Samenvatting

Aim: To examine the motives of people with dementia who desire euthanasia with a special focus on reasons related to family or relationships. In addition we aim to assess how family of people with dementia experience their situation and responsibilities and how this might change.Method: Fourteen interviews were conducted including interviews repeated with three years in-between. People with dementia and an active euthanasia wish were interviewed, and three years later, two of them and five family members were interviewed again.Results: Family is an important factor in the motivations for a euthanasia wish for people with dementia. In pre-liminary thematic analyses by two researchers, we found four themes: (1) Protecting the relationship from the impact of dementia affecting it; (2) Family as primary setting to discuss euthanasia; (3) Obviousness of the family member’s agreeing with the euthanasia wish; (4) Experienced responsibilities.Conclusion: People with dementia and a euthanasia wish describe a fear of becoming a burden, losing their identity and losing control over who they are in the eyes of loved ones and that this will negatively affect their relationships. The wish for euthanasia for people with dementia can fade overtime due to relational reasons or a better quality of life than anticipated when first diagnosed. Family members selfevidently support the euthanasia wish but struggle how to account for it if euthanasia is no longer a legal option due to diminished capacity. The wish for euthanasia and the advanced directive can create a moral burden for family members, which the persons with dementia are unaware of.