As wave of dementia cases looms, Law School looks to preserve elders’ rights
Health As wave of dementia cases looms, Law School looks to preserve elders’ rights Sy Boles Harvard Staff Writer July 1, 2025 5 min read Academic experts seek improvements that could protect decision-making authority and autonomy An estimated 42 percent of Americans over the age of 55 will eventually develop dementia, and as the U.S. population ages, the number of new dementia cases per year is expected to double by 2060. The demographic shift promises to increase the pressure on already-strained healthcare systems and caregivers. It’s also a challenge for the law. At a conference hosted by the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School last month, researchers from multiple disciplines, both from across Harvard and from other universities, explored how current laws too often strip decision-making authority from older adults, and what improvements could help those older adults keep more of their autonomy as their capacities decline. Not all older adults experience cognitive...