New Data Presented at AGS 2021 Raises Concerns About Hospice Care for Patients with Dementia

Hospice patients with dementia are up to four times more likely to be disenrolled before death than patients without dementia (PWD). Additionally, PWD who are also racial minorities may receive lower quality of care while in hospice. Dr. Lauren Hunt, PhD, RN, FNP of UCSF, Department of Physiological Nursing, University of California San Francisco discusses these findings that were part of “Risk Factors for Disenrollment from Hospice in Persons with Dementia: A National Cohort Study”, that was presented at the 2021 American Geriatrics Society General Meeting.

Dr. Hunt has worked in healthcare for more than 20 years, serving as a research coordination, hospice nurse and palliative care nurse practitioner. She most recently works as an assistant professor of nursing at University of California and as a VA Quality Scholars Nurse Fellow.