Under Medicare criteria, you may qualify for hospice services for dementia when the end of life is likely within 6 months.
This is determined by reaching a rank of “7” on the Functional Assessment Staging (FAST) scale and by the presence of existing comorbid conditions such as pneumonia or sepsis.
Stage 7 on the FAST scale indicates you’re mostly unable to communicate, can't hold your own head up, are unable to smile, and can't sit up on your own.
Some research suggests atrophy to the hippocampus, which is visible with diagnostic imaging, may help predict shorter survival rates in LBD.