A Study on the Legal Capacity and Civil Liability of Dementia Patients: Dialogue between Law and Medicine

Taiwan has officially entered the stage of an “aged society” in 2018. With dementia patient’s population grows, more and more patients become victims or defendants in legal cases. But judges in Taiwan generally lack medical expertise and sometimes their judgments disagree with physicians’ opinions. This project focus on promoting dialogues and mutual understanding between judges and physicians in legal issues related to competence and liability of dementia patients, with the end of harmonizing Taiwan’s legal system and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This project is a pioneering interdisciplinary research initiative for studying dementia patient’s legal competence and civil liability, its results can contribute to the better judicial system and legislative policy in the coming future society.