementia. To achieve this, the author will consider why there is disparity in relation to shared decision-making practices across non-malignant disease through exploration of models of disease trajectories. The author will then go on to highlight how people living with dementia, a non-malignant disease, have a human right to receive palliative care and be an active agent in the shared decision-making process about their future and care preferences. The challenges of shared decision-making in dementia care will be discussed along with some implications for nursing practice. The aim of this paper is to provide nurses, practising across all settings, with an overview of the fundamental importance of timely palliative and end-of-life shared decision-making in dementia care.