Currently, dementia is not included in Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) legislation. In a survey conducted by Dying With Dignity Victoria, 76% of survey respondents agreed that dementia should be a recognised medical condition for accessing VAD.
Below is a resource prepared by Voluntary Assisted Dying NGO network, Australia and New Zealand, which goes into great detail about this issue. As the article states, there are three key aspects of state VAD legislation which make it difficult for a person with dementia to access VAD.
These include the:
- Requirement for a prognosis of less than 12 months for a neurodegenerative disease
- Requirement for decision-making capacity in relation to VAD (capacity) at every stage of the
request and assessment process, including when the VAD substance is delivered or
administered - Inability to nominate VAD in an Advance Care Directive (or similar)
Dying With Dignity Victoria remains committed to advocating for the incorporation of dementia into the law and for the option for individuals to include a written request for VAD in their Advanced Care Directive.
