Ethical Issues In Dementia Essay

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Clinical Practice Guideline Dementia Ministry Of Health Practice Guidelines 3/2007 Website: http://www.moh.gov.sg/mohcorp/uploadedFiles/Publications/Guidelines/Clinical_Practice_Guidelines/Dementia.pdf Preamble Dementia is a clinical syndrome characterized by global cognitive decline and impairments, which result in a loss of a patient’s individuality and autonomy. At different stages, the disease causes different extents of functional decline, and different severities in behavioural and psychiatric symptoms. The disease also results in varying extents of impairments in decision-making capacity, and at some point, a patient becomes mentally incompetent and ceases to be an autonomous agent. Nevertheless, the dignity of the patient should…show more content…
Respect for autonomous decision making is a fundamental ethical and legal right of a mentally competent individual. This right of self-determination should be respected to the fullest possible extent, even in dementia or conditions associated with cognitive impairment. 2. When affected by dementia, the key to a patient’s right of autonomy is the presence of adequate decision-making capacity. As a patient’s cognition and hence functional abilities for decision making is impaired in dementia, a patient may or may 7 Ethical Issues in Dementia 48 not possess adequate decision making capacity to make an informed choice. 3. A diagnosis of dementia per se, however, does not automatically imply a loss of decision making capacity, which is specific to each patient and to each medical decision. Therefore, those who cannot comprehend complex situations may still possess the capacity to make simple decisions, or to convey their opinions regarding the burdens and benefits of ongoing treatments. 4. In deciding if a patient with dementia possesses adequate capacity with respect to making a particular decision, a clinical evaluation of the following functional abilities should be made 137 : a. Ability to express a

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