Respect for non-autonomous persons: dealing with dementia patients

Abstract

ABSTRACT:

In this text, I address the question what it means to respect patients with dementia. Further, I analyze what appropriate approach to be employed while discussing dementia patients, as certain persons. I examine different approaches, such as, the autonomy approach, the best interest approach and the approach of the personality concept in the strong and weak sense. I argue that the autonomous approach which understands patients with dementia as being able to make autonomous decisions, asserts the validity of the principle of respecting autonomy. While, the best interest approach focuses on the comfort of the patient’s current experience to respect the dementia patients. I point out that both the autonomous approach and the best interest approach are inappropriate for the questions which I engage in this paper. I argue and conclude that the personality concept-based approach is appropriate not in the sense that patient´s personality is the only important factor (in the strong sense), but in the sense that it is an important factor for respect of the dementia patient (in the weak sense).