Dementia inevitably leads to death, but it is not necessarily a quick or painless process. There are currently seven U.S. jurisdictions that permit medical aid-in-dying, but there are no laws that specifically address dementia. Dr. Timothy Quill, a palliative care specialist, has noticed that many patients are seeking out alternative options. Among the newest available possibilities, recently approved by a New York end-of-life agency, is a more aggressive advanced directive. This document allows a patient to stipulate in advance their refusal to receive water or food if they are suffering from severe dementia. “Developing incapacitating dementia is certainly my and a lot of people’s worst nightmare,” Dr. Quill says. “This is an aggressive document. It’s a way of addressing a real problem — the prospect of advanced dementia.”
See Jonel Aleccia, ‘Aggressive’ Advance Directive Permits Halting Food And Water In Severe Dementia, National Public Radio, March 29, 2018.
Special thanks to Joel C. Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.
