Le souci des autres : enjeux éthiques de l'accompagnement informel des malades d'Alzheimer

Whilst there has been an increasing amount of interest in the problems faced by the informal carers of people with dementia, there has been little work on the ethical dilemmas they face. Ethical issues in dementia are usually considered from the point of view of the professionals involved. The ethical nature of the problems faced by the carers is scarcely acknowledged. This paper aims at demonstrating that people who care for relatives or others with dementia face many ethical dilemmas and that professionals and non-professionals carers have different ethical perspectives. Four main issues are considered: respecting people with dementia; balancing wishes versus best interests; deciding for others; keeping people with dementia in the human community.