A Case of a Former Hansen’s Disease Patient with Mixed Dementia in Whom Support for Oral Intake Led to a Change in the Family’s Concern

Abstract

Abstract　National Sanatorium Amami-Wakouen is one of the sanatoriums for patients with Hansen’s disease. The average age of the patients is 85.7 years old, and there are some who have complicated dysphagia for sequelae of Hansen’s disease and presbyphagia. An additional characteristic of Hansen’s disease sanatoriums is that family relationships are often weak because of the influence of a policy of prolonged isolation.　The present case was a 99-year-old man. We followed the patient from 2011 to 2017 and found that support for oral intake led to a change in the family’s concern.　Based on our experience, the important points for end-of-life care for people with dementia are: 1) to understand that dementia includes various symptoms, and is a progressive disease with poor prognosis, 2) to encourage families to grasp changes of patients over time, 3) to cherish opportunities for both patients and their families to spend time together, 4) to continue ingenuity and efforts to support oral intake, and 5) to improve the environment for consultation.