"Capacity" is a big topic in medicine. All people are assumed at baseline to retain 'capacity' to make their own decisions in daily life - from where to live through to whether to spend $500 on a lawn mower. This principle is summed up by the word 'autonomy'. It is also the bedrock of a free society. Accordingly, 'capacity' (ie, to make our own 'competent' decisions in various scenarios) is a treasured human right. Thus, in order to question somebody else's 'capacity' is a big deal. Here, I will describe the steps doctors need to consider when faced with a patient that other people think is making overly risky life decisions, and when it may be okay to start querying another person's decision-making capacity.
'Incapacity' - the potential LOSS of an older person's autonomous right to make their own decisions
"Capacity" is a big topic in medicine. All people are assumed at baseline to retain 'capacity' to make their own decisions in daily life - from where to live through to whether to spend $500 on a lawn mower. This principle is summed up by the word 'autonomy'. It is also the bedrock of a free society. Accordingly, 'capacity' (ie, to make our own 'competent' decisions in various scenarios) is a treasured human right. Thus, in order to question somebody else's 'capacity' is a big deal. Here, I will describe the steps doctors need to consider when faced with a patient that other people think is making overly risky life decisions, and when it may be okay to start querying another person's decision-making capacity.
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