Counselling of people with dementia in legal matters – social and health care professionals’ role

Abstract

This article examines the counselling of people with dementia in legal matters by focusing on the experiences both of people with dementia and of social and health care professionals. The article also assesses the role of social and health care professionals in enabling the fulfilment of the legal security of people with dementia. In Finland, social and health care professionals have a responsibility to inform their clients of their social and legal security options, and therefore need to know the range of legal tools and options available. They also need to know what measures may be taken to support the remaining legal capacity and autonomy of the person with dementia and to facilitate choices and planning for the future. This article reports the findings of three separate studies carried out in Finland. By examining the results of these studies, the necessity of offering sufficient counselling and support can be addressed. Developing counselling involves changed attitudes and improved competence for the professionals involved in social and health care, as well as changes in operational practices. People with dementia constitute a large client group whose legal security should be developed in a comprehensive and nuanced way.

Readiness and Challenges of Counsellor in Offering Gerontological Counselling in Malaysia

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“…This suggests the need to build the same care pathway for everyone to ensure their ongoing and equal access to information and services. High-quality guidance and counselling based on multi-disciplinary expertise creates conditions for people to participate in decision-making concerning themselves by providing timely information and support (Heimonen and Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, 2018;Nikumaa and Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, 2019). Some participants reported that anticipating their future was very important to them.…”

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“…The results of our study illustrate well the situations a person with dementia faces in their daily life— regardless of the pandemic. If they are unable to take care of their affairs, in many cases their loved ones take care of them; either as an informal or formal caretaker, such as a legal guardian [ 44 ]. According to Giebel et al [ 45 ], the task of finding the right services often falls to unpaid carers, which highlights the need for better support both for people with dementia and for their carers to ensure access to services.…”