People at the advanced stages of dementia may become doubly incontinent, unable to communicate their needs and often have multiple co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension (Gage et al., 2012). They are at increased risk of hospitalisation, following chest and urinary tract infections and frequently experience pain, anxiety and swallowing problems (Vandervoort et al., 2013). Despite these complex needs, people with advanced dementia often receive fragmented and suboptimal care at the end of life (Gage et al., 2012; Goddard, Stewart, Thompson, & Hall, 2013), and anticipation of future needs or care planning does not occur routinely. The recent White paper on the provision of optimal end of life care for people with dementia suggests that care for those approaching death should be provided by a multidisciplinary team (van der Steen et al., 2014).