Goals of care in advanced dementia: Comfort, dignity, and psychological well-being

Abstract

Current changes of the health care system force all health care providers to reassess their activities. The emphasis has shifted from providing any available treatment to careful evaluation of costs and benefits of different treatment strategies. Such an evaluation is especially important for management of diseases that become more common with age because our population is rapidly aging. One group of these diseases consist of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, which affect a large portion of our elders. The comfort, dignity, and psychological well-being of those with Alzheimer's disease must also be considered.