Professor Challenges Conventional View of Advance Directives for Dementia Patients
Professor Emily Walsh, in her 2023 article published in 'Bioethics Today', challenges the conventional view in philosophical literature regarding the moral weight of advance directives for dementia patients in the moderate-late stage of the disease.
Walsh argues that the received view, which gives decisive moral weight to initial preferences stated in advance directives, is inadequate. She suggests reducing confidence in these directives due to the cognitive transformative nature of dementia. Patients in the moderate-late stage may express different preferences than at the onset of their condition.
Walsh proposes that preference changes due to dementia should be given moral weight in medical decision-making. She supports this stance by citing clinical practice, which favors considering post-onset preferences of dementia patients in medical decisions.
Professor Walsh's article, published in 'Bioethics Today', calls for a shift in how we approach advance directives for dementia patients in the moderate-late stage. She argues for a reduced reliance on initial preferences and a greater consideration of changes in preferences due to the progression of the disease.
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