Ethical Foundations of Palliative Care for Alzheimer Disease 2010

Alzheimer's disease affects more than twelve million people worldwide and the incidence is increasing at a staggering rate. People with the disorder live longer than people in previous generations and require interventions for quality of life issues related to palliative care. However, the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease often do not result in the placement of such individuals in settings where palliative care resources are available. At the same time, ethical issues related to the provision of end-of-life care for people with Alzheimer's disease remain on the margins of mainstream bioethics. In this book, leading ethicists and clinicians from the United States and Europe explore the ethical and scientific concerns surrounding the diagnosis and prognosis of Alzheimer's disease, the challenges of using palliative procedures, key philosophical and theological concepts for understanding the disease and end-of-life decisions, and changing medical, social and economic patterns.