Australian states have been progressively introducing Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) legislation, allowing terminally ill adults to request and receive medication to end their lives.
Eligibility criteria in all existing legislation explicitly or implicitly excludes people living with dementia from accessing VAD due to the variability of the disease trajectory and impact on cognitive function and decision-making capacity.
Dementia Australia supports the right of every person, including those living with dementia, to exercise choice over end-of-life care options, which may include VAD measures.
Read paper: Dementia and access to voluntary assisted dying (apo.org.au)
Australia