New legal measures will bolster rights of those with diminished decision capacity
“Do you know where you are?”
“Do you know what date it is?”
“Can you name the Taoiseach?”
“Can you spell ‘world’ backwards?”
These questions are from the traditional mental status examination.
They are an example of how not to assess the decision-making capacity of someone with an intellectual disability, mental illness, dementia or acquired brain injury.
A person whose…