Navigating Decisional Capacity Assessments for People with Dementia: Social Workers’ Strategies and Challenges at the Intersection of Cognitive Impairment and Social Inequality

Supporting persons with dementia during capacity assessments is a complex process that demands social workers to navigate a web of social, organizational, and interpersonal challenges. While relational strategies-like strengthening social connections and empowering persons with dementia-offer promising ways to address these difficulties, tight organizational budgets and competing priorities can create barriers to this work. Ultimately, social workers' success in promoting autonomy and inclusion depends not only on their individual efforts, but also on the systemic conditions that shape their work.