Issues of Informed Consent from Persons with Dementia When Employing Assistive Technologies

The use of assistive technologies (ATs) in the provision of healthcare promises to provide novel opportunities to protect, empower, and extend the autonomy of persons with dementia (PwDs). However, it also poses autonomy-related challenges, especially regarding informed consent. Traditional informed consent procedures, aimed at the protection of the autonomy of research participants and patients undergoing treatment, are not readily applicable to PwDs when it comes to deciding about ATs. This chapter analyzes the ethical challenges of obtaining informed consent from PwDs for research and development, and the use of ATs. The analysis reviews both traditional informed consent procedures and more innovative ones. The chapter will conclude with a list of recommendations, based on the findings of the ethical analysis.