End of Life Care in Neurological Disease

As end of life care is extended to more and more people it is increasingly important that people with progressive neurological disease are recognised as having particular issues as their disease progresses. This group of people with advancing motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, multiple systems atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, Huntington’s disease and other progressive neurological disease face increasing problems – with physical symptoms and psychosocial and spiritual issues for both themselves and their families and carers. This book encourages health and social care professionals to become closely involved in the care of these people and their families, so that advance care plans can be started and quality of life maintained. This book addresses the principles and practice of developing end of life care strategies for neurological disease, written with a clinical, multidisciplinary focus and illustrated with detailed case studies.

Dr David Oliver is Medical Director and Consultant Physician in Palliative Medicine at the Wisdom Hospice in Rochester, Kent and Honorary Reader in Palliative Medicine at the Centre for Professional Practice at the University of Kent, where he is Director of Studies for the MSc in Supportive and Palliative Care. He is a Visiting Professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Zagreb in Croatia.