Introduction

As thinking and reasoning adults we take decision making in our stride. Our decision making is so automatic that we often do not think consciously about some of the decision we make.

Who would have thought that a daily function, so fundamental to everyday life, could be stripped away from us? But of course, that is what dementia does. Cognitive reasoning becomes severely impaired and actions and decisions that we once made without hesitation become an excruciating process that often requires other people to help us with.

Care teams working with people living with dementia will recognise the frustration and distress this causes. Helping someone to make a decision can be a time-consuming process and one that requires great skill and patience. Doing it badly can cause many difficulties for the person and sometimes others around them. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides guidance for anyone trying to facilitate decision making. The podcast that accompanies this toolbox is designed to help your team understand how, using the framework of the five principles of the Act, to implement decision making for the people they support.