Aging Ment Health. 2005 Sep;9(5):423-9.

Awareness in dementia: ethical and legal issues in relation to people with dementia.

Source

Dementia Services Development Centre, University of Wales Bangor, Bangor, UK. b.woods@bangor.ac.uk

Abstract

Our improved understanding of the experience of people with dementia provides a new impetus to address legal and ethical issues. This paper explores emerging issues in relation to awareness in dementia and its impact on legal and ethical matters. The different approaches and principles demonstrated in relation to ethical issues are discussed, with an exploration of the concepts of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and paternalism. Application of these concepts is discussed in relation to advance directives, capacity, and decision making, participation in research and treatment, including informed consent, and truth telling. The tensions that exist between the imperatives of doing no harm and of maintaining autonomy in addressing legal and ethical issues are highlighted, and attention drawn to the manner in which the attribution of unawareness is used to justify withholding autonomy. The review emphasizes the importance of considering competency and awareness as being multi-faceted, to be understood in the context of social interaction.

PMID:: 16024401; [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Publication Types, MeSH Terms

Publication Types

MeSH Terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Other Literature Sources

Medical

Dementia - MedlinePlus Health Information

Supplemental Content

Save items

Related citations in PubMed

[Ethical and legal issues in late stage of dementia]. [Acta Med Port. 2008]
[Ethical and legal issues in late stage of dementia].
Fernandes L. Acta Med Port. 2008 Jan-Feb; 21(1):65-71. Epub 2008 Apr 18.
Ethical questions in the treatment of subjects with dementia. Part I. Respecting autonomy: awareness, competence and behavioural disorders. [Neurol Sci. 2007]
Ethical questions in the treatment of subjects with dementia. Part I. Respecting autonomy: awareness, competence and behavioural disorders.
Defanti CA, Tiezzi A, Gasparini M, Gasperini M, Congedo M, Tiraboschi P, Tarquini D, Pucci E, Porteri C, Bonito V, et al. Neurol Sci. 2007 Aug; 28(4):216-31.
Competency and consent in dementia. [J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998]
Competency and consent in dementia.
Fellows LK. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998 Jul; 46(7):922-6.
Review Ethical and legal issues in nursing home care. [Arch Intern Med. 1996]
Review Ethical and legal issues in nursing home care.
Hayley DC, Cassel CK, Snyder L, Rudberg MA. Arch Intern Med. 1996 Feb 12; 156(3):249-56.
Review Dementia and the law. [Eur J Health Law. 2006]
Review Dementia and the law.
Gevers S. Eur J Health Law. 2006 Sep; 13(3):209-17.

See reviews... See all...

Recent activity

Clear Turn Off Turn On

Awareness in dementia: ethical and legal issues in relation to people with demen...
Awareness in dementia: ethical and legal issues in relation to people with dementia.
Aging Ment Health. 2005 Sep ;9(5):423-9.

PubMed
Stress-induced variation in evolution: from behavioural plasticity to genetic as...
Stress-induced variation in evolution: from behavioural plasticity to genetic assimilation.
Proc Biol Sci. 2005 May 7 ;272(1566):877-86.

PubMed
Adaptive hypersensitivity to estrogen: mechanisms and clinical relevance to arom...
Adaptive hypersensitivity to estrogen: mechanisms and clinical relevance to aromatase inhibitor therapy in breast cancer treatment.
J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2005 May ;95(1-5):155-65.

PubMed
How patient-centred am I? A new method to measure physicians' patient-centrednes...
How patient-centred am I? A new method to measure physicians' patient-centredness.
Patient Educ Couns. 2006 Jul ;62(1):31-7. Epub 2005 Jul 15 .

PubMed
Studies on pharmaceutical ethnobotany in the region of Turkmen Sahra, north of I...
Studies on pharmaceutical ethnobotany in the region of Turkmen Sahra, north of Iran (Part 1): general results.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Oct 31 ;102(1):58-68.

PubMed

Your browsing activity is empty.

Activity recording is turned off.

Turn recording back on

PubMed

Result Filters

Display Settings:

Send to: