Men with advanced dementia "more likely to be hospitalized"

PanARMENIAN.Net - A study of nursing home residents with advanced dementia found that men were more likely to be hospitalized, physically restrained and receive invasive treatment than women in the last 30 days of life, City News Vancouver reports.

The study was conducted by Ontario non-profit research institute I-C-E-S and found that men were also more likely to die in an acute-care facility, instead of their nursing home.

Researchers say it points to gender biases that are known to occur more broadly in health care, in which men are often offered more aggressive treatment than women with similar conditions.

Lead author Dr. Nathan Stall says that while such interventions might be welcome earlier in life, they are often avoidable and distressing later in life and may not provide comfort if the patient is near death.

Senior author Dr. Paula Rochon says the findings also highlight the need for people to discuss their end-of-life wishes with loved ones and caregivers.

The study looked at the experiences of 27,243 nursing home residents with advanced dementia who died between June 1st, 2010, and March 31st, 2015.

It was published today in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.