Dementia

Hospice Eligibility Criteria

Dementia is a group of thinking and social symptoms that interferes with daily functioning. Symptoms include memory loss, forgetfulness, and limited social skills.

Hospice Criteria for Dementia:

  1. Palliative Performance Score (PPS) ≤ 70% (see table below)

  2. Dependence on assistance for 2 or more activities of daily living (e.g. feeding, transferring, ambulation, bathing, continence, dressing)

  3. A documented specific dementia diagnosis (e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease, senile degeneration of the brain, Lewy Body Dementia, etc.)

  4. Stage 7 or beyond according to the Reisberg Functional Assessment Staging (FAST) Scale:

    • Difficulty putting clothing on properly

    • Unable to bathe properly; may develop fear of bathing

    • Inability to handle mechanisms of toileting

    • Urinary incontinence

    • Fecal incontinence

    • Loss of speech, locomotion, limited ability to speak

  5. Patient should have had one (1) of the following within the past 12 months:

    • Aspiration pneumonia

    • Pyelonephritis or other upper urinary tract infection

    • Septicemia

    • Decubitus ulcers

    • Fever recurrent after antibiotics

    • Difficulty swallowing

    • Inability to maintain sufficient fluid and calorie intake with 10% weight loss during the previous six months or serum albumin < 2.5 gm/dl

    • BMI below 22 kg/m2 within past 6 months

    • Systolic B/P less than 90 or progressive postural hypotension

If you believe you know a dementia patient that could benefit from hospice, call Appalachian Hospice and Home Health Services at 606-432-2112 or 606-789-3841 to learn how we can provide quality, compassionate care to you, your patient, or your loved one.

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