I'm sure there are many of us thinking about that scenario. There are no easy answers even under the Supreme Court's guidelines, and no answers at all under the Liberal's flawed legislation.

The first thing to point out is that in all likelihood you will still be legally competent when first diagnosed with dementia. The second thing to point out is that while dementia brings great challenges to both patient and loved ones, it's not necessarily a terrible fate. The circumstances will be different for each individual.

The short story is that the Supreme Court guidelines held out hope for dementia patients, in that they could seek an assisted death while still competent. The Liberal's legislation eliminated that possibility. Those who contract dementia are in the same position they always were. Living wills are a help of course, but you cannot avail yourself of an assisted death through one.