Survey of the End-of-life Care Preferences of Patients with Mild Dementia and Differences from Hopes of Familial Caregivers Regarding End-of-life Care for Patients

Abstract

Introduction: We investigated the end-of-life care preferences of patients with mild dementia and compared them with the hopes of caregivers regarding end-of-life care for patients. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted among outpatients with mild dementia or mild cognitive impairment and their family caregivers who visited the Medical Center for Dementia. Results: We analyzed 50 pairs of dementia patients and their family caregivers. Of people with dementia, 24 respondents (48.0%) preferred“antibiotics and infusions for pneumonia”at the end of life. Eleven respondents (22.0%) preferred“central parenteral nutrition”. Eight respondents (16.0%) preferred“resuscitation”. For each end-of-life care item, the concordance rate between patients and caregivers on“prefer”/“do not prefer”was 0%-76%. Patients and their families who discussed end-of-life care had a significantly higher concordance rate for“resuscitation” preference than those who did not. Conclusion: For patients and their families to be able to make decisions they do not regret, it is important to promote discussions about end-of-life medical care before the patient’s condition becomes severe.