Hospice of the Northwest is pleased to announce an important update to our Admission Guidelines with the addition of a new Dementia Criteria/Frailty Screen. This tool provides a more comprehensive view of a patient’s overall health status and care needs, making it easier to determine hospice eligibility for individuals living with dementia.

In the past, many patients with dementia did not receive hospice care until the very end of life—if at all—due to challenges in assessing eligibility. The Dementia Criteria/Frailty Screen addresses this gap by evaluating multiple factors, including:

• Age and biological sex
• Appetite and recent weight loss
• Cognitive decline and agitation
• Number of falls in the last three months
• Whether or not the patient lives in a facility

By using these criteria, patients and their families can now access hospice services earlier in the disease progression. Early admission not only benefits patients through improved comfort and quality of life, but also supports family members and caregivers. Hospice care includes access to a team of end-of-life experts who provide counseling, education, resource navigation and more—services that ease the caregiving burden, reduce stress and enhance the quality of life for everyone involved.

You can access the new screening tool and the updated Admission Guidelines on our website. If you have questions, please call 360-814-5550 to speak with one of our medical directors.