Competence Assessment in Dementia

Introduction: Why has competency assessment become more important? Development of the Consensus statement EDCON Consensus: Assessment of Competence Neuropsychological assessment (Pasquale Calabrese) Brain structures involved in dementia (Matthias Brand and Hans J. Markowitsch) Medical factors interfering with competence in dementia (Maria E. Soto and Bruno Vellas) Drugs that affect competence (Conor O'Luanaigh and Brian Lawlor) Who decides who decides? Ethical perspectives on capacity and decision-making (Deborah Bowman) Are legal systems in Europe fit for the dementia challenge? Approach of the Council of Europe (Nicole Kerschen) Testamentary and financial competence issues in dementia (Konstantinos N. Fountoulakis and Katerina Despos) Assessment of competency and advance directives (Julian C. Hughes) Informed consent in dementia research (Anco vd Vorm and Marcel GM Olde Rikkert) Assessment of fitness to drive, possession of professional drivers' license, possession of firearms, and pilot's certificate in clients with dementing conditions (Kurt Johansson and Catarina Lundberg) Practice of competence assessment in dementia in Europe: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Czechia, UK.-

The increasing number of demented elderly in our societies, the ongoing debate on patient's rights and autonomy, and the growing body of knowledge on the dementias led the European Dementia Consensus Network (EDCON) to regard competence assessment in dementia as an important topic of debate. EDCON performed a transeuropean survey and has agreed on a consensus, which takes into account the variability of clinical symptoms of dementia as well as the special functions required for different purposes.

This book contains a summarized consensus as well as chapters on the state of art of neuropsychological functions and how they are related to the areas of competence. It features chapters that deal with ethical and legal perspectives as well as one that covers competence in the field of driving capacity. In addition, the book contains short contributions on the situation in individual European countries.