The Canadian Centre for Elder Law (CCEL) and the Alzheimer Society of B.C. recently released a report aimed at respecting the rights of people living with dementia when it comes to health-care decision-making. Conversations about Care: The Law and Practice of Health Care Consent for People Living with Dementia in British Columbia, reflects over two years of legal research and public consultation and makes recommendations for changes to law, policy and practice.
“This project has brought together the perspectives of health-care providers and people affected by dementia to champion their voices and help us better understand the legal rights of people living with dementia,” says Alzheimer Society of B.C. CEO Maria Howard. “The report will allow families, care providers, government and communities to collaborate as they support people affected by dementia to live the best lives possible.”
The report contains 34 recommendations that address law reform, access to justice and legal aid, public and health-care professional legal education and systemic barriers to informed consent, such as physician-billing and access to language interpretation. The recommendations were developed with a 15-person interdisciplinary advisory committee after consulting with people living dementia, family caregivers, health-care professionals and other key stakeholders from across B.C.
The full, 300-page report, as well as a short, plain language version of the report, can be downloaded from the CCEL website at www.bcli.org/ccel.
