I recently read an interesting blog post from a great New York Times blog called “The New Old Age,” regarding dementia patients and hospitalization later in life. This post was timely for me, due to the increased hospitalizations that I have seen in my clients with later-stage dementia.
The blog states that 75% of these hospitalizations may be unnecessary and that there are less traumatic ways to treat the illnesses that precipitate the emergency room visits right in our nursing homes. What is causing this epidemic? Does hospice care for patients with dementia need to play a larger role in our nursing homes? The article mentions the negative financial impact of these hospitalizations to our healthcare system, and that’s secondary to the negative impact to the dementia patient’s quality of life.
Read more of the New York Times Senior Care blog here. To find Hospice providers in your area click here.