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Hospice
of Michigan releases award-winning Alzheimer's Caregiver
Manual
DETROIT, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Alzheimer's disease and other
types of dementia are one of the major causes of
debility and death in the elderly. Knowing what choices
to make when a loved one is suffering from advanced
dementia during the end stages of life is one of the
most difficult issues a family can face. Through the
Maggie Allesee Center for Quality of Life, Hospice of
Michigan (HOM) has produced a valuable resource to guide
families to the answers they need.
This fall, HOM issued
the second edition of "Caring for a Loved One with
Advanced Dementia," a 28-page Caregiver's Manual for
families of individuals with advanced dementia who are
in need of hospice care. The manual has won the National
Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Excellence in
Education Award and is now available to order for $8.50
plus shipping at
http://www.hom.org/mac/maccm.asp . You may
also call 1-313-578-6301 to place an order or
1-800-443-0060.
"One of our physicians
working with Alzheimer's patients saw the need that
families had for this kind of information," explained
Dorothy Deremo, President and CEO of HOM. "This manual
was developed to help families prepare for and confront
the difficult issues they will face as their loved one
reaches the advanced stages of dementia."
The Caregiver Manual
was researched and produced by the staff of the Maggie
Allesee Center for Quality of Life, housed in Hospice of
Michigan's Brush Park corporate headquarters. It grew
out of an on-going PEACE research program -- Palliative
Excellence in Alzheimer's Care Efforts -- funded by a
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant and was based on
HOM's experiences in caring for more than 1,500 dementia
patients during a six-year period. The Maggie Allesee
Center encompasses Hospice of Michigan's research,
education and outreach efforts to improve quality of
life at the end of life.
The Alzheimer's
Association Michigan Chapters distributed 10,000 copies
of the first edition in 2002 throughout Michigan with
funding from the Michigan Department of Community
Health.
"As a patient with
Alzheimer's or other types of dementia approaches the
final stages of life, medical interventions can be more
painful and disruptive than helpful," said Dr. John
Finn, chief medical director for the Maggie Allesee
Center for Quality of Life. "This manual guides
caregivers in asking the right questions to determine
whether or not to treat infections, should they insert a
feeding tube, or should CPR be used if the patient goes
into cardiac arrest. It helps them decide if palliative,
or comfort care, rather than aggressive treatment is the
best choice."
In 2005, HOM served
5,637 patients. 435 (or nearly 8%) of those patients had
a primary diagnosis of Dementia/Alzheimer's disease.
In a Gallup poll
commissioned by the Alzheimer's Association, one in 10
Americans said that they had a family member with
Alzheimer's and one in three knew someone with the
disease.(1) A person with Alzheimer's disease will live
an average of eight years and as many as 20 years or
more from the onset of symptoms as estimated by
relatives.(2) From the time of diagnosis, people with
Alzheimer's disease survive about half as long as those
of similar age without dementia. Average survival time
is affected by age at diagnosis and severity of other
medical conditions.(3)
Hospice of Michigan
provides comprehensive comfort care to people living
with a terminal illness and support to their families.
The organization serves more than 800 people every day
in 45 counties in Michigan. For information about
Hospice of Michigan services, call 1-888-247-5181 or
visit the Web site,
http://www.hom.org/
.
(1) 1992 Gallup survey
of 1,015 individuals. For more information, please
contact our Green-Field Library.
(2) Losing a Million
Minds: Confronting the Tragedy of Alzheimer's Disease
and Other Dementias. U.S. Congress Office of Technology
Assessment; U.S. Government Printing Office, 1987; p.
14.
(3) Larson, EB,
Shadlen, M-F, et al. "Survival After Initial Diagnosis
of Alzheimer Disease." Annals of Internal Medicine, 6
April 2004; pp. 501 - 509.
