Ten items of Mini Suffering State Examination scale (MSSE) on admission to geriatric department and at last day of life

Figure2

The irreversible medical condition of advanced dementia  patients was proved on admission to a geriatric department – most of them was in Aminoff Suffering Syndrome.

A low percentage of advanced dementia patients were diagnosed as suffering from pain as opposed to a high percentage of advanced dementia patients with a high suffering level.

In Articles:
Aminoff BZ, Adunsky A.
Dying dementia patients: too much suffering, too little palliation.
American Journal of Alzheimer Disease and Other Dementias, 19(4): 243-247, 2004.

Aminoff BZ, Adunsky A.
Dying dementia patients: too much suffering, too little palliation.
American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, (Original article), 22(5): 344-348, 2005.

Level of suffering at last day of life

Figure1

“63% of dying dementia patients had a high level of suffering on their last day of life”.

In Articles:
Aminoff BZ, Adunsky A.
Dying dementia patients: too much suffering, too little palliation.
American Journal of Alzheimer Disease and Other Dementias, 19(4): 243-247, 2004.

Aminoff BZ, Adunsky A.
Dying dementia patients: too much suffering, too little palliation.
American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, (Original article), 22(5): 344-348, 2005.

Very important note to family members of end-of-life & dying patients. Also to medical & nursing staff

“It should be borne in mind that high suffering level is not a marker of disease severity in advanced dementia & end-of-life“.

“High suffering level of a patient is an indicator of inadequate nursing and medical treatment”.

In article:
Aminoff BZ.
“Prognosis of Short Survival in Patients with Advanced Dementia as Diagnosed by Aminoff Suffering Syndrome”. Submitted to publication.

First comment on human suffering

1. “The first Right of a Human Being is to Live”.

In Dr. B.Z.Aminoff monograph: “Measurement of suffering in end-stage Alzheimer’s disease”, Probook, Dyonon, Tel- Aviv, 2007, part 2, p.4.

2. “The relief of suffering is one of the primary aims of medicine. The nature of suffering and what physicians can do to prevent or relieve it is poorly understood. Suffering is a global concept that must be distinguished from pain or other physical symptoms with which it may be associated. Although physicians, patients, and medical literature tend to link pain with suffering, there are distinct phenomena”.

Cassell EJ. The relief of suffering. Archives of Internal Medicine 1983;143:522-523.

In Dr. B.Z.Aminoff monograph: “Measurement of suffering in end-stage Alzheimer’s disease”, Probook, Dyonon, Tel- Aviv, 2007, part 2, p.5.

3. “The first Right of every End-of-Life and Dying Patient is to be Free of Suffering”.

In Dr. B.Z.Aminoff monograph: “Measurement of suffering in end-stage Alzheimer’s disease”, Probook, Dyonon, Tel- Aviv, 2007, part 2, p.6.