VAD and dementia: what you need to know
Elder law expert Catherine Henry explains the ethics of dementia and voluntary assisted dying.
Catherine Henry has encountered numerous cases that highlight the ethical and legal complexities surrounding dementia and voluntary assisted dying. (Image: iStock.com/DNY59)
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In recent years, voluntary assisted dying, or VAD, has become a legal option across the country. Each of the six states plus – most recently – the Australian Capital Territory, offers terminally ill people the potential to access VAD.
The process can be accessed only in very specific circumstances and following careful review.
As public debate around access to VAD continues, one of the most complex and ethically charged issues is whether dementia should be included as a qualifying condition.
Dementia is kno...
