Disease-Specific Advance Care Planning Interventions for Older Adults

• Published in: Current geriatrics reports Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 12 - 20
• Main Authors: Freeland, Deborah G., Wu, David Shih
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.03.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adults; Advance directives; Cancer; Caregivers; Chronic illnesses; Clinical trials; Communication; Decision making; Dementia; Documentation; Educational materials; Enteral nutrition; Family physicians; Feasibility; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Heart failure; Intervention; Lung diseases; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neurology; Nurse practitioners; Nursing homes; Older people; Pain Medicine; Palliative care; Palliative Care (D Wu; Patient satisfaction; Pilot projects; Planning; Psychopharmacology; Quality of life; Rheumatology; Section Editor; Topical Collection on Palliative Care; Advance directive; Advance care planning; Patient-centered; Older adult; Communication; Shared decision-making
• ISSN: 2196-7865; 2196-7865
• DOI: 10.1007/s13670-019-0272-6

Purpose of Review Advance care planning is beneficial but underutilized for older patients with dementia, cancer, end-stage renal disease, lung disease, or heart failure. The purpose of this paper is to highlight recent disease-specific innovations aimed at improving the delivery of advance care planning for older adults. Recent Findings We highlight 13 studies within the last 5 years focusing on advance care planning models in older adults with the above diseases. Summary Useful interventions include incorporation of non-physician facilitators, varying platforms of ACP delivery, surrogate participation, and written communication of patient preferences to other providers. Several existing models were applicable across disease types. Further research comparing advance care planning models in older adults is warranted.