Ogawa Asao
Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi. 2016;118(11):813-822.
The population of the elderly is increasing rapidly in Japan; therefore, the development of a support system for patients with dementia is an urgent task. In recent years, the palliative care approach, which has conventionally evolved according to the needs of patients with can- cer, has been applied for people with dementia. The palliative care approach aims to prevent and relieve suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, respects the dignity of the patient, and ensures open commu- nication with honesty. Care for persons with dementia involves a number of key palliative interventions, includ- ing symptom management, especially pain control, which is under-recognized and under- treated, psychological support, decision making since diagnosis, and caregiver support. Since palliative care is applicable in conjunction with other treatments, the palliative care approach is suitable for dementia care with comorbidity. Therefore, the importance of palliative care is rec- ognized in acute care and home care settings.
日本的老年人口正在迅速增加；因此，为痴呆症患者建立支持系统是一项紧迫的任务。近年来，传统上根据癌症患者的需求发展起来的姑息治疗方法已应用于痴呆症患者。姑息治疗方法旨在通过早期识别以及对疼痛和其他问题进行完善的评估与治疗来预防和减轻痛苦，尊重患者的尊严，并确保坦诚的开放沟通。对痴呆症患者的护理涉及一些关键的姑息治疗干预措施，包括症状管理，尤其是疼痛控制（目前这方面的认识和治疗不足）、心理支持、确诊后的决策制定以及对护理人员的支持。由于姑息治疗可与其他治疗方法联合应用，所以姑息治疗方法适用于伴有合并症的痴呆症护理。因此，姑息治疗在急症护理和家庭护理环境中的重要性得到了认可。
