CHAPTER 7: Ethical and clinically humane end-of-life care for those living with dementia
by Michael Gordon

Editors:
Serge Gauthier, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Pedro Rosa-Neto, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publisher: Future Medicine
Reviewed by: Michael Gordon, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FACP, FRCPEdin

It is always a pleasure to be able to discuss a new book to a receptive audience when I believe the book has something special to offer. When it comes to reviewing books outside the realm of medicine or the medical sciences, reviews often are reflective of the personal and aesthetic views of the reviewer. There are many books written for professional readers on the fringe of medical science that deal with non-clinical aspects of medicine and many that have translated important medical concepts to the lay audience and others in the form of memoirs and novels of the personal and historical type that add a great deal to the general wealth and richness of medicine and the associated medical sciences.

To undertake an academic text book is always a daunting task. Generally if experts and specialists in the field cannot write such a book without the help of others and currently the idea of editors securing experts to write the relevant chapters is a well-accepted methodology for achieving that goal. That being said it becomes the responsibility of the editors to make sure that those that they recruit to write the relevant chapters have the academically sound and clinically and research-based capability of doing so and on top of that have the writing skills to achieve their goal. Moreover, for the chapters to hang together in one strives to have some degree of congruence in the writing approaches and styles, while at the same time promoting the particular capabilities of the writers of each chapter. At the end it is hoped that the chapters hang together into a whole that attracts the reader and provides a perspective on the subject and each of its varied components that would be hard to achieve if the reader decided to explore each of the subject chapters separately without the benefit of them being collated, edited and reference into one easily accessible book.

I am therefore pleased and honoured to not only present the book to subscribers of HealthPlexus.net, Advances in Alzheimer’s Disease Management edited by Serge Gauthier and Pedro Rosa-Neto but to have been one of the contributors. At a time when the knowledge surrounding Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is on the one hand expanding rapidly from the scientific perspective, for the practicing physician and patient living with dementia and their families, the challenges seems to be overwhelming. There seems to be a huge disconnect between the understanding and scientific progress of the causes in many domains of enquiry and the actual clinical impact that all this new knowledge currently has that physicians in the front lines of care can utilize clinically.

In medicine however, one never knows what key will be the one that opens the door we are all looking to enter. At any given time all we can do is to try and figure out using the best clues and evidence available to know what secrets lay behind that door. The readily accessible E-book format in which Advances in Alzheimer’s disease management is produced allows for a relatively low cost alternative to the usual costs of hard copy texts. The content of the book covers all the main challenging concepts and recommended or best-practices as they exists currently. Obviously in time, perhaps a very short time, some of these will change but for those in the field we all know that many of the concepts and practices have not changed in many years.

The table of contents includes the following subjects by the authors listed next to the chapter titles, with mine at the end. I have been given permission to reproduce my chapter, Ethical and clinically humane end-of-life care for those living with dementia on the HealthPlexus.net website so that subscribers can get a taste of the e-book itself.

1) Genetics of Alzheimer’s disease by Jayashree Viswanathan, Hilkka Soininen & Mikko Hiltunen;
2) Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease by Pedro Rosa-Neto, Jared Rowley, Antoine Leuzy, Sara Mohades, Monica Shin, Marina T Dauar and Serge Gauthier
3) Available symptomatic antidementia drugs by Marie-Pierre Thibodeau and Fadi Massoud
4) New drugs under development for Alzheimer’s disease by Lezanne Ooi, Kirubakaran Shanmugam, Mili Patel, Rachel Debono and Gerald Münch
5) Management of agitation and aggression: controversies and possible solutions by Clive Ballard and Anne Corbett
6) Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease by Serge Gauthier and Christopher JS Patterson
7) Ethical and clinically humane end-of-life care for those living with dementia by Michael Gordon

For those interested in ordering the book, this can be done through the following links:
The direct URL for the book is:
http://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/book/10.2217/9781780840840
For those who are interested in finding more information about the book/our e-book series, the email address is:
info@futuremedicine.com
For those who wish to place an order, the email is:
sales@futuremedicine.com

Kelly J. Murphy, PhD, C.Psych., Neuropsychologist, Neuropsychology & Cognitive Health, Baycrest; Assistant Professor, Psychology, University of Toronto.
Angela K. Troyer, PhD, C.Psych, Professional Practice, Chief of Psychology, Baycrest, Assistant Professor, Psychology, University of Toronto.

Abstract
Dementia is characterized by multiple cognitive impairments that cause significant functional decline. Based on this brief definition, the initial expectation might be that recognizing dementia in a patient is straightforward. Not true. Recognizing dementia can be tricky, particularly in patients who present as alert, socially appropriate, and capable of providing reasonable answers to questions. We briefly outline signs on casual observation that would prompt investigation into a patient's current cognitive and functional status to determine the presence of dementia during a routine visit. Approaches to screening for cognitive and functional decline are described along with first-step recommendations to connect patients and families with resources. The front-line clinician plays a pivotal role in identifying dementia with earlier intervention having the most potential to offset the burden on patients, families, and society.
Keywords: dementia, activities of daily living, functional decline, cognitive decline.

Michael Gordon, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Medical Program Director, Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System; Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.

Of the many challenges that face families when looking after their older loved ones, of the most difficult is deciding on end-of-life decisions. The accepting or rejecting artificial nutrition and hydration, apparently life-saving antibiotic intervention for an aspiration pneumonia or urinary tract infection or the implementation of theoretically life-saving cardio-pulmonary resuscitation are among the many decisions that substitute decision-makers, who are often close family members, have to make. More often than not, these types of decisions are required in urgent situations where a time-consuming deliberative process that might be expected for a well-thought out decision to be reached is not possible because of the pressures of the potentially fatal clinical situation. Proper preparation for such eventualities usually requires time and thought that includes exploration of personal values and wishes in what ideally should occur during conversations between older loved ones at risk of or in the throes of dementia when discussions might still take place. These revealing communications must occur with those that are responsible for making these very personal and potentially life-altering clinical decisions.

Shahana Nathwani, BHK, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.
Joseph M Lam, MD, FRCP(C), Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Associate Member, Department of Dermatology and Skin Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.

Abstract
Many conditions present as 'lumps and bumps' in the pediatric population. Some follow a benign course and can be safely observed with parental education and reassurance. Others require definitive therapy or carry the potential for serious complications. Understanding and recognizing the different lesions will help guide the care, counseling and management of patients with these common 'lumps and bumps'. This review presents and categorizes common pediatric cutaneous lesions according to colours as a tool to help the general practitioner recognize and remember these lesions.
Keywords: benign; pediatric; tumours; vascular; hemangioma; nevus.