ABSTRACT
Involving patients in decision-making is essential to achieve the goal of maintaining dignity in dementia patients. The issue of dementia from the ethics point of view is to understand both the provider and the caregiver. The healthcare provider has some experience in treating dementia patients, but the family does not. They get involved in the direct care of a patient for the first time, who in this case could be one of the family members, such as a parent most of the time, or a husband or wife. The underlying philosophy of hospice focuses on quality and dignity by providing comfort, care, and support services for people with terminal illnesses and their families. As cognitive abilities decline, respect for the autonomy of the person with dementia will conflict with the ethical considerations of taking away a person’s right to autonomous decision-making.
