Advance Care Planning for Dementia to Reduce Suffering

Just because a person with advanced dementia CAN swallow doesn't mean s/he WANTS to swallow -- especially if skilled personnel are putting thickened puree at the back of his/her tongue so s/he swallows by REFLEX... especially if such "feeding" (not "eating") only prolongs the process of dying and increases the risk of more pain and suffering.

Here is a rarely asked but most important decision we should all make--given the risk of dying with dementia is 1 in 6 for those who reach the age of 55:   "If you meet your own criteria for Advanced Dementia, do you want to continue ASSISTED SPOON FEEDING?"



Psychiatrist Dr. Stanley A Terman, PhD, MD, is the founder and Medical Director of the non-profit organization, Caring Advocates.  In the following video (an edited version of a live presentation at the San Francisco Bay Area End-of-Life Care Network on February 1, 2012) Dr. Terman planned to spend more time brain storming ways to educate the general public that there now exists an easy way to complete Advance Care Planning that can effectively reduce suffering.



Yet even this audience of professionals who work in this field were not sure what choice they would make for themselves without more information....  The lively and interactive discussion on this video, whose level is appropriate for the general public, can motivate individuals to do their own Advance Caring Planning and may inspire some to be even more proactive by spreading the word to family members, friends, others.  Dr. Terman ends by listing those professionals who might be asked to use their influence to motivate others to complete their own Advance Caring Planning with an impassioned call to action and a list of professions in a position to help.