Bioethical issues on aging

Abstract

The article discusses aging by taking Alzheimer’s genetic diagnosis as example for analysis. By considering advanced age as a bioethical problem, it makes considerations on the autonomy of elderly patients as well as about the purpose of medicine and the concept of health, such as welfare, formulated by World Health Organization currently adopted throughout the world. It discusses social decisions necessary to establish public policies to provide care to this population group as well as the individual predictions related to their needs. It concludes by considering that human rights provide already legal-ethical bases for an approach to the problem at the countries’ legal level, while seeking dignified and non-discriminatory care to the elderly.