Dementia, Dignity, and Physician-Assisted Death
As more people live into their later years, more of them become susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related dementias. Many people fear dementia, and some argue that physician-assisted death should be available to those seeking to avoid the indignity of life with dementia. Distinct issues surround the relationship of dignity and assisted death for potential or actual dementia patients. This chapter examines the role of dignity concerns in addressing (1) requests for assisted death by at-risk individuals to avoid a possible future with dementia, (2) requests for assisted death by individuals with mild or moderate dementia, and (3) advance directives requesting assisted death in the event of a later dementia diagnosis or appearance of specific behavioral manifestations of dementia (e.g., apparent inability to recognize family and friends).