End-of-life Care and Dementia

Kerstin Stieber Roger, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Social Sciences, Faculty of Human Ecology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB.

This article discusses current research in the social sciences on end-of-life care and people living with dementia. Given the projected increase within the next twenty years of older adults living with dementia, end-of-life care for this demographic will become more relevant than ever before. The main themes emerging in the literature are discussed in this article: personhood, decision-making, counselling and spirituality, pain management, training for professionals, and settings of primary care. Recommendations for further research are offered.
Keywords: care, dementia, end-of-life, family, personhood.