Dementia: ethical issues

In October 2009, the Council published a report, Dementia: ethical issues, which considers the ethical issues that arise in the context of dementia.

Ethical difficulties arising in dementia include:

• deciding when and how to communicate a diagnosis
• balancing a person’s safety with their need for independence and freedom
• deciding what is in the best interests of the person with dementia, for example when making decisions about their care and treatment
• recognising that the needs of the person with dementia may sometimes conflict with the needs of others, especially carers
• tackling discrimination against people with dementia
• allocating resources to support people with dementia
• deciding what priority to give to dementia research

The report was produced by an expert working party. To inform its deliberations, the Working Party consulted a wide range of people, including those with direct experience of living with dementia, people working in the field of dementia, and other members of the public.