The commonest form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, a key symptom of which is forgetfulness. The presence of dementia or some other such condition is not in itself a reason to comply with a request for termination of life or assisted suicide. For some people, however, the very prospect of one day suffering from dementia and the eventual associated loss of personality and dignity is sufficient reason to make an advance directive covering this possibility. Each case will have to be individually assessed to decide whether, in the light of prevailing medical opinion, it can be viewed as entailing unbearable suffering for the patient with no prospect of improvement.
In response to questions on this subject in the House, the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport stated that dementia can make the patient's quality of life unacceptable if he himself regards his condition in this way, but that even then the doctor must decide whether the patient's suffering is unbearable and without prospect of improvement in the light of prevailing medical opinion.