A third of the elderly population dies with dementia. This poses major and partly unmet needs on relatives, professional carers and medical specialists. Our review summarizes epidemiological risk factors for the increased mortality in demented patients (age, somatic co-morbidity, neuropsychiatric symptoms), current practice (place of death, decision making, complications, medical treatment, course of dying, cause of death, suicide, bereaved relatives), and instruments for the assessment of pain, burden, prognosis and treatment planning in the terminal stage of illness. We describe the current legal situation in Germany and present a brief outline of practical management issues. We also list a number of areas offering leeway for improvement regarding research, training, psycho-education, preparation, diagnosis, treatment and support.

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