[Case managers' perceptions on their role in (future) euthanasia requests in patients with dementia]

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Palliative Care
• Bioethics

Background:

• Increasing use of advance euthanasia directives (AEDs) for future dementia suffering.
• Limited actual euthanasia cases in advanced dementia.
• Dementia case managers' early involvement and guidance role.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand how dementia case managers handle advance euthanasia directives (AEDs).
• To explore case managers' discussions on euthanasia and future wishes in dementia care.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study design.
• Two focus groups with ten dementia case managers.
• Thematic analysis of discussions.

Main Results:

• Case manager involvement encompasses broader euthanasia discussions, not just AEDs.
• Five themes emerged: scenarios, introducing AEDs, client/caregiver support, healthcare cooperation, and dilemmas.
• Insights highlight the case manager's role in guiding future euthanasia wishes.

Conclusions:

• Case managers' role is crucial in guiding dementia patients with future euthanasia wishes.
• Findings support optimizing multidisciplinary collaboration between general practitioners and dementia case managers.
• Further research is recommended on the value of this collaboration in complex euthanasia cases.