Alzheimer’s is an illness that steadily destroys mental functions, including memory. Alzheimer’s is the cause of most dementia cases accounting for 60-80% of the cases.

The disease’s slow onset and progressive nature make it difficult for patients to receive care from their loved ones for an extended period. Advance care planning for patients with Alzheimer’s is essential to facilitate quality palliative care.

It is crucial to recognize that Alzheimer’s is a terminal illness requiring advanced end-of-life care like cancer or similar diseases. That will assist the patients in receiving the type of care they deserve.

Implementation of Alzheimer’s and dementia-specific can improve care for patients by promoting more compassionate, thoughtful, and personalized approaches in the later stages of a disease. Fortunately, people can now find Alzheimer’s specific advance directives from different sources, including online. The directives guide families and clinicians to make medical decisions on behalf of patients.

Importance of Early Intervention

The best time to initiate advance care planning for patients with Alzheimer’s is at the first stages. At this time of the disease, patients still have the mental capacity to speak about their care preferences. The patients can also make informed decisions regarding their future.

An advance directive in an ideal world happens before or soon after a diagnosis. The challenge arises from documenting the healthcare decisions of persons with Alzheimer’s. Advance care planning is not a one-time decision but a process because health needs keep changing.

It is even more complex to determine when loved ones are no longer competent to make informed decisions.

However, the following people can make healthcare decisions on behalf of patients after they are declared legally incapacitated.

-Family surrogates

-Physicians

-Caregivers

ACP Recommendations for Healthcare Providers

The recommendations below support advance care planning for patients with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia forms.

-Initiate ACP discussions soon after diagnosis

-Collaborate with families and caregivers to support advance care planning conversations during a trajectory

-Regularly Revisit ACP discussion with patients and their families, especially after significant changes in health condition.