Alzheimer's Disease Health Care

The Importance of Pre-Planning:
Alzheimer's Disease and Health Care Proxies

• Alzheimer's disease is one of the most emotionally draining and traumatic diseases for patients and families alike. The progressive, degenerative nature of Alzheimer's disease presents unique challenges for health care proxies.

• During the end stages of Alzheimer's disease the patient typically loses the ability to communicate effectively with their loved ones; adding an additional burden to the health care proxy.

• It is essential for families to openly discuss the kind of end-of-life care early, while the person with Alzheimer's still has the ability to communicate their wishes.

• Families can often benefit from a mediator (an independent third party, usually a social worker) to facilitate the discussion of end-of-life care.

• Working through a variety of scenarios can help the family to form a consensus about the use of artificial nutrition, hydration and breathing machines like ventilators.

• Pre-planning allows the family to clarify choices and make decisions in advance of a crisis situation.

• Pre-planning allows families to resolve disagreements while not under the extreme stress and pressure of making a time sensitive decision.

• Pre-planning also opens up lines of communication between family members and doctors.

• For the person with Alzheimer's disease, advance planning gives him/her a voice in determining the type of end-of-life care he/she wants.

• Pre-planning empowers the person with Alzheimer's to choose someone to speak for them.

• Pre-planning provides an opportunity for the person with Alzheimer's to comfortably discuss their wishes.

• Pre-planning enables the family to investigate community resources like hospice care in advance. This allows patients and families to decide together on the care one will receive.

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