Dementia/Alzheimer’s Disease - For Physicians
To qualify for hospice, patients must have:
- State seven or beyond according to FAST scale
- Unable to ambulate without assistance
- Unable to dress without assistance
- Unable to bathe without assistance
- Urinary and fecal incontinence, intermittent or constant
- No meaningful verbal communication stereotypical phrases only, or ability to speak is limited to six or fewer intelligible words
Must have one of the following at admission or within the past six months:
- Aspiration pneumonia
- Pyelonephritis or other urinary tract infection
- Septicemia
- Decubitus ulcers
- Fever; recurrent after antibiotics
- Inability to maintain sufficient fluids and calorie intake with at least 10% weight lost in past six months OR serum albumin <2.5 gm/dl
Dementia/Alzheimer’s Disease - For Families
When is is time for end-stage Dementia/Alzheimer’s Disease hospice care?
Answering these questions may serve as a guide:
- Have you (or your loved one) become wheelchair or bed-bound?
- Has your (or your loved one’s) speech become barely intelligible, unintelligible or impossible?
- Do you (or your loved one) require major assistance with eating, dressing and grooming or are you (or he or she) totally dependent on others for these activities?
- Are you (or your loved one) experiencing severe anxiety?
- Are you (or your loved one) ready to seek “aggressive comfort care” instead of aggressive treatment?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, now may be an appropriate time to discuss Community Hospice with your physician or one of our clinical professionals. Feel free to call us directly at (251) 943-5015.