Educate Providers on Palliative and Hospice Care

Nearly half of all people with Alzheimer's and other dementias are in hospice care at the time of their death. However, less than half of surveyed nursing homes have some sort of palliative care program. For people with advanced dementia, such team-based care — which focuses on managing and easing symptoms, reducing pain and stress, and increasing comfort — improves quality of life, controls costs, and enhances patient and family satisfaction. But, as the demand for such coordinated care grows with the aging population, more must be done to ensure an adequately trained workforce. The Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act would increase palliative care and hospice training for health care professionals, launch a national campaign to inform patients and families about the benefits of palliative care, and enhance research on improving the delivery of palliative care.