Justification for the implementation of a specific programme of physiotherapy in the reduction of pain induced in patients with advanced dementia

of their life. Further, there is lack of international research on advanced care planning in nursing homes. It was the aim of the current study to evaluate advanced care options in regional nursing homes. Methods.– A structured questionnaire (starting in february 2013) was distributed to a total of 200 nursing homes within the region of Styria/Austria.Major corner stones of the questionnairewere the prevalence of “advance health care directives”, “health care proxy” and “Do not resuscitate (DNR) orders”. Results.– So far, we received answers from 81 (40.9%) of the 200 nursing homes. Only 6.6% of the residents present with end of life orders. Of nursing homes, 78.7% rarely or never have documented DNR order. But 91% of care givers agree that such documentations would be necessary. Key conclusions.– Our results prove that end of life orders are not regularly present in patient documentation–even though the topic of end-of-life decisions is not uncommon in every day in nursing home discourse. This ethical and legal issue needs to be addressed to ensure best supportive care for the oldest residents. A balanced approach may also facilitate the daily routine work within nursing homes.