Successful home palliative care of a patient with terminal lung cancer and severe dementia

This case involved an end-stage lung cancer patient with severe dementia, complicated pressure ulcers, and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia that resulted in overcomplicated medical treatments. The family had difficulty providing care; thus, palliative care included treatment of pressure ulcers, optimized pharmacotherapy, and advanced care planning. This paper presents the patient’s organized treatment policies as delivered by the family and home care providers, including nurses, which alleviated the patient’s pain rating and the family’s care burden. Through these efforts, the patient was able to continue to live at home and receive palliative care according to her wishes until she died.

Author(s): Junichi Danjo, Sonoko Danjo and Yu Nakamura

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