Geriatric Palliative Care

The theme of this book is that palliative care is the best approach to the care of chronically ill and frail elderly because of its focus on quality of life, support for functional independence, and the centrality of the patient's values and experiences in determining the goals of medical care. Geriatric Palliative Care provides a comprehensive medical reference for all clinicians who care for older adults.

Readership: Palliative care givers, geriatricians

Contents/contributors

Part I: Overview: The Social and Cultural Context of Old Age and Frailty
1 Variability in End-of-Life Care in the United States
2 Developmental Challenges and Opportunities for "Growth": The Inner Life at the End of Life
3 Assessing Quality of Life and Quality of Dying in the Elderly: Implications for Clinical Practice of Palliative Medicine
4 The Place of Love in the Care of Persons with Advanced Dementia
5 Artifical Nutrition and Hydration
6 Age, Rationing and Palliative Care
7 Ethical Aspects of Geriatric Palliative Care
8 Respecting Diversity

Part II: Disease and Syndrome-Specific Aspects of Palliative Care
9 Frailty and its Implications for Care
10 Heart Disease
11 Cancer
12 Stroke: Prognosis, Treatment and Rehabilitation
13 Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases
14 Chronic Lung Disease and Lung Cancer
15 End-Stage Renal Disease and Discontinuation of Dialysis

Part III: Symptom Distress in Older Patients
16 Pain
17 Dyspnea
18 Gastrointestinal Symptoms
19 Fatigue
20 Delirium, Anxiety and Depression

Part IV: Communication
21 Advance Care Planning for Frail, Older Persons
22 Doctor-Patient Communication
23 Decision Making for the Cognitively Impaired

Part V: Structures of Care for the Chronically Ill with Palliative Care Needs
24 Can We Make the Health-Care System Work?
25 Palliative Care in the Nursing Home
26 Family Caregivers: Burdens and Opportunities
27 Home Care for Frail Older Adults
28 Hospital-Based Palliative Care