Dementia deaths in hospice: a retrospective case note audit

Dementia is now recognized as a progressive terminal illness and it is established that people with dementia have significant palliative care needs as they approach the end of life. However, population prevalence studies suggest that very few people with dementia access hospice services in the UK. The literature further suggests that hospice staff may be inadequately prepared to care for people with dementia. A retrospective internal case note audit covering a 3-month period of referrals was undertaken in one hospice in the south of England as part of work to establish staff education requirements arising from patient make-up. Only patients over the age of 65 were included. Of the 288 case notes audited, 9% of the patients had either been diagnosed with dementia or suffered with dementia as a comorbidity. The results of the audit suggest that the number of people with dementia referred to hospice services may have increased in the last decade. This is in keeping with expectations and future predictions resulting from increased disease surveillance and an increasingly ageing population.