The families of dementia patients can improve their loved one’s experiences in nursing homes by establishing “goals of care,” Neurology Today reported.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina showed family members a short video and helped facilitate discussion between the families and nursing home staff to establish a care plan. The plan led to improved communication about end-of-life care and fewer hospital transfers, Neurology Today reported.
Lead study author Laura Hanson, MD, MPH, professor of geriatric medicine and director of palliative care at UNC, told Neurology Today the focus of decision-making should be on “choosing the right path to achieve the best care for the person with advanced dementia.”
“It is not that you’re choosing not to treat; rather you’re choosing different paths of treatment depending on your goals and priorities,” she said.
Penn Memory Center Co-Director Dr. Jason Karlawish said this should be the standard of care at nursing homes.
“If you take the time to train long-term care practitioners, in particular the nursing home staff, on how to talk with families, you can actually improve care,” Karlawish told Neurology Today. “The problem is, how do you create both a professional culture and a system of care that expects this?”
Karlawish also told Neurology Today that he is concerned a repeal of the Affordable Care Act would hurt the quality of nursing home care in the United States. He expanded on the topic in his latest Forbes column, More Bad News In Our Nation’s Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease.