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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2017; 75(06): 349-353
DOI: 10.1590/0004-282X20170061
ARTICLE

Dementia and legal determination of capacity

Demência e avaliação de interdição judicial
Valeska Maria Eboli Bello Delineau
1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Setor de Neurologia do Comportamento, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, São Paulo SP, Brasil.
,
Rodrigo Rizek Schultz
1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Setor de Neurologia do Comportamento, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, São Paulo SP, Brasil.
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ABSTRACT

One of the consequences of dementia is the possibility of a guardianship proceeding that will deprive patients of legal capacity in taking decisions and managing their own assets.

Objective To assess the legal capacity and guardianship proceedings in patients diagnosed with dementia.

Methods Ninety-seven patients diagnosed with dementia and seen at a tertiary hospital were evaluated.

Results Of these 97 patients, 60 (62%) were female. The mean age of the patients was 77.9 years; average schooling was 5.5 years. The main diagnosis was Alzheimer’s disease (73%): 16 patients were at a mild stage, eight at a moderate stage and 73 at an advanced stage of dementia. Only 28 patients had been legally declared incapable.

Conclusion The large numbers of patients at an advanced stage of dementia, and the relatively few patients legally declared incapable show that legal issues in dementia are problematic.

RESUMO

Uma das consequências das demências é a possibilidade da interdição judicial do paciente, retirando-lhe a capacidade jurídica da prática de decisões e administração de bens.

Objetivo Avaliar a existência de capacidade jurídica e da interdição judicial em pacientes com diagnóstico de demência.

Métodos Foram entrevistados 97 pacientes com diagnóstico prévio de demência atendidos no ambulatório de neurologia do comportamento de um hospital terciário.

Resultados Dos 97 pacientes, 60 (62%) eram mulheres. A média de idade dos pacientes foi de 77,9 anos, e de escolaridade foi de 5,5 anos. O principal diagnóstico foi de doença de Alzheimer: 16 estavam em estágio leve, 8 em estágio moderado e 73 em estágio avançado da demência. Somente 28 pacientes apresentavam interdição judicial.

Conclusão O elevado número de pacientes em estágio avançado de demência e reduzido número de pacientes com interdição indicou dificuldades em relação às questões legais da demência.

legal interdiction - dementia - Alzheimer’s disease - prevalence
interdição legal - demência - doença de Alzheimer - prevalência


Publication History

Received: 14 June 2016

Accepted: 14 March 2017

Article published online:
05 September 2023

© 2023. Academia Brasileira de Neurologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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