Geriatric Palliative Care

Emily Chai, M.D., is Associate Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.Diane Meier, MD, FACP, is Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.Jane Morris, MS, RN, ACHPN, is the Clinical Coordinator for Palliative Care at New York Hospital, Queens, New York.Suzanne Goldhirsch, MA, MsED, is a Program Coordinator for Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.

Any member of the health care team who is engaging with geriatric patients in need of palliative care would benefit from having this guide on the bookshelf.

• Section 1: Overview ; 1. Introduction to Geriatric Palliative Care ; 2. Principles of Care ; 3. Medication Management ; 4. Introduction to Caregiving ; 5. Financing Palliative Care and Hospice ; 6. Ethical Decision-Making ; 7. Prognostication ; 8. Advance Care Planning ; 9. Communication Skills ; 10. Managing Conflict ; 11. Care Transitions ; 12. The Hospice Model of Palliative Care ; 13. Insurance ; Section 2: Special Issues in Geriatric Palliative Care ; 14. Palliative Care Emergencies ; 15. Dying at Home ; 16. Cultural Considerations ; 17. Complementary and Alternative Therapies ; 18. Clinician Self Care ; 19. Last Hours of Living ; 20. Bereavement ; 21. Spirituality ; 22. Palliative Sedation ; 23. Requests for Hastened Death ; 24. Assistive Aids and Devices ; 25. Rehabilitation ; 26. Mechanical Ventilation ; 27. Artificial Nutrition and Hydration ; Section 3: Caregivers ; 28. Caregiving ; Section 4: Symptoms ; 29. Pain Management ; 30. Fatigue ; 31. Failure to Thrive ; 32. Sweating and Fever ; 33. Behavioral Disorders in Dementia ; 34. Delirium ; 35. Terminal Delirium ; 36. Sleep Disorders ; 37. Dizziness ; 38. Headache ; 39. Myoclonus ; 40. Cough and Secretion ; 41. Dyspnea ; 42. Anorexia and Cachexia ; 43. Ascites ; 44. Bowel Obstruction ; 45. Constipation ; 46. Diarrhea and Fecal Incontinence ; 47. Mucositis ; 48. Dyspepsia ; 49. Dysphagia ; 50. Encephalopathy ; 51. Gastroparesis ; 52. Hiccups ; 53. Nausea and Vomiting ; 54. Urinary Retention ; 55. Urinary Incontinence ; 56. Bleeding ; 57. Thromboses ; 58. Lymphoedema ; 59. Pressure Ulcers ; 60. Pruritus ; 61. Malodorous Wounds ; Section 5: Diseases and Syndromes ; 62. Frailty ; 63. Falls ; 64. Depression ; 65. Anxiety ; 66. Alcohol Abuse and Dependence ; 67. Dementia ; 68. Seizure ; 69. Stroke ; 70. Parkinson Disease and Essential Tremor ; 71. Malignant Spinal Cord Compression ; 72. End Stage Lung Disease ; 73. Aspiration Pneumonia ; 74. Diverticulitis ; 75. Mesentric Ischemia ; 76. End Stage Liver Disease ; 77. Feeding Tube Management ; 78. End Stage Renal Disease ; 79. Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection ; 80. Diabetic Management in Advanced Illness ; 81. End Stage Heart Disease ; 82. Arrhythmias ; 83. Valvular Heart Disease ; 84. Peripheral Arterial Disease ; 85. Hip Fracture Management ; 86. Osteoarthritis ; 87. Lumbar Spinal Stenosis ; 88. Osteoporotic Fracture ; 89. Polymyalgia Rheumatica ; 90. Rheumatoid Arthritis ; 91. Osteomyelitis ; 92. Herpes Zoster ; 93. HIV-AIDS ; 94. Skin Cancers ; 95. Colorectal Cancer ; 96. Head and Neck Cancer ; 97. Breast Cancer ; 98. Prostate Cancer ; 99. Lung Cancer ; 100. Leukemia ; 101. Lymphoma ; 102. Intracranial Malignancies ; Section 6: The Interdisciplinary Team ; 103. Clinical Psychologist ; 104. Complementary and Alternative Practitioners ; 105. Dietician ; 106. Massage Therapist ; 107. Music Therapist ; 108. Registered Nurse ; 109. Physical Therapist ; 110. Pharmacist ; 111. Physician ; 112. Social ; 113. Speech and Language Pathologist ; 114. Chaplain