Changing practice in dementia care for people in care homes towards the end of life

This paper reports on the background and design of an innovative study seeking to develop and test a dementia specific approach to palliative care for older people in care homes, entitled Evidence-based interventions in dementia towards the end of life (EVIDEM EoL). The study uses a two-phase prospective design. Phase I intends to explore and document characteristics and support needs for people with dementia in care homes towards the end of life. Data from phase I informs phase II, the development and testing of a dementia specific education and support tool for palliative care in care homes. This paper reports on the study's background and phase I design. The study is part of the EVIDEM research programme (Evidence-based Interventions in Dementia) (www.evidem.org.uk).