New tools help people living with dementia protect their rights, navigate the health-care system
People living with dementia and their families often find that their health-care decision-making rights are not respected. The common misconception that people who live with dementia can’t make choices about their care is the background to a new series of short videos and brochures produced by the Canadian Centre for Elder Law to inform people living with dementia of their legal rights.
The tools are based on findings from Conversations about Care: The Law and Practice of Health Care Consent for People Living with Dementia in British Columbia, an in-depth report published last year in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of B.C. The report reflects over two years of research and consultation with people living with dementia, family caregivers, health-care professionals and other key stakeholders from across B.C.
Topics covered in the three animated videos include: identifying who can help people living with dementia make their own health-care decisions, how to access support and how people living with dementia can protect their legal rights. The videos were released alongside Traditional Chinese, Punjabi and French brochures outlining the same critical information. An English version of the brochure, developed in consultation with people living with dementia, including the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s Leadership Group of People Living with Dementia, was previously released.
Watch the videos and download the brochures here.
Conversations About Care: The Law and Practice of Health Care Consent for People Living with Dementia in British Columbia makes recommendations for changes to law, policy and practice.
The full report, Conversations about Care: The Law and Practice of Health Care Consent for People Living with Dementia in British Columbia, can be downloaded here. A short, plain language version of the report, is available here.