At the end of last semester, I conducted an online survey and series of interviews seeking to understand the perspectives of seniors on questions of dementia and decision-making. In particular, I asked people to consider what things about themselves they wouldn’t want to make decisions without: what kinds of changes to who you are and to mental capabilities, induced by dementia or otherwise, would you want your family to be allowed to step in and prevent you from making?
The answers, perhaps unsurprisingly, showed no real consensus. Some people cared only about their cognitive abilities at the time the decision was being made. Others saw their personality as a determinate set of values without some of which they would consider themselves a different person. Still others were concerned only about the safety of themselves and their loved ones.
If I was looking for any clear answers to what people care about (I was), then that seems to be a fool’s errand. Read More