Access to Assisted Dying for People Living with Dementia: A Narrative Review on International Legislation
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Parallel 5
18 November, 2026 2:10 – 3:20 pmMini Presentations: Group 2
Victoria Owen is a Research Assistant in Psychology and PhD Researcher at Northumbria University. Her research predominantly explores the intersection of dementia and end-of-life care as it pertains to assisted dying legislation and end-of-life conversations. She is also involved in an ongoing project investigating assistive technologies to support people living with dementia in the workplace. Victoria holds a MSc from Newcastle University and BSc from St. John Fisher University in Public Health. She previously helped co-lead interdisciplinary research on socioecological predictors of urban violence and has lectured on undergraduate community health modules.
Summary
Assisted Dying (AD) (i.e. Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS) and euthanasia) gives people the right to die with dignity and without suffering when reasonable alternatives have been exhausted. Currently AD is legal in 15+ countries, though terms of the legislation may exclude People Living with Dementia (PLwD). This review combines evidence from the 8 countries where euthanasia and/or PAS practices explicitly or implicitly allow PLwD to access them. Countries are examined through four pillars of legislation criteria: presence of a terminal condition, foreseeable death, decision-making capacity, and unbearable suffering. This review draws from legal documents and where possible, short- and long-term data on fulfilled requests. We highlight differences between countries, the challenges with assessing eligibility criteria among PLwD, and opportunities for more robust dementia-specific guidance and reporting. Findings aim to provide clarity to PLwD on existing legislation, and inform ongoing discussions around AD in the UK and around the world.