Article: Dog handlers' experiences of therapy dogs' impact on life near death for persons with dementia

Swedish research looking at the positive impact the interaction between dogs and individuals with dementia towards the end of life can bring.

Swall, A. et al. 2019.  Dog handlers' experiences of therapy dogs' impact on life near death for persons with dementia.  International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 25 (2) p 65 - 68.

Contact the library for a copy

Article: Palliative care in dementia: a fragmented pathway

This paper describes the Admiral Nurse case management approach to palliative care by benchmarking its practice against the European Association of Palliative Care white paper recommendations for palliative care in dementia.

Harrison Dening et al.  2019.  Palliative care in dementia: a fragmented pathway.  International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 585 - 588.

Contact the library for a copy

Article: UK end-of-life care services in dementia, initiatives and sustainability: results of a national online survey

People living and dying with non-cancer diagnoses, including dementia, have poorer access to specialist palliative care than people with cancer and experience worse outcomes in terms of pain, symptom control and experience of care. An online survey following up 16 palliative care services identified as providing examples of good practice back in 2008 was carried out.  15 services responded to the new survey.  They engaged in a wide range of activities predominately providing direct care and workforce development or educational activities.  Results showed that sustainability of the service is reliant on clinicians with a leadership role and recent initiatives largely built on the expertise of the nursing profession.  This new model of care has been termed Hospice-enabled Dementia Care.

Amador, S. et al. 2018.  UK end-of-life care services in dementia, initiatives and sustainability: results of a national online survey.  BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care, 8 (4) p 424 - 427.

Can patients and carers' experiences shape services?

Hospice admission for patients with dementia has been shown to increase caregiver satisfaction yet admission can also be harmful for the patient. This article, from Royal Trinity Hospice, London reports on the experience of a patient with dementia admitted for symptom control, along with respite for his carers.  Shortly into this admission he became increasingly agitated and was discharged home early.  This article reports on the changes the hospice made to create a  "dementia friendly" environment to reduce the disorientation and distress dementia patients were experiencing during their hospice stay.

Parry, L. 2018.  Can patient and carers experiences shape services.  BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.  epub.

Contact the library for a copy

Article: The facilitators and challenges of dying at home with dementia: a narrative synthesis

Public surveys report that most people, given the choice would prefer to die in their homes, yet people with dementia rarely achieve this.  This UK research searched the literature to establish what factors influence death at home and found support from healthcare professionals, carer resilience, extended social networks, support with medication and symptom management, and appropriate equipment and home adaptations all facilitated dying at home.  The challenges included issues with formal services and deteriorating physical and mental health.  The research revealed there was comparatively little research in this area.

Morgan, C. et al.  2018.  The facilitators and challenges of dying at home with dementia: a narrative synthesis.   Palliative Medicine, 32 (6) p 1042 - 1054.

Contact the library for a copy.