An estimated 1.8 million people in the US alone are in the final stages of a dementing illness. A recent study in JAMA determined that patients with advanced dementias, who develop a superimposed acute illness such as a hip fracture or pneumonia, have a very poor prognosis. Given the limited life expectancy of these patients the study suggests that interventions should be palliative rather than curative.
Source
- Morrison, R.S. and Siu, A.L. JAMA. 2000. 284:47-52.
