Canadian Charter of Rights for People with Dementia

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 60, No. 8, October 2018, Page 414 News

The Alzheimer Society of Canada’s Advisory Group of people with dementia has created a Canadian Charter of Rights for People with Dementia. Although people with dementia hold the same rights as every Canadian citizen, they face cultural, social, and economic barriers to claiming these rights, leaving many facing discrimination, isolation, and treatment that contravenes their basic rights as human beings. The Advisory Group set out to define seven explicit rights to give a greater voice and authority to those with dementia and to ensure the people and organizations that support them know and protect their rights. These include the right to:

  • Be free from discrimination of any kind.
  • Benefit from all of Canada’s civic and legal rights.
  • Participate in developing and implementing policies that affect their life.
  • Access support and opportunities to live as independent and engaged citizens in their community.
  • Be informed and supported so they can fully participate in decisions affecting their care and life from the point of diagnosis to palliative and end-of-life care.
  • Expect that professionals involved in all aspects of their care are trained in dementia and human rights and are accountable to uphold these rights.
  • Access effective complaint and appeal procedures when their rights are not protected or respected.

The Charter will also serve to guide the federal government as it develops and implements a national dementia strategy for Canada.

To read stories from individuals affected by dementia, learn more about the Charter, and download a free copy, visit www.alzheimer.ca/Charter.

. Canadian Charter of Rights for People with Dementia. BCMJ, Vol. 60, No. 8, October, 2018, Page(s) 414 - News.


Above is the information needed to cite this article in your paper or presentation. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommends the following citation style, which is the now nearly universally accepted citation style for scientific papers:
Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL, Marion DW, Palmer AM, Schiding JK, et al. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002;347:284-7.

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