ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines existing literature on decision-making in the context of dementia, within broader debates about the nature of autonomy. Drawing on this literature, and four case studies involving people with dementia and their family carers, we propose that unique aspects of the dementia experience, and its associated social contexts, can be understood as a stressor. This chapter examines stress and coping with decision-making in the context of dementia from a relational perspective, testing the utility of the dyadic coping theory as a way of explaining these experiences. We conclude by outlining some of the implications of this perspective.
