Palliative Care: Often Overlooked in the ‘Acute’ Setting
Does this description of a patient sound familiar to you?
“… a 91-year-old man diagnosed with moderate Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension, and benign prostatic hypertrophy whose change in mental status has prompted hospitalization from a long-term care facility…. This is his third admission in five months with similar symptoms; each time he was given IV fluids and sent back to the long term care facility within a few days.”
Figure. Photo © Photofusion Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo.
With minor adjustments in age, gender, and the exact illnesses involved, this paragraph describes patients that I cared for on a regular basis in a large medical center. I always found such patients frustrating, and sad. I was frustrated because it seemed all we could do was “patch them up,” send them back to the nursing home, and wait for their inevitable return; and sad because there seemed so little quality of life to reach for.