Does hospice improve quality of care for persons dying from dementia?

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To examine the effectiveness of hospice services for persons dying from dementia from the perspective of bereaved family members.

Design

Mortality follow-back survey.

Setting

Death certificates were drawn from five states (AL, FL, TX, MA, and MN).

Participants

Bereaved family members listed as the next of kin on death certificates when dementia was listed as the cause of death.

Measurements

Ratings of the quality of end-of-life care, perceptions of unmet needs, and opportunities to improve end-of-life care. Two questions were also asked about the peacefulness of dying and quality of dying.

Results

Of 538 respondents, 260 (48.3%) received hospice services. Family members of decedents who received hospice services reported fewer unmet nee

SUBMITTER: Teno JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3724341 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature