Ep. 393 End-of-Life Care for People with Dementia with Barbara Karnes RN

End-of-Life University

Learn about the challenges faced by caregivers for dementia patients and some creative ideas for offering support.

In this episode I welcome back my recurring guest Barbara Karnes, hospice nurse, speaker, thought leader, and expert on end-of-life care. She is the author of the “little blue hospice book” Gone From My Sight and her most recent book By Your Side: A Guide for Caring for the Dying at Home. We discuss the challenges of caring for a person with dementia and the impact that care can have on family members. Learn more about Barbara’s work at her website:

www.bkbooks.com

Get the book here

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This episode includes:

• There are now over 7 million people with dementia in the US
• Dementia patients require twice as many hours of care as other patients
• The late stage of dementia can last 1-2 years; patients are eligible for hospice care during the last 6 months
• How the last stage of life for dementia patients differs from that of other end-of-life patients
• Why caregivers for dementia patients are much more likely to suffer exhaustion and depression
• A marker to use for determining when a dementia patient is eligible for hospice
• Why it’s essential to create an advance directive early in the course of dementia while the patient can make decisions
• The need for “dementia doulas” to guide and assist caregivers
• What happens when a caregiver can no longer take care of their loved one at home
• How some financial planners are doing a better job talking to their clients about preparing for healthcare needs than medical providers are doing
• Simple tips to help caregivers in the moment

Links mentioned in this episode:

• FAC-AZ Annual Meeting in March: Register here (you can attend in person or virtually)
• What Really Matters Podcast
• NEW Archives Page
• Family Caregiver Alliance: Website Caregiver College Videos
• A Place for Mom
• Book recommendation: Connecting the Dots by Judith London
• Leave me a message by email: [e-mail], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
• Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
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• Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Barbara Richardson and thank you also to Jen Blalock for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.