Should we reduce dementia medication?
Dementia is a feared and tragic disease, which causes huge pain to sufferers and their families.
Often in Australia, aged care patients in the later stages of Dementia are heavily medicated, a result of an approach known as ‘active prescribing’.
Domenica DiSalvo, PHD student at UTS, is looking into to benefits of ‘palliative care’ – which is less aggressive treatment for aged care patients with advanced Dementia.
Palliative care has the potential to ensure patients are as comfortable as possible, by eliminating unnecessary treatment measures.
Domenica spoke with Sam King, to explain her take on providing the best possible care for these patients.
Image: Natalie Maguire on Flickr.