People with dementia
Talking to people with dementia about their end of life wishes can help improve the quality of their care, according to guidance produced by the National Council for Palliative Care and the Dying Matters Coalition.
'Difficult Conversations' is a publication designed to help professionals and carers of people with dementia to open up conversations about end of life wishes, especially early on in the disease, and to provide support. More than 35 million people worldwide and over 800,000 people in the UK have dementia, but people with the disease often receive unequal access to palliative care – in part because of problems discussing end of life issues with someone once they have dementia.
The guidance, which has been supported by the Government’s National End of Life Care Programme and developed following conversations with 50 patients, carers and former carers, provides practical advice to carers on a range of issues. It also provides a list of useful resources on issues such as advanced care planning and peer support for carers.
'Difficult Conversations' is available to purchase from the National Council of Palliative Care website at a price of £5.00, or £2.50 for subscribers.
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'Difficult Conversations' press release
