Articles related to focusing on healthy aging, prevention, mobility, cognition, nutrition, independence, and caregiving support.
Approximately 55 million people worldwide live with dementia, yet many misconceptions persist about their cognitive abilities. Understanding if someone with dementia can still have capacity is crucial for protecting their rights and honoring their autonomy.
While there is no single age group that universally lacks capacity, legal and medical systems recognize that individuals at both ends of the age spectrum—minors and older adults—may have diminished capacity for certain decisions. This is not an automatic assumption based on age, but rather a functional assessment of a person's ability to understand, retain, and weigh information to make a decision. The concept of what age group lacks capacity is complex and depends heavily on the specific decision at hand.
