A patient with dementia may live for many years. The presence of several clinical findings may indicate a patient who may only have a few months to live.
Patient selection: chronic, irreversible dementia
Criteria for increased risk of mortality in a patient with dementia - all of the following:
(1) unable to walk without assistance
(2) unable to dress without assistance
(3) unable to bathe properly without assistance
(4) urinary and/or fecal incontinence
(5) inability to speak or communicate meaningfully, with speech limited to only a few words
The presence of one or more significant comorbid illnesses further increases the risk:
(1) malnutrition from difficulty swallowing or refusal to eat
