Assessing palliative care needs in patients with dementia: A cross-sectional analysis of an predominantly oldest-old population from a geriatric memory clinic.

Abstract

In this cross-sectional study, we assessed palliative care (PC) needs in older adults with dementia. Using the NECPAL CCOMS-ICO^© 3.1 tool and comprehensive geriatric assessment, 16.25% of the 554 evaluated patients required PC, which had clinical frailty and a moderate stage of dementia. Advanced frailty was associated with the poorest prognosis, according to the PC-based stratification. Our findings support the use of PC assessment in dementia care, which focuses on a person-centered approach while minimizing unnecessary or ineffective treatments and meeting the real-world patient's needs. PC care may fulfill the multidimensional nature of dementia, shifting towards personalized palliative approaches.