Alzheimer Ethics & Society CHARTER 2010.

Alzheimer Ethics & Society CHARTER 2010, Ethics Forum & Department of Research into Ethics, Tuesday 21st September 2010 – World Alzheimer’s Day, France.

Foreword: People suffering from Alzheimer’s or a related disorder cannot just be defined by their disease and the impairment that it causes, whatever their age.

They must be able to enjoy the same rights as any other citizen, having access to competent care of a high standard to compensate for their disabilities, provided by care-givers who respect their dignity as human beings and listen to their expectations. 

These rights must be enforced whatever the stage of their disease. They must continue to occupy their rightful place in society to avoid exclusion or discrimination. 

Alzheimer 2010: the care-givers make a commitmentAll those who take care of people with Alzheimer’s or a related disorder, be they relations or volunteers, make the following commitment to ….: 

1/ … Recognise that an Alzheimer patient has the right to exist, to have feelings and wishes, to refuse.

2/-…Respect the patient’s choice;

3/ …Respect the patients, their assets and their material choices;

4/ …Respect the patient’s emotional ties;

5/ …Respect the patients’ freedom of thought and encourage their activities;

6/ …Make sure that the patients have access to care to compensate for their disabilities to avoid aggravating their condition;

7/ …Develop and guarantee vocational skills through initial training and continuous training and also by team-work;

8/ …Care for, respect and support patients until their life draws to a close;

9/ …Help the patient to profit from research and its progress.

10/ …Contribute to disseminating an ethical approach to all.