A right to ‘dying well’ with dementia? Capacity, ‘choice’ and relationality

Résumé

There is much discussion and emphasis on living well with dementia in Britain, Europe and internationally. For many people with appropriate health and social care, support and meaningful engagement, living well in the early and mid-stages of the disease trajectories are a reality in the UK. But because of the nature and progressivity of most forms of dementia, the possibility of ‘dying well’ with dementia is thorny, troubled; and autonomy and ‘choice’ all too often become seen as redundant once an individual’s capacity is questioned or questionable. We must find ways to reconcile the right to equal treatment before the law for people with disabilities with the right to choose to die. If we do not, then people with a dementia diagnosis, as in the case of Sandra Bem, may find that if they are to exercise any ‘choice’ about how their life with dementia will end, then an early end, even earlier than it needs to be, remains their only possibility. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved) SUICIDE-ASSISTÉ PRISE-DÉCISION FIN-DE-VIE DÉMENCE AUTONOMIE JURIDIQUE