There is a growing body of research that addresses the issue of providing a palliative approach to advanced dementia care.A federally funded American study called the CASCADE study (Choices, Attitudes and Strategies for Care of Advanced Dementia at the End-of-Life) aims to look at the gaps that currently exist about the end-of-life experience of dementia for aged care residents and their families. It was estimated that there were around 162,000 people with dementia in Australia in 2002. It is anticipated that there will be 500,000 people living with dementia by 2040. Dementia is currently the second largest cause of disability in Australia (depression is the major cause). The number of residents in high care facilities with dementia is approximately 60%. As older people are supported to remain in their communities for longer, it is likely that more of them will enter residential aged care facilities at the end-stage of their dementia trajectory. Others will remain at home in this final stage of their illness.