Palliative Care

An 85-year-old man with New York Heart Association class IV heart failure, hypertension, and moderate Alzheimer's disease, who lives at home with his 84-year-old wife, is admitted to the hospital after a hip fracture. His postoperative course is complicated by pneumonia, delirium, pressure ulcers on his heels and sacrum, and weight loss. What might the patient's physician do to address his needs, alleviate his suffering, and facilitate his discharge from the hospital and his care at home?