Neurologists and Palliative Care Are We Doing Enough?

With an aging population, the prevalence of neurodegenerative disorders is increasing.1,2 The natural history of neurodegenerative diseases is one of increasing disability, loss of function, immobility, and eventual demise. As McKenzie et al.3 show in this issue of Neurology® Clinical Practice, end-stage neurologic diseases including Parkinson disease are accompanied by increasing inpatient health care utilization culminating often with prolonged intensive care stays and in-hospital death. As the role of palliative care has expanded over time from its original application in patients with terminal cancer to include persons suffering from degenerative neurologic diseases, the effect on health care use in the final year of life bears examination. © American Academy of Neurology.