Home-Based Neuropalliative Care Supported a Comfortable Death for a Patient with Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

A case report published in BMC Palliative Care describes how a structured home-based neuropalliative care program allowed a 71-year-old woman with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) to spend her final weeks at home and die there comfortably, 69 days after her diagnosis. The report, published on 27 October 2026, is presented as a single case study rather than a trial, so it documents what was possible in one patient’s care rather than demonstrating an effect that would apply broadly.

The woman had a four-month history of vertigo, dysphagia, and rapidly progressive cognitive and behavioural decline. Diagnostic evaluation was consistent with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and fatal prion disorder marked by swift deterioration and profound suffering for both patients and their families. Because her palliative care needs were substantial, she was enrolled in a home-based palliative care program for comprehensive assessment and management.

Two features of the care model stand out in the report. First, the team followed the patient’s previously expressed advance care directives, meaning the goals of care had been shaped by her own wishes before her condition advanced. Second, clinicians used validated tools to monitor symptom control and clinical progression over time. According to the authors, standardised, disease-specific assessment instruments can facilitate care planning for rapidly progressive, low-prevalence disorders and support timely, proportionate interventions that adapt as the needs of patients and caregivers evolve.

The authors conclude that early integration of a home-based neuropalliative care approach, supported by validated tools for clinical follow-up and symptom control, enabled the delivery of proportionate care consistent with the patient’s advance care directives and facilitated a comfortable end of life at home. In this case, the patient died at home 69 days after diagnosis, an outcome the report presents as consistent with her documented preferences.

The report is an open-access case study, and the version shared carries a note that it is an accepted manuscript subject to further edits before the final version of record. As with any single-case report, the findings describe one patient’s trajectory and cannot establish that this model improves outcomes for others with sCJD. Nevertheless, the authors argue that in the context of a rare, rapidly fatal prion disorder, neuropalliative care plays a critical role, and that validated multidimensional assessment tools may help clinicians deliver care that keeps pace with the disease’s rapid evolution while honouring what patients themselves wanted at the end of life.

Subject of Research: Neuropalliative home care for a patient with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Article Title: Neuropalliative home care for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a case report using validated multidimensional assessment tools

Article References: Borda Restrepo, D. C., Acevedo Ramírez, M. P., Cortés Garcia, S. M., & Solarte, D. (2026). Neuropalliative home care for sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a case report using validated multidimensional assessment tools. BMC Palliative Care. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-026-02355-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12904-026-02355-y

Keywords: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, prion disease, palliative care, home care, neuropalliative care, case report, advance care directives, symptom assessment, end-of-life care, BMC Palliative Care, Neuropalliative, home