Outcomes of a Palliative Care Intervention for Older Adults With and Without Dementia in Skilled Nursing Facilities
Joan G. Carpenter, Elisha B. Oduro, Nancy Hodgson, Shijun Zhu, Merve Gurlu, Mary Ersek, Laura C. HansonPurpose:
Older adults living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) receiving skilled nursing facility (SNF) care have different clinical trajectories and care needs compared to those without ADRD. Little is known about whether palliative care affects these two populations differently.
Method:
We conducted a secondary comparative cohort analysis of a feasibility pragmatic pilot trial (
Results:
No statistically significant intervention effect was found; however, quality of life scores in the ADRD cohort trended toward improvement, whereas the non–ADRD cohort trended toward worsening with a similar effect size.
Conclusion:
Further research is needed to optimize palliative care interventions for SNF residents with different illness trajectories.