Under mental capacity act we must assume capacity.
We also need to identify ‘unwise decision’ and prove ‘unwise decision’. Therefore,
it is a legal requirement to assume an individual has capacity to make own
decision. An individual with dementia can make their own decision if appropriate
support is provided. An individual with dementia can make decision about their
everyday choices which are not complex with or without support. We know
different types of dementia affects different types of ability in the different
stage. At the primary stage, an individual may make own decision with or
without any support. At later stage, they may need more support to make
decisions such as advocate, relatives, carer and adaptive technologies.
However, as a professional, we must not work on assumption, notion, beliefs, thoughts and hearsay.
