Advance care planning is highly relevant for persons with dementia in view of diminishing capacity to express wishes for future care. The commonly cited definitions refer to a continuous process of communication, yet they define advance care planning for person with capacity exclusively. To clarify how to proceed if capacity declines or fluctuates, a taskforce of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) chaired by Dr Jenny van der Steen (LUMC) and Dr Ida Korfage (Erasmus MC), developed a new framework of advance care planning (ACP). The framework comprises a relationship-centered definition and visualizes how capacity, family, and engagement and communication relate as particularly important in the case of dementia. This evidence and consensus-based framework was developed in a Delphi study with four rounds of navigating ambiguities with a panel of experts from 33 countries. The more inclusive conceptualization of what ACP in dementia is, provides a much-needed basis for clinical recommendations, further research and policy.
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